Applying for housing at SEMO is easy and can be completed entirely online once you’ve been admitted. Choose between traditional community-style housing and ever-popular suite-style housing. Rooms are available in single or double occupancy. The sooner we receive your deposit or deferred deposit approval, the higher priority you will have during the room assignment process. 

If you require special accommodations, please fill out the Special Accommodation Request Form and submit it to the Office of Residence Life.

International Education and Services will be your primary contact for all important information regarding your admission and arrival at SEMO. You are strongly encouraged to complete the housing contract before your arrival to ensure an assignment can be made.  

The application process is simple and can be completed online once you have been admitted to the university. You have two options to make your housing deposit, an electronic check, or a credit/debit card. If you use a credit or debit card, you will be asked to provide a billing address. Some country codes are not accepted with this method. To complete the transaction please use 1000 Towers Circle, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. Using this billing address does not change where you receive your credit card statement.

If you require special accommodations, please fill out the Special Accommodation Request Form and submit it to the Office of Residence Life.

If you’re a current student, you can complete your housing contract starting in October. The sooner you submit your housing contract, the higher priority you will have during the room selection process. However, if your contract is submitted later than March 31, your room assignment will be made for you by Residence Life staff. Visit the Room Selection Page to learn more about the process including deadlines, selection dates, and a step-by-step video on how to pick your room. 

If you require special accommodations, please fill out the Special Accommodation Request Form and submit it to the Office of Residence Life.

Special Interest Housing assignments will be made by the Office of Residence Life from June 1 to June 30. Only students who are approved to be in a community can live there (including requested roommates). Students will live in a room on the floor of the Residence Hall the community has been assigned to. Students no longer interested in being part of the Special Interest Housing community must complete a request to be removed from the community.  This allows them to be assigned to another space on campus if their preferred roommate is not approved for the community. 

These room assignments and roommate information will be released in late June.  Students can follow the instructions below to find their room/building information along with their roommate/suitemate contact information.

• Log in to my.semo.edu
• Search “Housing Portal”
• Select the Residence Life StarRez Portal

Coaches will provide a list of Athletes to the Office of Residence Life, letting us know who they would like to be roomed with. This is done to foster team building and create bonds within the team. These room assignments and roommate information will be released in late June.  Students can follow the instructions below to find their room/building information along with their roommate/suitemate contact information.

• Log in to my.semo.edu
• Search “Housing Portal”
• Select the Residence Life StarRez Portal

Returning Students can Self-Select their room from April 1, 2025, to April 30, 2025. Returners who apply for housing before March 31 will have the opportunity to participate in the self-assignment process. Returning students will be assigned a Date and Time they will be allowed to enter the housing portal to select their room based on the date they completed the contract. Residence Life will send out an email with all the information on how to select your room for the Fall 25/ Spring 26 semester. Current room assignments are not guaranteed for the next year unless you can get in and select it before someone else.

Returning students who do not select a room during self-selection or submit a contract after March 31 will be assigned to available spaces during the June assignment process. These room assignments and roommate information will be released in late June.  Students can follow the instructions below to find their room/building information along with their roommate/suitemate contact information.

• Log in to my.semo.edu
• Search “Housing Portal”
• Select the Residence Life StarRez Portal

New Student, Transfer Student Room Assignments will be made June 1 - June 30.  If you are a first-time student, you are guaranteed housing, but it will not be assigned until your housing contract is complete. Our experienced staff will review the preferences of all incoming students and assign rooms to accommodate the greatest number of preferences for the largest number of students. Our process is designed to reduce stress and frustration and result in a room assignment that meets as many of your individual preferences as possible. 

Residents who are requesting each other as roommates are encouraged to submit their Agreements together. The University makes all assignments without regard to race, sexual orientation, or national origin and rejects all requests for changes of assignments based on these factors. 

Please note that students who have not been approved to live in special-interest housing will not be assigned as roommates with those who have been approved. The person approved must decide to stay in the community or live in another residence hall with the preferred roommate who wasn’t approved.

These room assignments and roommate information will be released in late June.  Students can follow the instructions below to find their room/building information along with their roommate/suitemate contact information.

• Log in to https://my.semo.edu
• Search “Housing Portal”
• Select the Residence Life StarRez Portal

The roommate matching process for the Fall 25/Spring 26 Academic Year will be available in the StarRez Housing Portal starting March 1. 

