With the philosophy of residence life in mind, Dana College considers living on campus to be a privilege and expects all students to live on campus during their enrollment. Exemptions are provided through the Student life Office. Specific guidelines for the process for applying for exemptions from on campus housing are available in the Student Life office. Any student desiring to be exempt (i.e. live off campus) from the on campus requirement must be approved before moving off campus.

Generally, exemptions are considered for the following:
1. Student living with parents at their home address, provided the home address is not more than 30 miles from Dana College.
2. Married students
3. Students independently living and supporting their own children
4. Student 23 years of age or older
5. Students who have reached senior status.

Individual requests for exemptions from the campus meal plan will generally be limited to situations in which involvement in a regularly scheduled activity related to an academic (e.g. credit based) program requires a regular absence from campus and excessively limits the student’s opportunity to utilize the service for which he/she is paying.

The most common examples are student teaching and full-time internships/practicums that take the student off campus during meal times. Requests for exemption from the meal plan based on issues such as off-campus employment, special dietary needs, class conflicts, and dislike of the food/menu are generally not granted. Students are advised against requesting exemption for these reasons.