No. Your membership in UConn Honors is not dependent on whether you live on campus. First-year and campus change students at Storrs should be aware of UConn’s residency requirement, but receiving an exemption to this requirement does not affect your membership in Honors.

If you are not living on campus, there are plenty of ways to engage in the Honors community through attending Honors Events, being involved in Honors student organizations, and creating connections and community through shared coursework.

First-year Honors students who live on campus are required to live in the Honors First-Year Learning Community on their campus. You cannot join another residential Learning Community during your first year, but you can join a non-residential Learning Community.

After your first year, you can apply to the residential Learning Community Honors to Opportunities (H2O) House (for your 2nd year), other Honors upper-division communities, a non-Honors residential Learning Community, or general UConn housing.

First, make sure that you request and are approved through the Center for Students with Disabilities for your housing accommodation. Once that accommodation is on file, Residential Life will work on placing you in an appropriate space. For incoming first-year students, they will attempt to place you in the Honors First-Year Residential Community on your campus. After your first year, they will attempt to place you in the community you request on your housing application. If there is no appropriate space within a given community, they will contact you to discuss your placement. If you have any questions about your specific circumstances, please email livingoncampus@uconn.edu.

Exemptions may be given on a case-by-case basis. These include students that are NCAA athletes (living in student athlete housing), commuters, or those that require gender-inclusive housing or medical accommodations. If you require an exemption, please email us.

Yes, all commuter students will have access to ground floor spaces (example: Buckley classroom, Programming & Events office, etc.) in Buckley/Shippee Residential Halls from 10am-10pm.

For many UConn Honors students, the experience of living in an Honors community is pivotal. In our Senior Survey, graduating students who entered as first-year students at Storrs frequently identify their Buckley/Shippee experience as the one that left them feeling most connected to the Honors community, encouraged their intellectual engagement with an Honors education, and supported their academic progress by exposing them to opportunities like research and mentorship. That sense of community doesn't have to stop after your first year at UConn. There are plenty of options for Honors housing throughout your time at the university. You can be surrounded by a community of Honors students that support each other academically and socially. Together with our partners in Residential Life, the Honors Program wants to help you create a supportive and welcoming home away from home.

All housing applications and processes are managed by Residential Life. To live anywhere on campus, you must complete the standard housing application. It is also critical that you watch for emails during this process.

• Incoming first-year students should not indicate a learning community. They will automatically be assigned to the Honors community.
• Returning students will need to indicate their interest in Honors housing. See “How to Apply” for specific instructions.

More detail on how to apply for Honors housing.

UConn Storrs: Students interested in remaining in Honors housing have three options: McMahon Hall, Snow Hall, and H2O in Werth Tower.

UConn Stamford: Some upper-division Honors students remain in the Honors Residential Community on the 2nd floor of 900 Washington.

More detail on upper-division Honors housing.

As long as you are in Honors and eligible for on-campus housing at UConn Storrs or UConn Stamford, you will have the option to request Honors housing. Living in a non-Honors community for a year won't change that.

Honors to Opportunities (H2O) is an interdisciplinary Honors Learning Community focused on providing a unique experience for the second-year UConn Honors student. While all Honors communities feature supportive peers, H2O has a more intentional focus on building community through dedicated floor mentors and a shared class experience. You should consider H2O if you want this more engaged approach to maximizing your Honors education and you are committed to being a contributing part of the community.

More information about H2O. 

The H2O curriculum features a one credit, online, asynchronous Honors course each semester of the yearlong experience. The course provides opportunities to build a strong Honors community, utilize campus resources, and enhance your emotional intelligence and ability to successfully collaborate inside and outside the classroom. This course challenges students to rethink what it means to be a member of an academic community and discover new ways to define "engagement." You will have opportunities for introspection and creative group work. The course and the community work in tandem and the course is a required aspect of community membership.

More information about H2O. 

The H2O experience helps students:

• Co-create a sense of Honors belonging by being an active member of the H2O community through engagement in activities and events.
• Develop their passions through self-exploration of opportunities and programs available at UConn.
• Discuss the benefits of community engagement and identify methods for sustainable community development rooted in group dynamics and emotional intelligence.

To meet these goals, H2O residents must be active community members. They will be expected to:

• Complete the designated one-credit hour, online, asynchronous course each semester. This course features multiple individual and group projects over both the fall and spring semesters.
• Participate in community events put on by the H2O Floor Mentors. Some of these events will also be required components of the H2O course.

More information about H2O.