COVID-19 Information on Housing and Dining

Check here for information about on-campus housing, this page will be updated regularly as campus decisions are made to support the health and safety of our students.

Campus COVID-19 Info
Get all the latest updates on campus efforts regarding COVID-19

Updated Sept. 18

Move-Out

Operational status of the residence halls may change at any time, and is directed by university leadership in consultation with Boulder County Public Health officials. It is our goal to provide housing for students so long as it remains safe for us to do so.

Students are expected to move their personal belongings out of their room before they depart. Current Residence Hall Guest Policies do not allow outside vendors to perform services inside of the residence halls.

If the student terminates their residence hall contract for any reason during the fall semester, the student would need to reapply for spring housing if they intend to return to campus housing. Housing availability and assignments are based on the expected vacancies for spring semester and assignments are based on date of application.

If the university moves to remote instruction for the fall semester, and the student knows that they intend to return in the spring semester, they would not complete a check-out and would continue to occupy their residence hall space throughout the semester.

For the health and safety of all residents, residence hall guest and visitor policies do not allow any outside guests inside of residence hall rooms, hallways, study rooms or floor lounges. Parents and family members are welcome to meet students in parking lots to help support loading of vehicles, but are unable to go to the students room at this time.

In order to complete the check out, and for billing to end, your room must be empty. Students who wish to check out, but who cannot take all personal items with them at the time of departure have several options.

Secure an off-campus storage unit
Store items with a close friend or family member
Contact the UPS Store to arrange to have items shipped home
Contact the UPS Store to have items placed in storage: https://www.usummerstorage.com/

Student refunds are outlined in sections 11 and 12 of the University Housing Contract. The manner in which refunds will be calculated will depend on the manner in which the housing contract is terminated.

Dining

Students with board meal plans will be able to get food from campus dining centers, Grab-n-Gos, restaurants, cafes and retail markets. Students will use meal swipes at campus dining centers and Grab-n-Gos and Munch Money at restaurants, cafes and retail markets. Starbucks will accept Campus Cash or credit cards.

Bear Creek students can use Campus Cash or credit cards at restaurants, cafes and markets. Download the Nutrislice app to order food ahead of time.

Students, faculty and staff living off campus are able to use Campus Cash and credit cards at restaurants, cafes and markets.

At this time, board meal plans are only available to residence hall students. Bear Creek students can use Campus Cash or credit cards at restaurants, cafes and markets. Download the Nutrislice app to order food ahead of time.

We will still be accepting Campus Cash and credit cards at restaurants, cafes and markets. Download the Nutrislice app to order food ahead of time.

You will not be able to get meals from campus dining centers without a board meal plan. Board meals are only available to students living in the residence halls.

Res Hall residents - Meal plans, Munch Money, Campus Cash, credit cards
Bear Creek residents - Campus Cash and credit cards
Off-campus students, faculty, staff - Campus Cash and credit cards

Dining centers will provide grab-n-go/order ahead options only. We are following health guidelines to determine if we can offer dine-in reservations after the start of the semester. Use the Nutrislice website or app to order food ahead of time and schedule your pick-up time.

We will not be selling meal cards at this time. Meal cards that were previously purchased will remotely have their expiration removed. No action is needed on your part. Call Campus Dining Services for questions at 303-492-6325.

At this time, we are not offering block meal plans for fall semester. Board meal plans will be offered to students living in the residence halls. Students, faculty and staff are able to use Campus Cash and credit cards at restaurants, cafes and markets.

To limit physical interaction in spaces not able to provide the optimal 6 feet of social distancing, almost all of our retail markets will be for ordering ahead and pick up only. We are still offering all of the essential items and favorites.

Students living in the residence halls will be able to use up to four swipes per day at campus dining centers and Grab-n-Gos. Note that students can use all four swipes in one visit if they'd like. At campus dining centers, one swipe will equal one entree and two sides (not including a drink). At Grab-n-Gos, one swipe will equal one entree and two sides (including a drink).

