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Off-Campus Housing Near Eastern Mennonite University
About Off-Campus Housing Near Eastern Mennonite University
Eastern Mennonite University sits on a compact, walkable campus in the heart of Harrisonburg, Virginia, a city consistently ranked among the best college towns on the East Coast. Founded in 1917 by the Mennonite Church, EMU enrolls around 1,800 students across undergraduate and graduate programs with particular strength in peace and justice studies, nursing, business, and education. The university's commitment to restorative justice and global engagement shapes campus culture in ways that set it apart from larger regional institutions. Harrisonburg itself adds tremendous value to the EMU experience: a vibrant downtown restaurant scene, a thriving arts community, the Shenandoah Valley's outdoor recreation, and a diverse, welcoming city population that includes a large refugee resettlement community. Students benefit from proximity to James Madison University, which keeps local housing options plentiful and the broader college-town economy active year-round.
Eastern Mennonite University Housing Requirements
Freshman Live-On Requirement
Eastern Mennonite University requires all first-year students to live in university-operated residence halls for their first year. Exemptions are considered for students who are 21 or older, married, living with a parent or legal guardian within a reasonable commuting distance, or who can demonstrate a documented medical or personal need. Students seeking an exemption must submit a formal request to the Office of Student Life before the start of the academic year.
Off-Campus Eligibility
Students who have completed their first year in good standing are generally eligible to move off campus starting their sophomore year. EMU's relatively small enrollment means that upper-division students face no formal barriers to off-campus living, and many choose to explore Harrisonburg's well-supplied rental market. Because James Madison University's larger student population drives substantial housing development in the city, EMU students benefit from a wider inventory of apartments and shared houses than a school of EMU's size alone would typically produce.