Columbia's housing is reserved for full-time basic degree students and full-time ThM students as space allows. The office of Admissions distributes housing application forms to applicants when they are accepted. Students should apply for housing as early as possible following their acceptance and should direct all inquiries about housing to the Business Office. We maintain a variety of comfortable, affordable apartment units and residence halls on campus. For students who prefer to live off campus, there are a variety of housing options within easy commuting distance. Chick here to view the cost of on-campus housing.
Housing for Single Students
- Florida Hall offers efficiencies, suites, and individual rooms, all with private baths.
- Simons-Law Hall offers single rooms with connecting baths and suites with private baths.
Columbia's two residence hall's, Florida Hall and Simons-Law Hall, are designed for single students and contain both single rooms and suites. Although most single rooms are fully furnished, several unfurnished rooms are available in Florida Hall. Single rooms in Florida Hall have private baths, while single rooms in Simons-Law have connecting baths. In both halls, furnished and unfurnished suites consist of two rooms and a private bath. Efficiency apartments in both halls are available to single students if these units have not been assigned to married students.
Construction on a new residential hall for single students is scheduled to begin in February 2008, with a targeted date for completion of March 2009. This building will contain one bedroom apartments for singles, as well as two and four-bedroom apartments that can be shared by full-time students. There will also be a number of suites and studios. All of these units will have private bathrooms (one per each bedroom). The apartments will have full kitchens. The suites will have kitchen sinks, small refrigerators, and microwave ovens. Students who live in single rooms and suites are required to participate in Columbia's standard board plan (eighteen meals per week). This hall is a "green" facility designed and constructed to achieve LEED Certification. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating SystemTM is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.)
Housing for Students with Children
Columbia emphasizes the value of family to give students a sense of "home." Children are an integral part of community life and participate in many activities held throughout the year. The seminary provides a playscape and picnic area in the Village apartment community where children make friends among those with whom they live, play, and go to school. Many excellent day care programs are available in the Decatur area. Frequently, spouses of Columbia students offer child-care services in their homes on campus.
The Village Apartments have two to four bedroom apartments available for students with children. Most of these apartments are equipped with washer/dryer hook-ups. Columbia does not provide refrigerators in these apartments.
Housing for Married Students without Children
While married students without children are welcome to live in the residence hall suites, most prefer to reside in the efficiency apartments, which include cooking facilities. Married students without children are also eligible for one bedroom apartments or two bedroom apartments on a secondary priority basis (students with children have first priority). Students who reside in efficiencies are not required to participate in the standard board plan.
Housing for Students with Special Needs
Columbia has a small number of housing units that are accessible to persons with physical limitations.
Lease Agreement and Payment
A student who has entered into a lease agreement for a seminary housing unit for a term, but who has not yet occupied the unit, is responsible for payment in full unless written notice that the unit will not be used is given to the Vice President for Business and Finance at least two weeks before the first day of classes. In that case, no rent will be charged for that term. In other cases, a refund amount may be given upon the initiative of Columbia.