Campus Dining Centers (only open to residence hall students)

Alferd Packer Grill (Meal Plan only - Grab-n-Go)
Center for Community (Meal Plan only - Grab-n-Go)
Sewall Dining Center (Meal Plan only - Order ahead and Grab-n-Go)
Village Center Dining (Meal Plan only Grab-n-Go)

Retail Markets (open to all students, staff and faculty

Village Market (We Proudly Serve Starbucks) (Munch Money, Campus Cash, Credit Card)
UMC Market (Munch Money, Campus Cash, Credit Card)

Restaurants and Cafes (open to all students, staff and faculty)

The Bakery (Munch Money, Campus Cash, Credit Card)
Starbucks (Campus Cash and Credit Card)
SEEC Cafe (Munch Money, Campus Cash, Credit Card, Meal Plan - Order ahead only)
WeatherTech Cafe (Kittredge Market now located in WTC) (Munch Money, Campus Cash, Credit Card)

Grab-n-Gos (only open to residence hall students)

The Alley (Meal Plan only - Order ahead and Grab-n-Go)
CU on the Run (Meal Plan only - Order ahead and Grab-n-Go)

We will enforce 6 feet physical distancing measures for lines, food prep and pick-up.
All food will be served by staff; there will be no self-served items available.
Dining employees are increasing handwashing frequency on top of current health department guidelines to washing hands every 30 minutes.
All food is served by a staff member using gloves.
All staff are required to complete a health assessment questionnaire each day before arriving at work.
Campus Dining Services uses both a Multi-Quat and Peroxide cleaning and sanitizing solution to clean surfaces.
Increased cleaning of high contact areas.
Foam hand sanitizer stations are located at the entrances to all of our dining halls.
Plexiglas barriers have been placed where a distance of 6 feet may not be possible.
All staff are required to wear face masks and gloves when serving food and maintain proper social distancing guidelines.
All dining locations will provide either compostable or recyclable plastic to-go containers or utensils.

During the first few weeks of class, our main dining centers may experience longer waits at peak times as students explore campus. Students can visit our different dining options to find what works best for their schedule. We have staff in our dining locations to remind students what is on the menu for that day and let them know what the process is for that dining location.

We encourage students to use the order ahead option in locations that offer it to schedule a pick-up time that works with their schedule. Students can also use the Nutrislice website or app to check menus and filter based on allergens or dietary preferences. You will need to create an account in order to place an order for pick up.

Currently CU on the Run, The Alley @ Farrand, Sewall Dining Center, SEEC Cafe and WeatherTech Cafe offer order-ahead service through the Nutrislice website and app. More locations will be added during the semester. CU on the Run, The Alley @ Farrand and Sewall Dining Center are order-ahead only.

Create your account:

Visit the Nutrislice website or open the Nutrislice app
Click on the menu in the upper right-hand corner
Click "Log In," then click "Create an Account"
Fill in your first name, last name and colorado.edu email
Create a password (this password should be different from your Identikey password)

Place your order:

On the website or in the app, click on "Pickup" to see locations offering order-ahead services
Click on "Browse Menus" for the location where you would like to place an order
Click on the "+" in the bottom right of the item you would like to add to your order.
Some items may ask for additional details or add sides or drink to your order - once you have made additional selections click "Add to order"
Once you have completed your order, click the shopping bag in the upper right-hand corner to check out
Choose your pick-up time, payment option and add any special instructions to your order

Pick up your order:

When you arrive at the dining location, look for your name under the 15-minute window for your order time. For example, if you chose 1:15 as your pick-up time, your order will be under the XX:15 header
Have your order confirmation ready to show staff when you arrive at the dining location
Your order will be available for pick up for up to 30 minutes after your scheduled pick-up time

Some of our order-ahead locations offer the option to pay ahead with your meal plan.

Log into your Nutrislice account
Order your meal and proceed to checkout
If a location offers pay ahead with a meal plan, you will see the option “Would you like to use your Buff OneCard?” Under “Payment Options”
Click “Log in here” under “Would you like to use your Buff OneCard?”
Log into your Buff OneCard account using your CU Login and Identikey
Verify your meal balance and click “Apply to applicable items”
Your cart will update to show you are paying with a meal plan
Choose your pickup time, verify your meal items, add any special instructions, and submit your order

Residence Hall Experience

Williams Village is a beautiful area of campus living space that is home to six residence halls, Bear Creek and around 3,000 students. It includes a variety of outdoor recreational activities including its own rec center. Additionally, the UPS store, Wardenburg Health Center, Counseling and Psychological Services and ASAP tutoring are located right in the Village Center. Will Vill, as it is affectionately called, is often a tight-knit community, where students develop close connections. Through the use of academic cohorts, students will continue to build strong connections in new ways, as they will attend classes within Will Vill. Our campus shuttle, the Buff Bus, will have reduced capacity to provide needed social distancing, and will continue to provide service from Will Vill to other areas of campus throughout the day.

