Changes to West Texas A&M University’s housing and meal plan requirements will go into effect for Fall 2021, simplifying the conditions new students must meet.

Beginning in the fall, all full-time students (those enrolled in 12 or more semester hours) who are younger than 20 years old by the first class day will be required to live in University housing during their first two years following high school graduation.

Previously, full-time students were required to live in University housing if they were younger than 21 years old on the first class day, had not lived on-campus for at least four fall or spring semesters, and had completed fewer than 60 post-high school credit hours.

“Essentially, this requirement is based solely on high school graduation date, not their academic standing based on credit hours,” said Jeff Sulik, senior director of WT’s Office of Residential Living. “This is especially a positive change for students who take a gap year after high school.”

The change further aligns with the student-centered focus of the University’s long-term plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

“We know students benefit from living on campus, which we see through higher GPAs and retention rates and through students reporting greater satisfaction with their college experience,” said Jeffrey Baylor, executive director of admissions. “We also remain committed to providing flexibility in housing matters as part of our student-centered focus.”

With the change in the housing requirement comes a parallel change in the meal plan requirement. Under the new plan, students residing on campus during the first two years after high school graduation are required to purchase at least a silver meal plan (175 meals total, an average of 11 per week).

-West Texas A&M University