Rules and regulations Student housing

The Student Housing facility provided by Sorbonne Abu Dhabi is a student service housing unit located on the university premises. All students residing in University Student Housing are held responsible for understanding the policies and procedures as outlined below. These regulations aim to organise life at the residence and they apply to all the residents disregarding the duration of their room occupancy.

These Policies and procedures are subject to change during the academic year and it is the student’s responsibility to know the current policies and regulations, particularly through the information regularly diffused by the Student Housing administration.

The University reserves the right to temporarily suspend a student from University accommodations who behaves in a manner that is viewed to be a risk to the community or to themselves until a formal review can be conducted.

As residents of Sorbonne Abu Dhabi Housing, students must abide by all Housing rules as well as the Student Code of Conduct. These rules benefit individual students as well as the entire residential community. Failure to abide by Student Housing and/or University Policies may result in disciplinary action and revocation of the Housing Agreement.

Mission Statement

The mission of Sorbonne Abu Dhabi Student Housing provides and promotes a living environment that is conducive to learning and encourages residents to use all the available housing resources needed to be able to pursue their education at Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, while abiding by rules and regulations related to the academic life and values in an atmosphere of respect and integrity.

The Emirati laws and norms are applicable, and the university respects the laws of the country. Any harm to the reputation of the university or any violation of the UAE laws shall expose the resident to immediate expulsion from the Student Housing.

Community Standards

students take priority of the rights of one member.

As members of the University community, resident students are expected to respect the rights and privacy of their fellow residents. The needs and rights of all students take priority of the rights of one member.

Each resident must be committed to living in a tolerant and prejudice-free environment. He undertakes to observe strict neutrality and hence must avoid practicing or favoring any form of propaganda, whether it is political, religious or other as the case may be.

The resident shall act properly and respect the peace and quiet of the other residents inside, or in the vicinity of the Student Housing premises. No noisy activity shall be accepted, whether inside or outside the buildings at any time. Groupings shall be forbidden in the vicinity of the student housing to avoid disturbing the residents.

Quiet hours are considered important for academic study in all student accommodation areas. Students should refrain from the noise that disrupts the community or interferes with individual study or/and rest.
Each individual resident is responsible for informing other community members when noise becomes disruptive; however, should the disruption continue, it should be brought to the attention of student Housing staff.

Student accommodation facilities should be reasonably quiet at all times. Strict silence should be observed after 10:00 pm.

Terms

The housing contract is for ten months, from the beginning of the first semester of the academic year (End of August-Beginning September) till the end of its second semester (June). The accommodation is not available during summer period (July-August) due to required renovation and maintenance work inside the buildings.

Sorbonne Abu Dhabi Student Housing contract is personal and may neither be transferred nor assigned to another person. Consequently, the space may not, in any case, be subleased to anyone.

Fees

The student shall pay necessary fees prior to settling in. A housing access pass will be issued, or an online registration booking will be approved by the finance department, only if there is no overdue amount in the tuition and full payment for the reserved duration stay is done.

He undertakes to respect the payment deadlines set by the Finance Department. The student should also abide by all the policies stated by the finance department regarding the methods of payment, the deadlines, and the refund policies.

Before 7 days from the booking expiry date, the student will receive an automated reminder email to either renew the booking or proceed to check-out.

For students who want to extend their stay for the second semester or for an additional month, they are required to do the necessary payments before the end of their previous booking date, otherwise, the room’s booking will be automatically renewed, and fines will apply as the payments ‘deadline was not respected.

A period of 5 working days will be given to the student to complete the necessary payments otherwise, the key lock of the room will be changed, and the student will not be able to access his room anymore.

Re-enrollment shall not be automatic. A resident wishing to keep his room from one year to another shall submit his request to the Student Housing administration. The payment should be done upfront in order to keep the same room.

Check-In/Out Procedures

Check-In

Check-in is the process of moving to the University Housing facilities.

  • Upon the arrival at the residence, at the beginning of the semester, residents are required to sign an acknowledgment that they have read and agreed to the rules and regulations of the Student Housing.

  • Students must provide required personal information, including a copy of their passport and their photo, sign all necessary forms and any required permissions signed by the student’s guardian if they are below 21.