Students with medical conditions or disabilities should request accommodations via the housing disability accommodations process. Additionally, if students are concerned about their health and community living, they can request an exemption to the live-on policy.

For the safety of our communities, the number of students will be decreased across residence halls as a whole. This will also decrease the number of students using a community bathroom. Our halls also offer a number of individual private baths, both to the community and in-room. Additionally, high-touch surfaces such as those within bathrooms will be on an increased daily cleaning schedule.

We are still determining many social distancing practices. These include reducing density within our halls to ensure smaller student-to-student ratios, safe enter and exit practices from buildings, community center check in and desk operations, creating hallways to be one way to ensure safe distance between students, reviewing common area space capacity and usage and ensuring classes are spread out so that students are not returning to the residence halls all at one time. In all instances, our residence life and housing teams are working to ensure student safety related to COVID-19, and will be communicating student expectations before move-in.

We are reducing the density of students within all of our residence halls and adding self-isolation and quarantine space for the students living in the halls.

We encourage all families to review the student handbook together and have a discussion regarding expectations for personal health and additional safety decisions. Clubs and student organizations will continue to meet virtually or in small groups, and campus departments will continue to plan small gatherings for students. While self-regulation will be the most effective tool to manage the spread of COVID-19, the Student Code of Conduct is being revised to provide additional support in enforcing health directives.

Spaces have been identified in each of our halls that will not be assigned in an effort to support social distancing and other health and safety needs.

Certainly. Through the use of academic cohorts, students may find that many of their classes will be located in, or near, the building where they live. Not only will this help minimize the spread of COVID-19, it is also very convenient and will also allow students to build strong connections with people who have similar academic interests. We anticipate students will be able to eat in dining locations elsewhere on campus, and will be able to use facilities such as Norlin Library and the Rec Center.

All residence halls have moved to a first-year experience model. We are no longer charging a RAP fee and all students will be living and learning with the students from their academic cohort.

We are excited to continue to offer the identity-based Living Learning Communities (LLCs) in Hallett Hall and you will continue to stay within this cohort. Now more than ever, it is critical that we support the needs of all of our students, especially students of color, LGBTQIA students and students committed to social justice.

In order to reduce density in residential spaces, residents are required to follow the Visitor and Guest Policy. The policy can be reviewed in the Residential Handbook.

Residential Hotel Housing

Bus service is available to all students living in a residential hotel. To meet health and safety expectations, buses will be operating at reduced capacity. We encourage students to bring bikes or skateboards as alternate transportation methods. All CU students are provided with an ECO pass to use public transit throughout the Boulder/Denver metro area as well as to/from DIA!

CU Boulder will be working in partnership with local hotels that will provide a residential hotel living, dining and academic experience.

Any student who moves into the residential hotel will be living there for the duration of fall semester.

Phase 3 students were assigned to cohort space within the residence halls and then based on housing application date, students were assigned to the hotel. Any student who did not receive a residence hall assignment was assigned to a residential hotel cohort. As we receive cancellations, before move-in, students may be moved to a residence hall. Additionally, any available space in the residential hotels may be offered to Phase 4 students who are on the housing waitlist.

Residential hotel students may be taking classes on campus, in the residential hotel or online. It will vary based on the student’s schedule.There is limited classroom space available in the residential hotels.

We are committed to giving the students assigned to hotels a great residential experience. Only CU Boulder students will be staying in the hotel. It will have the same professional staff that is in the residence halls, and the experience will be the same as that offered to the residence hall students.

Students will be provided with breakfast (brunch on the weekends) and dinner at the residential hotel and they can choose any campus dining option for five swipes for lunch meals per week.

Students assigned to the residential hotel can sign up for a move-in time from July 28-30. We will assign students move-in appointments beginning July 31. The move-in information can be found on the website. Students in hotels will follow the same instructions as residence hall students.

