COVID-19

All Niagara College students living in residence must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

With the Province of Ontario expanding access to booster doses, it is strongly encouraged that you get your booster dose as you become eligible.

Where a student lives in their first year attending Niagara College can have a direct impact on their academic success, making on-campus housing a great choice especially for those who do not live in Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake, or the surrounding area.

Living in Residence has many benefits, including access to additional supports to facilitate a student’s transition from high school to Niagara College.

Additionally, Residence is also a convenient option for students who may not have previously considered living on-campus prior to COVID-19. For those with in-person components to their program, living on-campus is a great way to eliminate or reduce your daily commute.

Our Residence Life Team continues to adapt our community model to adjust to the safety protocols issued by the Ontario Government and Public Health. We will continue to have Resident Advisors and Residence Services Representatives available to all students – our methods of programming and communication may change, but our commitment to the student experience will never weary.

The Residence in collaboration with Niagara College will continue to monitor and adjust to the safety protocols issued by the Ontario Government and Public Health. The Residence will communicate changes to these services as needed.

Staff will knock and provide students with an opportunity to receive or decline weekly housekeeping on their scheduled day of cleaning. Staff will arrive to clean each suite and must wear a face shield, mask, and gloves while inside an occupied suite. Students will be required to wear a mask and adhere to physical distancing recommendations keeping a 2m distance while speaking with staff.

Students who choose to receive their weekly housekeeping must stay in their bedroom with the door closed or vacate the suite while staff are cleaning. Should the staff member knock on the door and not receive a response from either student, the staff will knock again, announce themselves as they enter the suite, and begin to provide cleaning services. Cleaning services will stop upon the return of one or both students to confirm if they wish for the services to be completed.

Cleaning of the suites is limited to the common areas. (I.e., cleaning of counters, floors, showers and toilets in student-occupied suites weekly). Students should come prepared with the necessary supplies to sanitize their personal and common space in between the Residence provided weekly cleanings. Bedrooms will not be entered by staff unless the need arises.

Along with increased sanitization throughout the building, residents are required to comply with physical distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) needed while on campus due to COVID-19 or other public health emergencies.

When the minimum recommended physical distance of six (6) feet is not able to be maintained, residents will be expected to wear a mask.

Residents are recommended to wear a mask when in shared areas of the Residence and are required to maintain the posted room occupancy guidelines (e.g. common kitchens, laundry rooms, elevators).

The Residence is available to all full-time Niagara College students, even if your classes are only offered online at this time. If you are planning on living in Residence with only remote classes and have accepted your offer, please check your e-mails periodically for any essential communication from the Residence.

If you do not have an offer of acceptance for Residence, you may cancel your application at any time through the Housing Portal and you will receive your security deposit back in the form of a cheque.

If you have received an offer of acceptance, please log in to your Housing Portal to review your current application status.

All cancellations/withdrawals after acceptance will be reviewed under the full terms of the Termination and Cancellation outlined in the Student Residence Agreement (SRA). The SRA is located in your Housing Portal and a copy can be viewed by anyone under the Resources tab.

Please Note: Cancellations and withdrawals must be made by the account holder and will not be accepted over the phone.

Please note: refunds take a minimum of 6-8 weeks to be processed and then delivered. With Canada Post COVID-19 delays, please allow additional time for delivery.

Unfortunately, the Residence cannot transfer your deposit to a new application. The Residences underwent an update of their account software in October 2020 and are not able to accommodate deposit holds to another semester at this time.

Winter acceptance into the Residence will be on a first-come, first-served based on when the application has been received, complete with an active $500 deposit. If you are applying as a Returning Student, you will need to ensure a new $500 deposit has been placed on your account.

Please note: Bill payee payments take 3-5 business days before being received at the Residence.

Acceptance will be completely dependent on the number of spots available. You will need to submit a $500.00 security deposit for your application to be considered valid and complete.

If you have cancelled your fall application and have received your refund, or your refund is processing, you will have to be required to have an active $500 deposit applied to your current application.

Our primary focus is on the health and safety of all students and Residence staff. Due to COVID-19 protocols and for the safety of the community, there will be no external guest/visitor (including primary/secondary contacts) sign-in at this time. The guest policy will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and in accordance with all Public Health directives to determine if and when the Residence may be able to allow guests.

Yes! The Residence will continue to accept mail and parcels from Canada Post and all other courier companies. The process has been adapted so physical distancing can be maintained between Residence staff and delivery people. Our staff will process and store mail while maintaining personal protective equipment guidelines. Students will be notified by email or phone that they have received a parcel or mail and to arrange for a pick up to ensure physical distancing can be maintained while students are retrieving their mail.

The Residence has provided tables in the lobby to allow deliveries and drop-offs including grocery and/or food deliveries, any drop-offs must occur without the reliance on a Residence staff member. Deliveries and drop-offs left on the lobby tables are the responsibility of the receiving student.

Please note, the Residence will only hold mail and parcels for students currently living in the Residence upon delivery.

Niagara Residences only offer two-bedroom suite accommodations and will be moving forward with double occupancy in all suites. This means that you will have a roommate – however, there will be an emphasis on cleanliness in the suite and ensuring both parties are doing their part in consistently sanitizing their common spaces routinely.

The Residence is prepared with a full Residence Life Team including student employed Resident Advisors and Residence Life Coordinator to aid in facilitating cleanliness conversations between roommates and help implement Residence measures in place.

If you would like to get in contact with a manager about your specific situation, you may contact the following Residence Services Supervisor of the property you applied to as soon as possible, to discuss a potential alternative payment plan that better suits your needs. Please contact the:

Please note that Residence does not defer any fee payments for OSAP.

Please click on the following link to view the list of available services offered by Niagara College: Niagara College – Campus Services | COVID-19 Updates

Each Residence contains a self-serve Canteen or marketplace with items available for purchase 24/7. The Canteen has freshly ground coffee, cold beverages fresh food options, and your favourite sweet treat indulgences. The canteen is located on the main floor of each residence building.

Students are also encouraged to come to Residence will all their grocery and meal essentials. However, the use of delivery services such as Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes, Door Dash, Walmart, Insta-Cart and Grocery Grabber are some of the services available in the Niagara Region. Please check with the front desk staff for a list of services available in your area.