  • Students should provide also the document of the Housing access pass delivered by the finance department if the payment was not done through the online application.

  • An inventory of the fixtures will be conducted with the accommodation staff and the student will sign the inventory form.

  • The keys handed over to the resident shall remain the property of the university and may not be duplicated.

    • Check-Out

    Check-out is the process of vacating the room of the university Student Housing.

  • All personal belongings shall be removed out of the room, and all furniture placed in its original space before the check-out inventory is performed

  • All keys should be submitted to the Student Housing administration

  • The inventory shall be conducted during working hours and days

  • An inventory of the fixtures will be conducted with the accommodation staff and the student will sign the inventory form.

  • The student shall be charged for any damage he causes (whether by negligence or by accident), at the value of repairing or replacement as the case may be. These charges will be deducted from the housing deposit that will only be refunded by bank transfer

    • Facilities

    University Housing shall ensure all required equipment to support the academic and personal needs of all the residents. Every resident shall be held responsible for all the individual and collective equipment with which he is provided.

    The moving of furniture or equipment in common areas shall not be allowed.

    The student Housing shall provide many services, available 24/7. They shall be used with respect and care so that they remain in good condition.

    Maintenance service shall be present 24/7 at the premises for any reparation. The maintenance personnel shall be in charge of all the reparations; residents are not allowed to carry out any reparations themselves.

    The Student Housing shall be in charge of the mandatory weekly housekeeping for the rooms and daily for the common areas. Residents are expected to maintain their rooms and the common areas in a clean and orderly manner.

    During summer vacation, a resident may request the storage of his personal belongings. The Student Housing shall provide him with this service before going on vacation and until the end of the same calendar year. In the event that the student does not collect his boxes prior to this date, his belongings shall be sent to a charity association.

    Room Assignment and Room Entry

    The Student Housing staff shall be in charge of allocating the rooms. They may also change rooms if they see the necessity thereof and may refuse any request to change rooms made by a resident if they deem that this will be detrimental to the other residents or to the community.

    The rooms can be checked without prior notice, in the following cases:

  • For salubrity and security checks, for maintenance or for repairing.

  • In cases of emergency ;

  • To check for use of cigarette and possession or use of any illicit products

  • In the event of the violation of the residence hall regulations

    • It shall be not allowed for any resident to enter the room of another one in his absence or without his authorisation. No belongings may be collected from the room of a resident without his previous approval.

    Health and Safety

    In case of a fire alarm, all students are required to leave their room immediately, exit the residence using the staircases and follow properly the instruction of security guards. Residents and guest should never assume that an alarm is false or a drill, as any delay in evacuating could be fatal.

    Any resident found responsible for creating a false alarm or tampering with the fire alarm systems, fire protection sprinkles, and smoke detectors will face disciplinary actions. All emergency doors should not be used and access to buildings’ roof top shall be denied.

    For security and hygiene reasons, the below shall be prohibited:

  • Using inside the room any electrical kitchen or high-power appliances such as hotplates, microwaves, kettles, irons… Such appliances shall be confiscated

  • Using candles or incense in rooms and common areas

  • Keeping open the room’s windows as the AC will be automatically switched off

  • Driving nails or drawing pins in the walls and the doors or defacing the room in any way

  • Keeping leftover food inside rooms or in commons areas to avoid attracting any kind of insects

  • Overloading the electrical sockets that could increase the fire risks.

  • Hanging any object on the windows, windowsills and ceiling and light covers inside the rooms as well as in the corridors and common areas

  • Hallways, staircases and common areas may not be used for hazardous or frivolous activities. The use of soccer balls, roller blades, skateboards, hover boards…. is prohibited within the residence buildings

  • Any object that can expose the security of the residents or the University to danger may not be brought into the Student Housing premises

  • Pets and animals of any sort

    • The residents undertake to lock their rooms in their absence. They are solely responsible for their personal property, valuables and belongings inside the rooms as well as the common areas. The Housing administration bears no responsibility for lost, damaged or missing items, or for the interruption of utilities or services due to weather, nature or acts of third parties.
    In case of an accident or emergency within the housing buildings, the residents undertake to observe the medical procedure by contacting first the nurse of the campus and notifying the receptionists of the building.

