Residential Guest Policy

Effective September 13, 2022
Updated February 11, 2023
(reflecting removal of references to 'Violet Go' pass, which is no longer required as of Saturday, February 11, 2023)

With consideration to the health and safety of our community members, the guest policy has been implemented in stages since Fall 2020. We recognize that guests are an integral aspect of the residential life experience and have continued to evaluate the progress of each stage to ensure it is safe to move to the next. The University will continue to closely monitor the public health landscape and may adjust the guest policy as necessary. 

The privilege to have guests in a residence hall, room, or suite is based upon the precept of mutual respect and balance; one resident’s right to have guests does not supersede another’s right to reasonable privacy. In particular, it is expected that students who share a living unit will be courteous to one another, communicate, show willingness to make compromises, and act in good faith in the matter of guests. The presence of a guest in a residence hall, a room, or a suite must not compromise the personal or academic well-being of room/suitemates or other building residents. Residents are responsible for the behavior of their guest(s) at all times and should a guest's presence create a disturbance or disruption to the community, that individual may be asked to leave by a staff member. Failure to comply with this policy can lead to student conduct action.

A) Types of Guests and Access:

Same Hall Student Guest: Guests who are New York University students and reside in the same residence hall as the person they are visiting may proceed directly to the room/suite of the resident host provided their visit to that rooms/suite is in accordance with the conditions set forth in this policy statement.

Other Hall Student Guest: Guests who are New York University students who reside in another University residence hall may be eligible to enter a residence hall other than their own by presenting their NYU ID card with valid building sticker at the Campus Safety Desk. Guests will be tapped in by the Campus Safety Officer but will not have to surrender their ID, and do not need to be escorted by a host. Guests may proceed directly to the space they are visiting provided their visit to that space is in accordance with the conditions set forth in this policy statement. 

Non-Hall Student Guest: Guests who are New York University students who do not reside in on-campus housing may be eligible to enter a residence hall by presenting their NYU ID card at the Campus Safety Desk. Guests will be signed in by the Campus Safety Officer but will not have to surrender their ID, but do need to be escorted by a host. 

Non-NYU Guest: Guests who are not otherwise affiliated with New York University may be eligible to enter a residence hall if they are sponsored by an NYU community member and are in compliance with NYU’s vaccination requirements to enter an NYU facility. This sponsorship must occur prior to the guest's arrival. 

When the guest arrives at the residence hall, they will have to present an acceptable form of photo ID in order to be signed into a residence hall. Acceptable forms of photo ID are: a U.S. state-issued driver license, a U.S. State-issued non-driver identification, a student ID from a high school or another college or university, a passport, or another government ID; including foreign governments’ IDs. If a foreign government’s ID in another language is presented, a corresponding passport must be displayed for verification. Forms of identification that are not acceptable include: bank cards, telephone and credit cards. The photo ID will be held at the Campus Safety Desk for the duration of the visit. (Students are expected to inform their guests in advance that a valid photo ID will be required to enter the building.) The resident host must come to the lobby, sign-in their guest, and is urged to escort their guest at all times. Access to the hall or room/suite must be in accordance with the conditions set forth in this policy statement.

At the end of a visit, that same host must accompany their guests to the lobby to sign them out in the guest register.  Proof of identification will be returned at this time. 

Guests Under the age of 12: Guests who are under the age of 12 may not be in a residence hall during “Late Hours” [i.e. between the hours of 11:00 pm and 9:00 am on weeknights (Sunday-Thursday) and 1:00 am to 9:00 am on weekends (Friday and Saturday)] and are subject to the same sign-in requirements as Non-NYU Guests.

Guest Passes: In order to make it easier for visitors to enter and leave the residence halls, especially during longer-term stays, resident hosts should obtain guest passes which are available from the hall’s Resource Center. A guest pass combined with an appropriate form of ID allows a visitor to enter and exit the hall without being accompanied by their resident host.  Guest Passes must be dropped off to the hall’s Resource Center two business days in advance of anticipated use to allow for hall staff to process the request. The Resident Host must meet their guest in the lobby upon their initial arrival to the residence hall. Upon entering the building, guests with passes must present both the guest pass and appropriate ID, but need not leave any identification with the building Campus Safety Officer. No more than three guest passes will be issued at one time to a resident. A guest pass will be issued for no more than four (4) consecutive nights. The issuance of Guest Passes may be suspended at certain times, such as final examination periods, winter break, spring break, or other periods as deemed necessary. Please check with your building’s professional staff for specific details.

