EIU New Student and Family Programs

International Students - Housing Upon Arrival

All first-year, undergraduate students, meaning students who don’t already have a college degree, are required to live on campus for two years. There are no exceptions. You may live off-campus only if you meet any one of these three conditions: (1) you are a graduate student or (2) you are an undergraduate student and have earned 30 college credits after graduating from high school or (3) you are at least 21 years old. This includes all students with less than 30 college credits earned after high school graduation.

• On-campus housing - Please visit the EIU Housing website at https://www.eiu.edu/housing/international.php
• Off-campus options - Can be located through a Google search, using the terms "apartments in Charleston, Illinois".

Temporary Accommodations – Beginning August 18

At this time, we can provide some temporary accommodations to students who already have a visa - this is limited to a shared room (with a roommate) in a University residence hall. Please complete the Fall 2025 Arrival Form located on your MyEIU Checklist and let us know if you will need temporary accommodations.

If you will be living on campus and you have been assigned a room, you will be able to move into your assigned room/space on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.