    The residents are requested to abide by all instructions stated by UAE government authorities in case of a pandemic such as wearing masks, a green pass

    Visitors

  • Each student should register the name of his/her visitor on the portal prior to their arrivals

  • The visiting hours shall be from 8:00am until 11:00pm

  • The visitor shall leave at the reception a valid identity card that he shall collect back at his departure

  • The residents shall be held liable for the behavior of their visitors. Any violation shall entail prohibition of subsequent visits and shall expose the resident host to disciplinary measures

  • The resident hosting his visitor shall be present inside the building and accompany his host all the times

  • Individuals providing personal services to the residents such as hairdressing, or tailor… are not allowed into the residence as visitors

  • Hanging any object on the windows, windowsills, and ceiling and light covers inside the rooms as well as in the corridors and common areas

  • Only visitors of the same gender as the student may be received inside the respective buildings

  • No person from outside may be accommodated therein, irrespective of his family ties with the resident

    • Curfew and Leave Authorisation

    During the weekdays only, (Sunday to Thursday), residents below 21 are expected to be in their respective dorms from 12 midnight till 6:00 am.

    This schedule shall be delayed during the month of Ramadan and exam periods or completely changed during public holidays and certain vacations specified by the Student Housing administration.

    Minor residents below 21 years of age may not sleep outside the residence or travel outside the United Arab Emirates and be exempted from the curfew during weekends unless their parents or legal tutors sign a parental authorisation.

    The parents can choose to allow their son/daughter to sleep anytime outside the residence and to be always exempted from the rules of the closing door. They should sign accordingly the parental consent and waiver form.

    Residents aged 21 years and above may sleep outside the residence anytime and are excluded from the closing door’s rules.

    Any departure and/or any absence in weekdays for more than 48h, during the academic year, shall be announced, in writing, at the reception desk.

    The Student Housing staff monitors the attendance records regularly for tardiness and absences.

    Late return will require the students to sign an undertaking form at the reception desk. This undertaking places the responsibility of the student on him/herself for any consequences due to lateness or not recorded absence from the dorm and will be kept as a record.

    Repeated violation of attendance regulations is reported to the Head of Student Affairs department on weekly basis. Continuous violation of curfew/ attendance can lead to the disciplinary committee and it may affect the residents’ leave authorisations.

    Disciplinary Measures

    All the residents shall respect the Regulations of Sorbonne Abu Dhabi Student Housing.

    All forms of smoking and the use of smoking pipes are strictly prohibited inside the Student Housing, including in rooms and common areas.
    Gambling as well as the possession or use of illicit products are illegal in the United Arab Emirates. Offenders shall expose themselves to the intervention of civil authorities. The possession and consumption of Alcohol are strictly forbidden on the Campus. Any violation of those rules will lead directly to a disciplinary committee and may result in a definitive expulsion from the campus and a visa cancellation.

    The management will persist to take the necessary action and urges the students to take those regulations very seriously. Any behavior violating the moral code as well as the law of the country is not excused by any means.

    It is impossible to list all the situations that constitute improper conduct; however, any behavior violating the laws of the Emirates or the moral and conduct code of the country, in a particular excessive display of affection, shall be strictly prohibited inside and in the vicinity of the Student Housing.

    In the event of any violation of the housing rules and regulations, a decision may be issued by the head of the Student Affairs Department, who can refer the matter, if needed, to the disciplinary committee of the University.

    The seriousness of any violation shall be considered in view of its nature, importance, recurrence and the presence or absence of previous circumstances. The purpose of any disciplinary action is to achieve a higher commitment to the Student Housing rules and regulations.

    Sanctions may either be a formal oral or written warning, a temporary suspension or dismissal from the housing and, if necessary, it could be also dismissal from University too.

    In case of final dismissal, the resident shall:

  • Organise his departure within a period of five working days

  • Remove all his belongings from the room he occupied and from any other place in the Housing premises

  • He will not be allowed to enter or to stay at the Student Housing as per the period mentioned in the dismissal letter

    • The Housing administration may contact the parents or the legal tutors of a resident to report his bad behavior, or any emergency case or critical situation.

    The Housing administration shall notify the resident by letter or by email. Any acknowledgment of receipt shall be noted and taken into account even if the resident refuses to read it.