Housing Contract Cancellation Process

National Louis University provides campus housing just steps from the Michigan Avenue campus. Our housing community is beautifully furnished, loaded with exciting amenities, and located downtown near Chicago's South Loop neighborhood.

Requests for cancellation of the NLU Housing Contract must be done online via the NLU Housing Contract Cancellation Request Form. Request for cancellation of this contract require the student to show just cause for termination. This contract cannot be terminated solely for the purpose of living off-campus, due to a roommate/suitemate conflict, or in order to commute from home. Not occupying the space is not a reason for contract cancellation.

Contract cancellation requests from students who remain eligible for housing are generally not approved for any reason, but if approved they are subject to additional fees. All contract cancellation requests must be submitted through the form located on the housing website at least 45 days prior to the effective date of the cancellation. Requests received after the 45-day deadline may not be reviewed until after the start of the upcoming quarter. Please note that the entire cancellation request process may take between two to four weeks to complete. The majority of Housing Contract Cancellation Requests require you to provide us with supporting documentation of your situation. Included in this contract are examples of documentation that would qualify as sufficient documentation.

HOUSING CONTRACT CANCELLATION REQUEST REASONS

• Program Completion: Contract Cancellation for program completion can be initiated for reasons such as completion of degree within contract period, and bona fide academic commitments that require student to reside outside of Cook County, IL such as internships and study abroad. Students requesting contract cancellation for program completion are required to provide the 45-day written notice. Failure to provide the requested notice could result in the implementation of the cancellation fee and/or 100% of the remaining contract for the remainder of student housing agreement.
• Disciplinary Action: Students whose housing contract is terminated as a result of disciplinary action must pay 100% of the remaining contract plus the full balance of the charges for the preceding or current academic term of residence, whichever is applicable.
• Withdrawal: Students who withdraw from NLU and wish to cancel their housing contract due to withdrawal must submit a request prior to start of the following term. Move-out must take place prior to the following term. Cancellations due to withdrawal will be assessed a $1,500 fee balance plus the full balance of the charges for the preceding or any terms of residence.
• Non-Enrolled: Students who are still occupying a space, but who are not registered/enrolled for the upcoming term prior to the deadline or without pre-approval, will need to vacate NLU housing by no later than the predetermined move out date. Students will be responsible for any remaining balances and 50% of the housing charge for the succeeding terms as non-compliance. This includes students who withdraw after moving into housing. 
• Voluntary Cancellation: Any other type of termination falls under this category and is subject to a cancellation fee of 50% of the housing charge for the succeeding terms regardless of reason plus the full balance of the charges for the last or current academic term of residence, whichever is applicable.

Requests for contract cancellations will be reviewed and approved/denied no later than week 8 of the current academic term. Submitting a request to cancel your housing contract does not guarantee approval, and does not guarantee you are released from your financial responsibility. Documentation in support of contract cancellation does not remove financial responsibility. Shall a resident student need to appeal the Office of Housing and Residence Life decision; the resident student will have 10 days to formally submit an appeal via email to housing@nl.edu for further review.

Required Documentation

The burden of proof rests with the student - be sure to provide ALL the supporting documentation available for the information you provide. A student making a petitioning to be released from their contract is asking for an EXCEPTION. An approval of the petition is NOT automatic and is generally given only for extraordinary circumstances.

SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION ON OFFICIAL LETTERHEAD IS REQUIRED.

Failure to provide substantive information may hinder your petition.

CONTRACT CANCELLATION DOCUMENTATION UPDATES STARTING 2023

The following is a summary of the required documentation to submit with a request to cancel a contract.

