Off Campus and Commuter Students

Mission

West Chester University’s Department of Off-Campus and Commuter Services (OCCS) supports equitable access to curricular and co-curricular experiences and institutional resources, regardless of a student’s place of residence.

OCCS is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that connects off-campus and commuter students with the university and the larger West Chester area community through intentional engagement opportunities to support institutional retention and graduation goals.

Vision

West Chester University’s Department of Off-Campus and Commuter Services will be a nationally recognized model for providing exemplary engagement, educational, advocacy, and empowerment opportunities to support off-campus and commuter student success.

Services

• Partners with Off Campus Partners, a company that specializes in providing off-campus housing solutions. This service is FREE for all students to use as an effective method of finding roommates and a place to live off campus.
• Offers off-campus and commuter students resources and information for living off-campus, transportation, and parking.
• Oversees free student legal aid, providing consultation on a variety of civil and criminal issues - landlord/tenant, leases, citations, etc. This is offered by appointment, and a consultation is expected to last 15 minutes.
• Develops and advocates for long-range plans and research on the profile and needs of off-campus and commuter students.

This office is coordinated by a full-time Director and Assistant Director of Off-Campus & Commuter Services, located at 238 Sykes Student Union, commuters@wcupa.edu.

Students who choose to live in the Borough of West Chester and the surrounding communities must secure their own living accommodations. OCCS partners with Off Campus Partners to provide off campus housing solutions and will provide information and support to students who are searching for off campus housing opportunities. Additional information about living off campus can be found on the web at www.wcupa.edu/occs/. If you are interested in renting off campus in the Borough of West Chester or the Township of West Goshen, please note that it has student-zoned housing -- "a living arrangement for at least two students to a maximum of four students who are unrelated by blood, marriage or legal adoption" -- and considers the definition of a student as the following: "an individual who is enrolled or has made application and been accepted at a university, college, or trade school and is taking at least 6 credit hours and whose primary occupation is as a student or who is on a semester or summer break from studies at a university, college, or trade school." This applies to undergraduate and graduate students.