Yes. All room assignments will be double with bath, and charged the roommate, community bath rate.

The residential hotels will be considered CU housing and will have the same security and cleaning standards of all campus housing.

Housing Process, Assignments and Roommates

We are currently working with and taking advice from state government and local health officials to determine the best way to support a safe living environment. We understand there is a need for planning, making travel and living arrangements. We are working to provide information to you in as timely a manner as we can in an ongoing, changing health climate. As soon as we are able to finalize the plan for transitioning to the remote learning and spring semester, we will communicate with you. Students will have the option to keep belongings in their room throughout the remainder of fall semester.

Decisions regarding the spring 2021 semester are still being determined. We are working to provide information to you in as timely a manner as we can, in an ongoing, changing health climate. When we have finalized the spring move-in plan, we will post it to our website and communicate with you.

We are working closely with our health professionals to ensure multiple safety and health measures are put into place within the residence halls. These will include additional cleaning of high-touch surfaces, decrease of student density within each building, student expectations regarding safer and healthier choices and support within the campus and classroom environment to ensure smaller academic cohorts. For more information, please review the Road Map to Fall 2020 plan.

Students will complete a roommate agreement during their first week on campus to assist with setting expectations and assist with future communication. Should disagreements arise, staff will lead a conversation between roommates about their expectations. Professional live-in staff members and the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution will also be available to support students if the need arises.

First-year students living off campus can use the roommate function on Ralphie’s List, CU Boulder’s online rental database, to search for other students also searching for roommates. Here, students can search for roommates by class year and a variety of other lifestyle preferences. First-year, off-campus students will also be assigned to the Commuting Buffs program.

Academic Cohorts

To support safety and reduce the number of people each student comes into contact with, we will be housing students based on their academic college. This will allow students to live and take classes with the same small group. Our new cohorts will support student interaction, connection and safety due to their intentional “community within a community” design. First-year students can safely live and learn together in their college, no matter where they reside on campus.

Cohort size will depend on the type of class, classroom size and academic need. The smallest in-person cohorts may be as small as 10 students, however remote classes can have much larger cohort sizes.

In-person classes were one of the top priorities for the university as we planned for fall. Housing students based on their academic college supports student safety and reduces the number of people each student comes into contact with. In working with our health experts at CU, local and at the state levels, a cohort model was recommended and will help with contact tracing.

CU Boulder Housing remains committed to providing housing for our students while ensuring health and safety. The cohort model is the most effective way for us to manage health and safety, reduce the number of people each student comes into contact with and ensure adequate contact tracing. Should your student prefer to live at home, they may petition for release from their housing contract.

If a change is necessary, we will use vacated spaces and make adjustments. It will be important to note that changes to an assignment can occur after the final assignment email in August.

Housing is currently working with academic colleges to determine a safe and timely process for student major changes both before students arrive and throughout the fall 2020 semester.

The ways in which students build connections will vary. Some students prefer to connect with clubs, organizations and other students exclusively through digital platforms. On-campus, in-person gatherings will occur with appropriate social distancing, and the size of the gatherings will be limited by city, county and state guidelines. Work is underway to revise residence hall guest policies, which may limit the ability for nonresidents to visit residence halls, and for residents to visit friends in halls that are not their own.

Room and Board Rates

Will there be changes to Room and Board costs?
If I cancel my housing, will I lose my application fee and deposit?

Room and Board charges are determined as an annual rate, and charged by the semester. This rate includes the room, meals (board) and operational costs to maintain the residence halls. The charged amount for fall semester is from move-in to November 25. If a student does not return for spring semester, they will not be charged the second half of the annual rate.

We are working to provide information to you in as timely a manner as we can, in an ongoing, changing health climate. We are still determining the spring 2021 living experience, and this impacts decisions related to housing options while students are fully learning remotely after November 25. We will email you as soon as the plan and rates are finalized.

Starting August 1, we will no longer be waiving the application fee. Any cancellations received will no longer be refunded the $50 application fee.