• Withdrawal: Notice should be given, but no documentation required
• Program Completion:
  • Graduation: Documentation of approval to graduate from the Registrar or university official.
  • Internship: Documentation that your internship is required, and the internship is outside of Cook County, IL.
  • Program Ended: If you are enrolled in a certificate program or short-term educational initiative, documentation from a NLU representative (faculty or staff) confirming your program end date.
• Voluntary Cancellation:
  • Called to active military duty: Copy of active-duty notification.
  • Change in health condition: If the status of your physical or psychological health changes since signing the housing contract and those changes prevent you from living on campus, provide a letter from your health care provider. The letter must specifically address how living in the residence hall negatively impacts your health. Failure to provide a connection between living on campus and negative health impacts will lead to a denial of this request.
  • Change in marital or parental status: If your marital or parental status has changed since signing the housing contract, a copy of the marriage license or domestic partnership certificate, or child’s birth certificate and/or court-approved guardianship papers.
  • Change in financial status: If your financial status has changed since signing the housing contract, you must provide documentation that articulates this change. Your documentation must articulate how this is a sudden or unforeseen change in financial status that causes undue financial hardship. You may also request documentation from the Office of Student Finance that articulates and supports how your financial situation has suddenly changed and why you should be released from your housing contract due to financial hardship. That office is the best resource for understanding any changes in your financial aid package. However, if no financial change has happened, then they would not be able to provide documentation. Approval based on this reason does not guarantee the removal of housing charges.

CONTRACT CANCELLATION DOCUMENTATION 2022-2023

Family Status Change

• Birth of a dependent child for whom the student is the parent and will be the primary caregiver: A copy of the child’s birth certificate, or the student’s prior year’s tax return where the child is listed as a full- time dependent of the petitioning student.
• Marriage: A copy of the student’s marriage license after it has been filed at the courthouse. If the marriage took place before the beginning of the contract, the student will need to include an explanation of what changed since they signed their contract that now causes them to request a different living situation.
• Family obligations - change in family status due to family member health issues, need for additional care, death: notarized statement from parent/guardian, accompanied by appropriate doctor’s support and/or legal documents.

Financial Hardship

• Financial Aid Award adjustment: Written statement from NLU Office of Student Finance verifying that the student’s financial aid award for the current year and the amount the award changed since the date the student signed their current contract. Documentation from the student of all of their other current means of income, such as: bank statements, pay stubs, copies of bills, copies of university bills of other family members in college, and any other documents that would support the budgetary information being used to explain the need for the request for release.
• Change in family income: Written narrative from the student explaining how the family’s income situation has changed since the student signed their current contract. Supporting documents to verify the stated changes: copies of job status changes on company/organization letterhead, legal documents outlining changes in business ownership, change in marital status, bankruptcy proceedings, unexpected family expenses, etc.
• Change in personal income: Written narrative from the student explaining how they were originally planning to meet their academic and Housing expenses for the year, how moving off campus, rather than to a less costly on campus accommodation will address their concerns, and what makes their personal situation unique/extraordinary. Documentation must include verification of all personal means of income (financial aid, work, savings, etc.) and what has happened to alter their financial resources since the student signed their current contract.

Medical Accommodation

• Personal physical health issues: Written narrative from the student describing how their medical situation has changed since they signed their current Housing Contract, what specific accommodation they need that cannot be met within the NLU Student Housing, what NLU resources they have used to address their concerns, and how living off campus will address their health concerns. Documentation must include a statement on letterhead from a physician verifying the student’s condition, its severity, the treatment currently being used, and how they believe living off campus will better address the student’s health concerns.
• Personal psychological health issues: Written narrative from the student describing how their psychological health situation has changed since they signed their current Housing Contract, what specific accommodation they need that cannot be met within the NLU Student Housing, what NLU resources they have used to address their concerns, and how living off campus will address their psychological health concerns. Documentation must include a statement from a physician or a psychologist verifying the student’s condition, its severity, the treatment currently being used, and how they believe living off campus will better address the student’s psychological health concerns.

Military Commitment

• Required documentation is a copy of the student’s military paperwork showing the date they need to report for active duty.

Other

• Student must provide a written narrative describing the nature of the situation causing them to request a release from their contract. The narrative needs to include: how your circumstances have changed since the signing of the contract, what they feel makes their situation extraordinary, the NLU resources the student has used for assistance in addressing their concerns, and how off campus living will help the situation. Depending on the situation of concern, additional documentation might include: statements from employers, police reports, academic/personal records, and/or legal documents. It should be noted that requests in this category are seldom granted and always require additional documentation and interviews with various housing staff.

HOUSING CONTRACT CANCELLATION REQUEST FORM

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/553cd4ad58e34eb18ef931f663f3221a