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A college roommate agreement is a written plan between dorm roommates. The agreement sets quiet hours, chores, shared costs, guests and a way to settle disagreements. This page shows what to include and how to fill out and sign it.
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A college roommate agreement is a written plan roommates make with each other about daily life in a shared dorm room, suite or apartment. The agreement puts every roommate's expectations on paper, so small annoyances do not turn into big arguments.
The agreement matters most in the first year away from home. Roommates are often learning to live on their own, and many meet for the first time on move-in day. A signed plan tells each person what to expect from the others.
A written plan gives the household a shared reference when a question comes up. It helps with:
A college roommate agreement includes contact details, quiet hours, shared expenses, food, personal items, guests, cleaning, subleasing and safety notes, plus anything else that keeps the home calm enough to study. Not every household needs every topic. Talk with your roommates about what matters most to each of you, then list the decisions and compromises.
The contact section lists each roommate's name, cell number and email address, plus emergency contacts. Everyone in a shared home needs to know who to call if a roommate is sick or hurt.
The quiet hours section sets the times for study and sleep, with separate hours for weeknights and weekends. It can also say which sounds are fine during quiet hours, such as a dishwasher, and which are not, such as a TV.
The shared expenses section names the items roommates split equally, such as cleaning supplies, a microwave, a fridge or toilet paper. It also says what happens to a jointly owned item when roommates move out. The food section picks separate or shared food and where food is stored.
The personal items section lists what each roommate keeps to themselves and what others may borrow, such as a bicycle, TV, computer or hairdryer. The owner of each item decides whether it is shared and can change their mind later.
The guest section says whether overnight guests are prohibited, permitted or allowed case by case. It can add other guest rules, such as how much notice roommates get before someone comes over. Guests are a big part of college life, so talk this through first.
The cleaning schedule is either fixed in the agreement or set from time to time. A rotation or a list of separate chores keeps everyone on task and helps a shared room feel like home.
The subleasing section sets how a new subtenant joins if a roommate leaves early: everyone meets and approves the new person, or the subletting roommate chooses. The roommates' choice alone does not settle a sublet: the lease or dorm contract decides whether the landlord or the college has to consent, so read it before you pick an option.
In Oklahoma, a tenant for a term of two years or less, at will or by sufferance, may not assign or transfer any part of the term to another without the landlord's written assent (Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 10).
The safety and privacy section holds each roommate's own needs, whether they relate to physical or mental health. For instance, a roommate with a severe nut allergy may ask that nut products stay out of the home or be labeled and stored separately.
A roommate agreement is a plan between roommates, while a lease or dorm contract is the agreement with your school or landlord about the space itself. The roommate agreement covers chores, guests and shared costs. It works next to the lease, never in place of it. See our rental agreement forms for the lease itself and the room rental agreement template for renting out a single room.
An off-campus roommate agreement adds the money details that a dorm usually handles for you. If you and your roommates are all tenants on the same lease, agree on how to share the rent. Talk about:
A college roommate agreement changes through a written update that every roommate signs, usually agreed at a regular roommate meeting. The first version is rarely the last, because roommates build new habits over the year. Set up the change process at the start.
A new arrangement needs time before anyone can tell whether it works, so avoid changing the agreement too often. No roommate should feel locked into a plan that can never change, either.
| Document Name | College Roommate Agreement Form |
| Other Name | Dorm Roommate Agreement |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 15 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 99 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
| College Roommate Guide | |
The college roommate agreement form is filled out page by page, from the roommates' names to their signatures, and each section can be changed to fit your household. Roommates fill it out together, so everyone agrees on each answer before it goes on the page.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal College Roommate Agreement template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
Before you start, gather these details:
On page one, enter the date and write each roommate’s name in the blanks, up to four names. Then describe the dorm room, suite or apartment you share. The form calls it the Unit.
Under Contact Information, enter the first roommate’s name, cell number and email address, plus two emergency contacts. Use a name your roommates will recognize and contact details you are happy for them to have.
Fill in the second block the same way: name, cell number, email address and two emergency contacts.
Complete the third block with the third roommate’s details. Leave any block you do not need blank.
Use the fourth block at the bottom of page one if a fourth roommate is joining. Phone numbers and emails change, so tell each other when yours does.
On page two, write the quiet hours for Monday through Thursday in the blanks. Pick times that leave room to study and sleep, even when friends are over or someone is on the phone late.
Enter the hours for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Then use the Other Information lines for anything else about quiet hours, such as late parties or which sounds are fine.
Check each item the roommates will split equally. Describe any other item you split on the Other lines, so nobody pays for things they never wanted or needed.
On page three, write what happens to a jointly owned item when you move out or part ways, and add any other notes about shared costs. Then check one Food option: separate food or shared food. Whichever you choose, agree on where food is stored.
List the personal items that will not be shared and the ones that may be shared.
At the bottom of page three, under Overnight guests, check Prohibited if overnight guests are not allowed.
At the top of page four, check Permitted or the case-by-case option instead if that matches your plan. Add any other guest rules on the lines.
Check whether the schedule will be set from time to time or fixed. If it is fixed, write it on the Set cleaning schedule lines.
Check the subleasing option that fits your plan: everyone meets the new subtenant, or the subletting roommate chooses. Then add any safety or privacy notes on the lines, and let every roommate add their own needs.
On page five, each roommate signs and prints their name on one of the four lines. The College Rules and Disagreements sections on this page are text only, so there is nothing to fill in.
A college roommate contract is signed by every roommate after the group reads it together, ideally in the first week, before classes get busy. The signatures show that each roommate has talked the plan over and agrees to it.
These answers cover what college roommates ask most often, from off-campus use to what happens when a roommate moves out.
The template works for a dorm room, a suite or an apartment you share. If you also have a lease, read it first so your roommate agreement fits with it.
Everyone who lives in the home should sign, so each person shows they have read and agreed. The template has four signature lines.
The best time is the first week after move-in, before habits set and before classes get busy. Roommates who wait until a problem starts tend to argue about the plan itself.
Start with a roommate meeting. Each person explains what is not working, and the group looks for a compromise. If you cannot agree, ask your resident advisor or housing office for help.
The shared expenses section of the agreement answers this: write down who keeps each jointly owned item, or whether you sell it and split the money, before anyone buys it.
The subleasing section of the agreement sets how a new roommate is chosen, so follow the option you checked. In a shared rental, also check your lease and talk to the landlord before anyone new moves in.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
