University Housing and Residence Life and Dining Services

Gina Smith, Executive Director, University Housing & Residence Life
Lucio Hall Room, Room 119
Phone: 361-593-4648

Undergraduate On-Campus Residence Requirement

The university requires all students with less than 30 completed semester credits hours (dual enrollment hours are not to be considered because they were not received while living on campus) or under 20 years of age to reside in university residence halls. Students under the required residence policy, however, will be automatically exempted if they live with a parent or legal guardian within a 50 mile radius of Kingsville which will be verified by the Department of University Housing and Residence Life. All other students wishing to reside off campus who live outside the 50 mile radius must complete a Housing Exception Request Form which is available on the University Housing and Residence Life webpage. Submission of an exemption form does not guarantee approval, so students are advised not to make housing arrangements until approval is received. Registered students required to live on campus who do not receive approval for exemptions will be billed for on-campus housing. 

Request to Live Off Campus

Exceptions to the policy may be granted to those students who meet one of the following criteria:

  1. living with a parent or legal guardian and commuting within 50 miles,
  2. transferring in with 30 or more acceptable credit hours,
  3. 20 years of age or older
  4. married and living with your spouse
  5. have children that require your care at home

In order to be considered for an exception to the required residency policy, students who do not meet the requirements to live off campus and are planning on commuting must complete and submit a Housing Exception Request form by July 1 for the fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester. All commuting students (outside the 50 mile radius) must complete this form. Students who have already applied and then file for exception should not make any other housing arrangements until they are notified by email as to the status of their request. 

Applying for University Housing

Incoming, New and Transfer, students can apply for housing by completing these four steps:

  1. Student must be accepted for admission to the University
  2. Submit a copy of your Bacterial Meningitis vaccinations1 (as mandated by state law) to MedProctor as soon as possible2
  3. Visit http://www.tamuk.edu/bluegold/ and log into your Blue & Gold Connection to apply. One of the last links on the Home Menu: University Housing & Residence Life.
  4. Once you have applied, there will be a link on the confirmation page to pay your $150 Room Reservation & Damage Deposit.  
1

Student Health and Wellnes:

Website: http://www.tamuk.edu/shw/index.html

Phone Number: 361-593-3991

2

You will not be placed in line nor assigned to a room until you are cleared of this requirement by Student Health and Wellness. 

Once the agreement is submitted online or signed and submitted to our office, it becomes a binding agreement between the student and the university for the entire academic year (both fall and spring semesters) and while the student is enrolled at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Room Reservation and Damage Deposit

The $150 deposit, should accompany the Room Reservation/Damage Deposit Application, serves as a combination of reservation/damage deposit. The deposit is not applied to housing rent. The deposit will be refunded to the student upon written request when all debts owed by the resident to the university are paid and the housing agreement is fulfilled. The deposit is automatically forfeited if the student cancels after the deadline, does not check into his/her assigned room during the check-in period, moves out of the hall before the end of the semester, or fails to properly check out of the hall at the end of each semester. The student will also be billed any remaining housing charges as applicable under the terms of the agreement. The previous charges, plus other damages or assessments left unpaid at the time the student leaves Texas A&M University-Kingsville Department of University Housing and Residence Life will be deducted from the $150 deposit. Failing to submit a deposit will result in $150 room reservation charge added to your student account.

Cancellation Dates

Should there be a change in plans to attend Texas A&M University-Kingsville, written notice of cancellation must be received by the Department of University Housing and Residence Life on or before the following deadlines in order to receive a refund of $100 of the Housing Deposit.

Semester Deadline
Fall Semester July 1
Spring Semester December 1
Summer I May 1
Summer II June 1

Cancellation requests must be submitted on the housing website. 

Notification submitted to other departments other than the Department of University Housing and Residence Life does not comply with this requirement; and thus requested action cannot be assured.

Termination/Cancellation after the Semester Deadline for 1st Time Applicants and Returning Residents: A Housing Exception Request Form must be submitted and if approved, the $150 housing deposit will be forfeited.

Effective Date of Cancellation Cancellation Charge
On or Before Semester Deadline $501
After Semester Deadline (Between 1-30 Days) $5502
After Semester Deadline (After 30+ Days) $6503
1

$50 of your Housing Deposit will be forfeited.

2

A Housing Exception Form must be submitted and if Approved the housing deposit will be forfeited and your Blue and Gold Student Account will be charged $400 for Liquidated Damages.

3

A Housing Exception Form must be submitted and if Approved the housing deposit will be forfeited and your Blue and Gold Student Account will be charged $500 for Liquidated Damages.

Traditional-Style Residence Halls

Rooms in each residence hall accommodate two students. Each hall has a laundry room, vending area, small kitchen and common lobby available for student use. All halls have wireless internet. Housing rates are listed at the end of this section. Rules governing residence hall living and dining room conduct are set forth in the Student Hand-book and Residence Life Guidebook.

J. C. Martin Jr. Hall is a three-story co-ed, air-conditioned residence hall. It houses 400 students. The hall has a large lounge/TV area, a study room, and a workout room. Room furnishings include two twin beds and a chest of drawers, a built-in desk and bookcase and two closets. Central bathroom facilities are located on each wing. Martin Hall has an outdoor courtyard which includes a basketball half court and a sand volleyball court.

John F. Lynch Hall is a two-story, air-conditioned hall for 200 women. It is located across the street from the Memorial Student Union. The hall has a large lounge/TV area and a study room. Room furnishings include two twin beds, desks and bookshelves, two chairs, a chest-of-drawers and two closets. Lynch Hall features suite style restrooms.

