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We believe living on campus at DKU greatly benefits students. From the convenience of a quick commute to campus resources to making it easier for you to engage in the DKU community, living on campus can be an integral part of your holistic student experience. As such, we require all undergraduate students to live on campus.
All undergraduate students are required to live on campus, all four years. On campus includes main campus as well as any buildings off site that are owned, leased, or operated by the University. Graduate students are encouraged but not required to reside on campus. Limited spaces prevents us from guaranteeing graduate students a room. Graduate students intending to live off campus should still complete the room assignment application, to answer the question about their decision to live on or off campus.
Mercury is the system used to manage on campus room applications, assignments, and bills. It also includes other important forms such as updating personal information, requesting a rental refrigerator, and reporting maintenance issues. To access Mercury, go to https://student.rms.dukekunshan.edu.cn/page/homepage, then log in with your NetID credentials.
Our hope is for this process to be simple and easy for students, transparent and honest, and effective in helping students have a positive living experience. In our aim to build a strong community, know we prioritize roommate compatibility higher than honoring building and room type preferences when assigning rooms. While these hopes exist, we ask for your understanding that there are limitations that don’t enable us to give everyone exactly what they prefer. Accommodations with demand higher than supply are assigned randomly to those who gave it preference, not first-come first-serve. Students will only be assigned roommates who have the same preferred gender. Information about the specific process for a year will be sent to students’ DKU email addresses.
Students must log into Mercury and click the appropriate application link (or the update application link if the application has already been completed for the period). In this application, we collect information about preferred building, room type, and roommate, as well as “lifestyle” questions such as sleep schedule, cleanliness levels, room temperature, and more, to pair you with someone compatible. Students will sign their Room Assignment Agreement with their DKUID (which can be looked up in the directory here).
First-Year Undergraduate Students
First-year students are assigned first-year students as roommates, and they live on main campus. Due to enrollment timelines, international students apply first but high demand accommodations (e.g., single rooms) are only filled to a proportion reflecting their percentage of that class. To promote learning and diversity, international students are assigned a Domestic roommate, based on lifestyle question compatibility. Requests for a specific roommate will not be accepted.
Upperclass Undergraduate Students
Upperclass students are assigned a roommate based on lifestyle question compatibility or by mutual confirmation. To mutually confirm a roommate, one student (called the leader) completes the application and invites the other (called the member) into their roommate group. The member must accept the invitation to confirm. Building and room type preferences of the leader will be used to assign the roommates. Students from one class are able to live with those in another. They live in our leased residence halls away from main campus.
Graduate Students
Graduate students are assigned graduate students as roommates. They mutually confirm or are assigned a roommate based on lifestyle questions. To mutually confirm a roommate, one student (called the leader) completes the application and invites the other (called the member) into their roommate group. The member must accept the invitation to confirm. Building and room type preferences of the leader will be used to assign the roommates. Graduate students may be assigned to any of our residence halls, as space dictates.
Once all of the assignments are complete for the upcoming period, Residence Life will notify students through their DKU email address and bill their Bursar account.
Occasionally, a student may want or need to make a request for a room assignment during times not covered by their school year or summer room assignment agreement. This may be a request for an early arrival, a late stay, or for an assignment during a period that the halls are closed.
The contract you sign has dates explicitly listed for the earliest date you can move in (Move In Day). We are unable to accommodate most requests for early arrival. If you believe you have a special circumstance, please contact our office at residencelife@dukekunshan.edu.cn at least 3 weeks in advance. If you are part of a University-sponsored program given permission to move in early, contact your program coordinator for your specific dates, billing info, and general expectations. Please note all Handbook and Room Assignment Agreement policies are in effect and that since you have arrived early, the normal services you experience during the school year may not all be available at the level you are used to.
The contract you sign has dates explicitly listed for the latest date you can stay until (Move Out Day). We are unable to accommodate most requests for staying late. If you believe you have a special circumstance, please contact our office at residencelife@dukekunshan.edu.cn at least 3 weeks in advance. If you are part of a University-sponsored program given permission to stay late, contact your program coordinator for your specific dates, billing info, and general expectations. Please note all Handbook and Room Assignment Agreement policies are in effect and that since you have stayed late, the normal services you experience during the school year may not all be available at the level you are used to.
See the Residence Life Calendar for specific information about building closure dates. Residence Life is unable to provide room accommodations during summer break. It is a student’s responsibility to be aware of these closures and make appropriate travel and/or lodging arrangements for themselves. If you have significant challenges making these arrangements, please contact our office at residencelife@dukekunshan.edu.cn at least 3 weeks in advance.
DKU is located near a number of high quality hotels in Kunshan, some of which may offer a discount if you mention your affiliation with the university:
Metropolo Jinjiang Hotel (锦江都城酒店昆山金鹰国际昆剧院店) , address 869 Tongfeng West Rd, Suzhou (昆山同丰西路 869 号) is about 7.1km from campus, a 4-star hotel, with approximate cost of 300 RMB/night, and can be contacted at +86 051257000999 or http://m.metropolo.jinjiang-hotel.com/
Crowne Plaza Kunshan (昆山皇冠假日酒店), address 699 Zizhu Road, Yushan Town (江苏省昆山市玉山镇紫竹路 699 号 ), is about 5.5km from campus, is a 5-star hotel, with approximate cost of 600 RMB/night, and can be contacted at +86 051255556999 or http://crowneplazakunshan.crownehotel.cn/en
Kunshan Newport Hotel (昆山新港湾大酒店), address Bailu North Road, Kunshan (昆山柏庐北路 505 号), is about 6.3km from campus, is a 4-star hotel, with approximate cost of 450 RMB/night, and can be contacted at +86 051257169966 or https://cn.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g608462-d648937-Reviews-Kunshan_Newport_Hotel-Kunshan_Jiangsu.html
Wanda Yue Kunshan (昆山万达悦华酒店), address 1188, Chengbei Road, Yushan Town, Kunshan (昆山市玉山镇城北路 1188 号), is about 3.1km from campus, is a 4-star hotel, with approximate cost of 350 RMB/night, and can be contacted at +86 051280621888 or https://www.wandahotels.com/en/hotel/wanda-yue-kunshan-booking-65-137
To provide financially-unrestrained access to all residence halls, the University will have a consistent rate across them all, only charging different rates based on room occupancy. Your Bursar account will be charged once per semester for the cost of your room. No additional technology, utility, or Wi-Fi fee will be assessed to you by Residence Life, as these are included in the room charge. Once a student begins their time at DKU, their room rates are locked in, however, due to increasing costs to the University, room rates are increased from time to time for newly incoming students.
The room assignment extension rates, to be assessed on a nightly basis, if pre-approved by Residence Life according to the process above, are ¥80/night for a Double and ¥100/night for a Single.
Room Assignment Agreement Termination
In the event of a student’s room assignment being terminated for an eligible reason, bills will be reviewed and updated to reflect a prorated charge or credit on a case by case basis, and according to the policies outlined in the Academic Bulletin and the Room Assignment Agreement.
Change of Room Assignment Rate
In the event of a student’s assignment being changed to a room of a different rate, bills will be reviewed and updated to reflect a prorated charge or credit on a case by case basis.
Requests for Refunds Due to Campus Inaccessibility
If a student is able to prove inability to access campus due to 100% circumstance and 0% choice, they may make a refund request to Residence Life by emailing residencelife@dukekunshan.edu.cn. Requests will be reviewed individually, proof will be required, and decisions will be final.