1. Log in to my.semo.edu
2. Search “Housing Portal”
3. Select the StarRez Housing Portal
4. Select the “Find a Roommate” link

 There are multiple ways you can find and match with a roommate.

• Search for Roommate by Details - Use this option to search for a potential roommate by first name, preferred name, last name, and/or SEMO email address.
  Keep in mind that if your potential roommate must have completed a housing contract, you will not be able to find them using the roommate search tools. They must also have the roommate search feature checked so you can search for them.
  OR

• Search for Roommate-by-Roommate Profiles - use this option to search for a roommate based on the roommate questionnaire answers.
  OR

• Suggest Roommates - Use this option to have the system generate suggestions for you based on your profile and roommate questionnaire answers.

To help control traffic around campus, residents checking in Monday, August 11, through Thursday, August 14, will need to reserve a move-in timeslot. Students approved to arrive before August 11 will not select a timeslot and will instead fill out the early arrival form.

• Log in to your SEMO portal at my.semo.edu
• Search "StarRez Housing Portal"
• Click on the "Sign Up for Move In!" link at the top of the page
  • If you are using a phone, it is the three lines at the top left corner
• Select your status
  • New Student- Never lived on Campus
  • Returning Student- Lived on campus before
• Review the available times for Check-in
  • If you do not see the day/time you want, then it is either full or not an approved day/time
• Select the time you want to arrive on campus for check-in
• Click "Confirm" 

A confirmation will be shown on the screen and sent to your Southeast email account. You will then have the option to add this time to your Outlook calendar, change your date, or cancel your move-in time. Check-in will take place at the Show Me Center: 1333 N. Sprigg Street, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.

• The room change process will open from July 1-August 1
  • Room availability can change from hour to hour; therefore, we are unable to confirm room availability at any given moment, and there is no guarantee that all requests will be filled.
  • If you are not approved and reassigned by August 1, you will move into the room assigned to you in the housing portal. 
  • All waitlists will be cleared on August 1.
• Students can email residencelife@semo.edu after the room change process closes for emergency room change requests.
• The room change process will reopen after the 3rd week of classes.

Where do I go on my move-in day? All students moving in on Monday, August 11, Wednesday, August 13, and Thursday, August 14, go directly to the Show Me Center (SMC) to pick up their keys between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.  Students arriving after 5 p.m. should go to the Towers desk. Students arriving before Monday, August 11, will check in at the Towers desk. Those arriving Friday, August 15, or after will check in at their residence hall. 

What happens in the Show Me Center (SMC)?   Students pick up their keys/keycards and receive their new student t-shirts and other check-in information. Parents and students will be able to visit with a few campus departments to learn about services. 

What do I need to bring to the Student Rec Center with me?  Bring your Southeast ID (or a picture ID) and meningitis documentation if that has not already been submitted. 

Is money needed as part of the check-in process? Departments will provide information about their services, but no products will be sold. 

How long will this take?   The process of picking up your keys at the SMC usually takes ~15-20 minutes. Wait time from the SMC to Towers ranges from 20 to 30 minutes due to traffic. Wait times for all other residence halls are normally less than 15 minutes. Once they arrive at their residence hall, students are normally able to unload in ~30 minutes or less if they have access to volunteers.  

Where do I park after I drop off my stuff?   Vehicles are instructed to park in resident parking after they have unloaded.  Overflow parking will be at the Show Me Center (SMC).  Shuttles will be available for access from parking lots to residence halls after unloading on Wednesday and Thursday only. 

New/Transfer students only 

Canceling a 25/26 housing contract is charged based on rates listed on the Contract for University Housing if canceling before moving on to campus. Once you have moved on to campus, your status changes to Current student.

Current/Returning students only 

Canceling a Fall 25/Spring 26 housing contract is charged based on the rates listed below if canceling before moving on to campus for Fall 25. 

• Through March 31- No Cancellation fee
• April 1- May 10- $150 Cancellation fee
• after May 10- assessed a cancellation fee based on the reason for cancellation 

Additional cancellation costs may be assessed based on the date of cancellation and the reason for the cancellation after move-in. If you have questions regarding room selection, don't hesitate to contact the Office of Residence Life at residencelife@semo.edu.