First-Year Housing Process

Open the door to a new way of life.

Living on campus is an ideal way to immerse yourself in student life at Creighton. You’ll enhance your educational experience—and form friendships that will last a lifetime. With so many benefits to on-campus living, we require all freshmen and sophomores to live in one of our residence halls (unless they are approved to commute from their homes in the immediate Omaha area). See below for details about on-campus housing for first-year students, including the application and roommate selection processes, as well as tips on what to bring.

Living with Other First-Year Students

To help you build community and receive the support you need for success, you’ll live on a floor with other first-year students or in one of our first-year freshman residence halls. Three out of our eight residence halls are typically designated for freshmen: Graves, Swanson and Deglman.

Applying for On-Campus Housing

Please note, all students must have completed their immunization requirements (uploaded to The BirdHouse)—and records must be verified by Student Health Education and Compliance—prior to registering for classes and receiving a housing assignment. Students who are in the process of completing their immunization requirements (i.e., have started a series for the first time) may be granted class registration and/or housing assignment privileges. This will be done at the discretion of Student Health Education and Compliance. Preference is given to those new students who complete their housing application by the beginning of May. Follow the steps below to apply for housing. 

1. Access the StarRez housing portal through The NEST

  • Access The NEST and log in with your Blue credentials (Note: If you have not logged in before, you may need to activate your Net ID.)
  • Choose “Residence Life” from the navigation bar.
  • Select “Housing Portal.” You will be rerouted to the home page of the StarRez Housing Portal.
  • You may see an additional authentication page. If prompted, enter your NetID (include “@creighton.edu”) and password.

2. Complete your application in the Housing Portal

  • At the top navigation bar, select “Academic Year Housing Application.”
  • Select “Freshman and Rising Sophomores,” or "Rising Juniors and Seniors" and click “Save and Continue.”
  • Complete the preliminary application steps until you reach the final page indicating your application status as complete. You will then be redirected back to the home page.

3. Complete your roommate search (optional)

  • In mid-May, new students will be able to access the roommate search features in the Housing Portal. This process is optional.
  • If you choose not to participate in the process, you will be matched with a roommate based on your housing application, which includes questions about your hobbies and habits.

Selecting a Roommate

While about half of our students choose to let our algorithm choose their roommate based on their profile answers, you can select a roommate yourself. You can discover and message potential roommates via an online community or choose a roommate you already know. In either case, you’ll use the same process in the Housing Portal to request each other.

Using the Search Feature

You can find your roommate in a number of ways:

  • Search by detail: If you have the screen name of your desired roommate, you can enter it on the “Search by Detail” page. Enter all known details and click the “Search” button.
  • Search by profile: This option allows you to search for specific profile items, such as level of cleanliness, personality, or study habits on the “Search by Profile” page.
  • Search by suggested roommates: Use this option to see a list of students that most closely match your answers to your profile questions.

Submitting or Accepting Roommate Request

  • You can find the “Request Roommate” option next to students you identify through the roommate search features. PLEASE NOTE: Only one roommate request will be honored.
  • On the main “Roommate Requests” page, you can see your pending (or accepted) roommate requests. You will also receive an email when you receive either a roommate request or a response to your sent roommate request.

What You Need for Move-in

To make sure you bring the essentials, we’ve created a move-in checklist. This printable checklist also includes what’s already in your room—and the items you should not bring to campus. In addition, you’ll need renters’ insurance prior to move in. This is crucial because Creighton University assumes no financial responsibility over the personal property of residents nor will the institution be financially responsible for large-scale, unintentional damage caused to university property by on-campus residents, such as a fire or sprinkler-head flood. You must provide proof of insurance through your own provider, or purchase it through our recommended provider, GradGuard.

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Students moving into campus at Creighton.

Requests for exemption from the live-on-campus requirements must be made electronically to the Assistant Vice Provost for Housing and Auxiliary Services or their designee via email at living@creighton.edu. Requests must be made by July 15 for the upcoming fall semester, and by December 1 for the upcoming spring semester. Only the Assistant Vice Provost for Housing and Auxiliary Services or their designee has authority to review and grant or deny these exemptions