Transfer Residential Learning Community
Living on campus allows students to feel connected to the Appalachian Community. Transfer students less than a year out of high school are required to live on campus. Students who have been out of high school for more than a year have the option to apply to live on campus or to find off-campus housing. On-campus housing for transfer students is limited, so students should apply early. The Housing Application opens February 1st for entry in the next Fall semester, and September 1st for entry in the next Spring semester. Offers for on-campus spaces will be sent to your App State email address, and will require a response by a preassigned deadline. Submitting a housing application does not guarantee an on-campus housing.
University Housing and Transfer Admissions & Engagement are pleased to offer an exciting living opportunity for our transfer students. In Mountain Laurel Hall (MLH), you will be surrounded by other transfer students from a range of institutions around the country who will live and experience their new environment together through expanded programming. The hall will house 20% continuing transfer students (to provide guidance, advice, and mentorship) and 80% new transfer students. MLH is a 250-bed hotel-style residence hall dedicated to transfer students — a former hotel, that offers students a Transfer Student Center in the lobby, ballrooms for social programming, meeting rooms for workshops and club space, and office space for staff from Transfer Admissions & Engagement. All transfer students (regardless of whether they live in the building) are provided with swipe card access to the hall's public areas of the hall, fostering a transfer community. Located less than a mile from campus, MLH provides the same amenities as other on-campus residence halls but offers a more independent feel, as if you're out in the community.
In order to be part of this great experience:
- Continuing Students: Students must complete the Reapplication process with their interest in Mountain Laurel Hall by December 1. There are a limited number of spaces available, and students who complete ReApp first will have priority.
- New Students: Housing applications open February 1. Students will be assigned to halls based on their application date, so the earlier you confirm your enrollment and apply for housing, the better your chances of living on campus.
- Students beginning at App State in the Spring semester can apply starting in September. Students do not have the ability to choose exactly which room where they wish to live in, as their room assignments will be based on where there is room from departing students.
University Housing encourages all transfer students to have an off-campus backup plan due to the limited availability of on-campus housing (only one-quarter of our incoming transfer students usually live on campus). Students are encouraged to use university resources such as Off-Campus Housing, a service of the Office of Off-Campus Student Services, to find trusted property management companies, rooms and subleases for rent, and roommate searches.
Additional Benefits of Mountain Laurel Hall
- Become socially and academically integrated into the Appalachian community
- Become knowledgeable of campus resources and services available to help them succeed
- Become knowledgeable of campus organizations and how to become involved on campus
- Become knowledgeable of curricular concepts, resources, and policies that contribute to academic success and occupational goals
- Engage with and gain an understanding of people from diverse backgrounds, including socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic identity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and people with diverse abilities, etc.
Opportunities for Community Engagement
- The lobby is our Transfer Student Center and is open to all transfer students (not just those who live in the hall) to come mingle, study, and support one available 2 meeting rooms that will provide space for the Transfer Student Mentors and transfer clubs (Transfer Student Organization and the Tau Sigma Honor Society).
- A game room complete with a ping pong table, video games, and board games.
- Access to large programming space (previously the ballroom of the former hotel).
- Staff members from Transfer Admissions & Engagement have offices in the hall, making it easy access to get your questions answered.
