University Housing

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University Housing Office

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

200 West Kāwili Street, Portable Building-11

Hilo, HI 96720-4091

Tel: (808) 974-7522; Fax: 
(808) 974-7652
Email: uhhhouse@hawaii.edu

Web: hilo.hawaii.edu/studentaffairs/housing/

On-Campus Housing

In its residence hall operation, the University Housing Program is committed to providing an atmosphere where personal growth can occur in an environment that complements the educational objectives of the University. Residents, student staff, and professional staff carry out this commitment by adhering to concepts of responsible freedom, which encourage active participation in the residence hall community. Numerous opportunities for self and group development are available to the residents through participation in the areas of educational, recreational and social programming, community government, and the development of residence hall policies and procedures.

Residence Halls

University Housing has a variety of room types to meet the needs of most single students, married students, and disabled students.  On-campus residence halls currently house 922 students in five residence halls.  Rooms are furnished with twin-size extra long beds (except for Hale Kauanoe which has standard size twin beds), chest of drawers, chairs, bookshelves, and desks. All other furnishings, including linens, must be supplied by the residents. All halls have recreation lounges, a television room, and laundry facilities. All halls follow the University policy on tobacco products: no smoking is allowed in any rooms or walkways of residence halls. Three halls (Hale Kauanoe, Hale Kanilehua and Hale Kehau) are alcohol-free and substance-free halls. Residents in the traditional-style halls and suites are required to participate in one of a variety of on-campus meal plan options.

Hale Kanilehua is a 48 bed traditional styled hall that is open to select students wanting to participate in a living learning community (LLC). The LLC focus is on providing additional learning opportunities outside of the classroom. The goal of the LLC is to integrate curricular and co-curricular experiences.

Hale Kauanoe is a traditional style residence hall that accommodates 136 resident students in shared rooms. Men and women are housed in separate wings. Students share a common bath and restroom on each floor of the wing. Lounge, recreation area, community kitchen and computer lab are available.

Hale Kehau is a 236-bed, semi-suite-style coed hall. Each two rooms share a connecting bathroom. All rooms are fully carpeted. Six units are designed to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

Hale Ikena, an apartment-style facility, provides accommodations for 196 students. Students applying to Hale Ikena must be 21 years of age or have completed 24 college credits. The majority of apartments in this facility are two-bedroom units with accommodations for four students in each unit. A limited number of one-bedroom apartment units accommodate two students. All apartment units are fully furnished with private bathroom, living room, and kitchen. Residents must provide their own linens and cooking and eating utensils.

Hale ‘Alahonua is a two-bed room semi-suite style facility that features single person bedrooms. This hall is open to sophomores and above. The hall include a large student life area that include lounges, kitchen, private study rooms, computer lab and laundry.

Married Students

Married students may reside in student housing provided that at least one spouse per married couple is a full-time student who qualifies under the geographical area provisions of the Board’s applicable priority system, the other spouse being a full-time or part-time student.

Students with Disabilities

Three apartments at Hale Ikena, six units at Hale Kehau and eight units in Hale ‘Alahonua have been designed to meet the needs of students with disabilities who are capable of living independently. In addition, 17 units at Hale Ikena and 8 units at Hale Kauanoe are equipped with audible and visual alarms. Applicants for these accommodations should indicate on their application the nature of their need. Applicants requesting housing accommodations will be referred to the University Disabilities Services Office for determination of eligibility. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to qualified persons with disabilities. Students must apply by regular deadlines. Applications are available in alternate format upon request.

Application Procedures

Applications for on-campus housing may be obtained directly from the University Housing Office or downloaded from the University Housing website.

Assignments are made according to the date of receipt of application, non-refundable application fee, Board of Regents assignment priority, acceptance to a classified University Program and hall preference. BOR policy gives priority to all traditional freshmen. For priority considerations, application must be received by the University Housing Office by March 1st.

All on-campus housing applicants must be accepted into a classified program of study before being eligible for housing placement.

Assignments are for the semester or remaining portion.

Applications for the upcoming academic year are available early January and should be submitted as early as possible.

Admission to the University does not assure students of on-campus housing.

Receipt of a housing application and application fee by the University Housing Office does not guarantee on-campus housing.

Rates

For current residence hall rates, visit the University Housing website.

Board Program

The meal program is administered by Sodexo Campus Services. Residents can eat their meals at any one of the many campus food outlets. These include the Residence Hall Dining Room serving dinner nightly and brunch on weekends and holidays; Campus Center Dining Room serving 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays; Starbucks Coffee Cart; and The Cube. The snack bar “Munchies” located at the Hale Kehau Resident Dining is open in the evening to serve those with late-hour appetites.

All residents, except for those that reside at Hale Ikena, are required to be on a meal plan. Residents of Hale Ikena may purchase a meal plan at the same rates. For more information, visit the UH Hilo Dining Services website.

Off-Campus Housing

New students in need of off-campus housing are urged to use the services of New Student Programs to make arrangements personally with a provider of privately-owned housing, or come to Hilo as early as possible to secure housing.

Rev. 3/13/13