Suite-Style Residence Halls

Suite-style design consists of a two or four bedroom unit; while rooms are private, residents share a living room, kitchenette and one or two bathroom(s). Residents also have access to wireless Internet, study labs, a large lounge and meeting rooms, on-site mailboxes and conveniently located administrative offices.

Mesquite Villages West – Home of the Honors College opened in the Fall of 2011. Mesquite Village West is a four-story, 98,000 square feet co-ed residence hall, housing 286 beds, with a two- and four- bedroom unit suite-style design with first priority assigned to students who have been accepted into the Honors Program. Mesquite Village West is located across from Lucio Hall.

Eduardo and Josefa Lucio Hall opened in the Fall of 2009. It is a four-story, 210,000 square feet co-ed residence hall, housing 600 beds, with a two- and four-bedroom suite-style design. Lucio Hall is located across from Martin Hall.

Meal Plans

Students who are under 21 years old are required to purchase a meal plan in addition to housing. During the fall and spring semesters, the student may select from a variety of meal plans on the housing agreement. Any changes to the student's initial meal plan selection must be made within seven days after check-in. (This does not include the block plan, which cannot be changed.) Requests for changes to the meal plan can be submitted here.

Room and Meal Plan Payment Procedures

Upon being assigned to a residence hall, the room and meal plan fees will be added to the student's account (which includes tuition and other student fees). Housing charges are billed by semester and are subject to change without notice. Each semester's housing charges will be due according to established University fee deadlines. Failure to pay the required housing charges could result in immediate removal from University Housing, loss of future housing priority, and/or registration and transcript holds. It shall be the student's responsibility to make prompt arrangements for payment with the Business Office. 

  1. The student may pay the full amount due or arrange to pay under the university's deferred payment plan which must be completed by the designated payment deadline date. Payments plans offered by the Business Office can vary but will require a setup fee and a down payment upon enrollment. Each plan will require payment by designated installment date. Students selecting the deferred payment plan must enroll and complete the process through MoneyConnect. 
  2. The Business Office will send ebills to the student's email address. Payment made after the due date will be assessed a late fee. 
  3. Any student, who is not enrolled into the appropriate payment plan, will be required to initiate payment for housing and meal plan in accordance with the Academic Calendar. For meal plans, students are required to pay at least 50% of their meal plan balance for their plan to remain active. If a student is over 21 years of age and they have not paid more than 50% of their meal plan balance, then their meal plan will be deactivated. Students can reactivate their plan once payment amounts have been met. For housing, students are required to pay at least 50% of their housing charges by the deadline date. Failure to do so could results in removal from University Housing as well as loss of future housing privileges. 
  4. A "hold" will be placed on the student's record for unpaid balances. A student will not receive his/her grades, transcript, or be allowed to register for future semesters until such a hold is cleared. 
  5. Failure to pay account in full by the end of each contracted semester or session will result in the student's records being referred to the University collection department to begin collection procedures. If satisfactory payment arrangements are not made with the University responsible for paying additional collection agency fees to up to 30% of the unpaid balance. 
  6. Refund of unused room and board fees due to early check-out  (before mid-semester) will be paid in the following order when applicable: a) Financial Aid refund; b) outstanding university debts; c) remaining portion to the student. 

All refunds referred to in this agreement will normally be submitted to the Business Office for payment within 60 days after official termination of occupancy. Students withdrawing or terminating from the university during a semester or term will receive a refund of housing fees prorated on a calendar basis up to midpoint. Student withdrawing or terminating from the residence hall after mid-semester point will not be eligible to receive a housing and board refund. 

Miscellaneous Housing Information

  1. The university will make all residence hall and room assignments and reassignments as necessary. The university cannot guarantee assignment to a particular hall or a specific roommate. First priority of residence hall assignment is given to students who have resided in university housing the preceding long semester and contracted to return to the halls. Second priority of residence hall assignment is given to new applicants based on the date that the housing agreement, housing deposit and bacterial meningitis record are received. All applicants must be accepted to the university before a housing assignment can be made. In the event that hall reservations reach capacity, overflow students will be assigned to temporary assignments in other areas as long as space is available. Students will be reassigned as regular housing becomes available. Not placing a deposit or submitting incomplete agreement forms can also delay the assignment process.
  2. All students are initially assigned a roommate at the beginning of the semester. Should a student’s roommate not check-in to the hall, that student will be requested to consolidate with another person.
  3. Specific roommate requests are accommodated as possible. Students with roommate preferences must mutually request each other on the housing agreement, request the same hall and include their prospective roommate’s ID number. Both agreements must also be received by the May 1 priority deadline (for fall semester assignment). Not being admitted to the university, not placing a deposit or submitting incomplete forms can also delay assignment.
  4. Due to space limitations, private rooms cannot be reserved in advance. Private rooms are assigned from a waiting list after the 12th class day if space is available. There is an additional charge for a private room. Private Rooms are only issued in Lynch Hall and Martin Hall upon available space. The university does reserve the right to place two people in a room that has been assigned as a private room if space is needed. A refund will be made to the person who has paid for a private room (prorated from date the private room is relinquished).
  5. In signing a housing agreement, the student agrees to reside in that room for the time specified in the agreement. This agreement is personal and may not be transferred or assigned to another person. If the student fails to enroll at the university, advance notice of residence hall cancellation must be provided. Under the terms of the housing agreement, moving from the residence hall without an authorized release from the agreement will not terminate the student's fiscal obligations.
  6. Residence halls and dining halls are closed between the fall and spring semesters and during university holidays. The residence hall calendar and the housing and food service contract show the specific times that the residence halls are open and when meals are served. During periods when classes are not in session, housing may be made available if the university determines there is sufficient demand. In such instances, additional rent may be required of each student desiring accommodations. The amount will be determined by the University Housing and Residence Life Office, and students will be consolidated into one hall.