Fall 2020 Frequently Asked Questions

As part of the Roadmap to CU 2020 plan, first-year students will have both in-person and online class components to their fall 2020 semester. Larger classes will be conducted online, and cohorts for in-person classes will be carefully designed to ensure safe and healthy practices for COVID-19. For students who may be considered vulnerable due to health and safety, as it relates to COVID-19, we offer suggestions to best support your needs. Please consider completing the housing accommodations process. To request alternate housing arrangements, and if you meet the first-year live-on exemption policy, please complete the first-year release. CU Boulder will provide support services and community building opportunities for all commuting first-year students through our Commuting Buffs program.

Students who choose to defer for the fall 2020 semester and instead come to CU for spring 2021 should apply for campus housing when the spring housing process is anticipated to open in mid to late fall.

If a student chooses to defer, take classes elsewhere and then transfer into CU for fall 2021, the increased number of credits may impact a student’s first-year student status. This may mean that campus housing options are limited. In those instances, students should plan to live off campus. Our off-campus community is robust and nestled along the campus borders and the Off-Campus Housing and Neighborhood Relations office is also happy to assist. Students who take a gap year and do not transfer in any credits, can apply to housing as a traditional first-year student, and may meet qualifications to petition to live at Bear Creek or off campus with peers.

Students who fall below our six credit hour minimum will need to speak with their hall director regarding their individual circumstances and determine what support is the best course of action for the overall success of the student.

The in-person portion of the semester ends on November 25 and students will be expected to vacate the residence halls at that time for the duration of the winter break. We anticipate being able to welcome students back to their residence hall for the spring semester. As we finalize decisions, there will be more information for students who do not have a place to go during the timeframe between semesters. More information will also be provided regarding options for leaving things in your room over the break.

The university is implementing many measures to support students, faculty and staff with social distancing. Some of the larger traditional welcome events are being reimagined in a virtual format, or in ways that allow students to enjoy them in small groups. Additionally, the use of outdoor space allows students to spread out for events that have traditionally been hosted indoors. More broadly, campus is evaluating many additional measures that will allow for more space on sidewalks, in gathering locations and on-campus transportation.

Spring 2020

You can pick up an express checkout form from your hall’s community center front desk. Completed forms should be returned to your community center front desk before you depart.
If you are electing to depart at any point before your contract end date, please remove all of your personal effects from your space. This includes cleaning the space, removing all perishable items and finding suitable off-campus storage for your bike. Please contact the Environmental Center for more information about bike storage.
To avoid additional charges, mailbox keys must be returned to your designated UPS store.
We encourage you to let your RA and your roommate know that you are departing for the semester.
Once you check out, you will no longer have access to your residential space.

Because we are now asking all residential students to move back to permanent homes if they are able, the campus Housing Administration is offering a credit to your student tuition and fees account.
You will receive a credit of 100% of your remaining room and board from the day you check out through the end of the semester. This credit will appear on your tuition and fee account, minus any outstanding charges.
As long as items remain in your room, the room is considered occupied. A credit will not be issued if your room is still occupied. Students needing to claim items should email studenthousing@colorado.edu. If your university bill is paid in full, any remaining credit will be applied to the next term’s charges.
Any fees assessed for additional cleaning, damage and improper checkout may impact the final credit disbursement amount.

Yes, you are still eligible for a credit to your student tuition and fees account.
If you completed an express check out form before March 17, you will receive a credit of 100% of your remaining room and board from March 17 through the end of the semester. This credit will appear on your account, minus any outstanding charges.
Once you submit your express checkout form and you have removed all belongings from your room—you are officially checked out.
As long as items remain in your room, the room is considered occupied. A credit will not be issued if your room is still occupied. Students needing to claim items should email studenthousing@colorado.edu.
If your university bill is paid in full, any remaining credit will be refunded to you.
Any fees assessed for additional cleaning, damage and improper checkout may impact the final credit disbursement amount.

Yes, you will receive a credit. It will be applied to your tuition and fees account. If your university bill is paid in full, any remaining credit will be refunded to you.

Campus Dining Services will be converting your unused Block Meal Plan balance into Campus Cash. Your account conversion will be based on the remaining meal balance at the end of spring semester. This Campus Cash balance will carry over to the next academic year and will be usable anywhere Campus Cash is accepted. Graduating seniors will get a credit for unused meals. For graduating seniors, if your university bill is paid in full at the end of the term, any remaining credit will be refunded.

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