B) Hours of Visitation:

Regular Hours Guests:

  • A Regular Hours Guest is anyone who is present in a residence hall or in a room/suite in which they have not been assigned to live between the hours of 9:00 am and 11:00 pm on weeknights (Sunday-Thursday) and 9:00 am to 1:00am on weekends (Friday and Saturday).
  • A resident is permitted to have up to three (3) guests in their room/suite at any time during Regular Hours without the prior permission of their room/suitemates provided there is no interference with the rights of a roommate/suitemate.
  • All Regular Hours Guests must have followed the appropriate access procedures as set forth above in this document.

Late Hours / Overnight Guests:

  • A Late Hours/Overnight guest is anyone who is present in a residence hall or in a room/suite in which they has not been assigned to live between the hours of 11:00 pm and 9 am on weeknights (Sunday-Thursday) and 1:00 am to 9:00am on weekends (Friday and Saturday).
  • A Resident Host must have the permission of their roommate(s) to have a Late Hours/Overnight guest.
  • Although permission from suitemates is not required, if there are complaints about the actions or presence of a Late Hours/Overnight Guest by a suitemate and if, in the opinion of the Residence Hall Director, the presence of Late Hours/Overnight Guest is interfering with the academic or personal well-being of the suitemates, the same conditions for permission from suitemates may be imposed upon the Resident Host by the Residence Hall Director for a designated period of time.
  • A Resident Host may have no more than three (3) Late Hours/Overnight guests at one time.
  • A Resident Host may not have a Late Hours/Overnight guest – whether the same or a different person - for more than four (4) consecutive nights or for more than six (6) nights per calendar month.
  • The same individual may not be a Late Hours/Overnight guest in the residence hall system for more than six (6) nights per calendar month, whether with the same or different resident hosts.
  • All Late Hours/Overnight guests must have followed the appropriate access procedures as set forth above in this document.

C) Enforcement:

Policy Violations:

All guests in a University residence hall are expected to abide by all University and Office of Residential Life and Housing Services policies, procedures and regulations.

  • A Resident Host is responsible for the actions of their guest(s) in the residence hall building, room, or suite in which that host resides and will be held accountable for any violations of University/Residence Life policy and/or for any theft, injury to person or property resulting from the behavior of their guests, regardless of whether that guest is a fellow University student or not.
  • University students who engage in disruptive or volatile behavior while a guest in a residence hall or a room/suite will also personally be held accountable for their actions.
  • Matters involving the problematic behavior of a guest may be managed through administrative actions (e.g. disallowing a guest from entering NYU's residence halls on a temporary or permanent basis), through the University student conduct process, or may be referred to local law enforcement when deemed appropriate.
  • Should a guest who engages in volatile behavior be a student at another college or university, New York University reserves the right to report that individual’s behavior to their home institution.
  • Late / Overnight guests are not to sleep in hall lounges or other public spaces.

Room/Suitemate Interference:

  • Whenever a resident has a concern about the presence of a guest in the room, they should approach the room/suitemate whom the guest is visiting to express their concerns and to seek to resolve the issues.
  • Should Residential Life staff receive (1) a complaint that the presence of a guest (Regular or Late Hours) is unreasonably interfering with the academic or personal well-being of the residents of the residence hall or a particular suite/room or (2) a complaint that the students sharing a living space are unable to agree on the time, date, frequency, and duration of each other’s visitors, the Residential Life staff may restrict the presence of guests in that suite/room until such time that the room/suitemates are able to come to a mutually satisfactory agreement about visitation.
  • As deemed appropriate, such matters will be addressed through informal discussions among room/suitemates or through formal mediation. Should such efforts fail, the Residential Life staff shall have the authority to establish reasonable parameters for visitation and all residents of that room/suite will be expected to adhere to those terms. Failure to abide by those conditions may likely result in the reassignment of the student who violates the terms set forth and may also subject that student to disciplinary action should their guests be involved in a violation of a University or Residential Life policy.

There may be certain times of the year, such as semester breaks or exam periods, when these guest policies may be restricted or modified.  Students will be notified in advance when any such changes occur.  Any modifications or exceptions to these guest policies must be approved by the Residence Hall Director and/or the Office of Residential Life and Housing Services.