/Student Affairs
Campus Residences

 

RESIDENT ASSISTANT RECRUITMENT INFORMATION

Resident Assistants (RA) are important and valuable team members of the Department of Residential Education within Campus Residences. Students who serve as an RA have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, communication skills, foster strong relationships with peers, residents, and their supervisor, and promote diversity and inclusion in their area. In this position, students can grow exponentially in their personal and professional lives. Both undergraduate and graduate students can serve as RAs in the residence halls and in our on-campus apartment areas.

How to Apply

The application cycle for the 2026-2027 academic-year RA positions is underway.

The RA Application is due by 11:59 PM on November 19th, 2025.
In order to gain access to the application, you must attend an RA Informational Session.

  • You must have submitted the application in its entirety by the above deadline. There are no extensions to submitting the RA Application, so if you are unable to submit the application, you will not be able to apply for the position this year and will need to apply for the 2027 - 2028 academic year RA position in October 2026.
  • You will hear back in January regarding your application status and whether you have moved on to our interview process.

RA Information Sessions

DATE TIME LOCATION SESSION LINK
TBA TBA TBA TBA

 

Questions? Contact CampResRASelection@stonybrook.edu if you have any questions not addressed above, and a member of the committee will respond within the next few days.

three residenti assistants pose together

RA Responsibilities

Resident Assistants are responsible for ensuring safe and welcoming conditions within the residence halls and apartments. RAs work to build inclusive communities in their assigned area through peer-to-peer interactions, programming, and bulletin boards. While the specific responsibilities of an RA will vary from area to area and building to building, some of the responsibilities include:

  • Attending staff meetings on Tuesday evenings.
  • Attending and participating in Fall training in early August and Spring training in early January.
  • Knowing the residents of your building/hall/area in an effort to be aware of their personal, social, and academic concerns.
  • Referring concerns to your supervisor and other appropriate entities on campus if someone can benefit from professional attention.
  • Being visible, available, and approachable by the residents of the area.
  • Holding floor socials and meetings at intervals determined by your supervisor.
  • Keeping the Residence Hall Director (RHD) in the loop about trends in your community.
  • Being familiar with and able to communicate/uphold housing and university policies and procedures in a positive manner.
  • Sitting duty for your building/area on a rotating basis. While on duty, you serve as the point person for any issues that arise in your duty area after normal business hours. This includes weekends and holidays.
  • Assessing the needs of your residents on a continual basis. Initiating, planning, and organizing programs of a social, educational, cultural, and recreational nature.
  • Encouraging students to take responsibility for their own actions by establishing behavioral standards that promote the concept of common courtesy and consideration for others.
  • Role modeling appropriate behavior.
  • Assessing the building prior to and post occupancy to ensure damage is rectified each year.
  • Completing administrative tasks that are necessary for the smooth operation of the building.
  • Other duties as assigned by your supervisor, your area’s professional staff, or the department as a whole.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the Resident Assistant Development and Recruitment Committee at CampresRASelection@stonybrook.edu. This email is monitored by committee members, and you should expect a response within 2-3 business days.

Resident Assistants work at a check-in table during move-in

Frequently Asked Questions

The application timeline varies from year to year, but our estimated timeline for 2026-2027 RA Selection is as follows:

  • The application timeline varies from year to year, but our estimated timeline for 2026-2027 RA Selection is as follows:
  • The RA Information Session will become available as of early October.
  • The RA Information Sessions will be online and in-person.
  • Attendance will be taken at the end of each info session.
  • Completion of the RA Information Session and attendance are required for your application to be considered.
  • RA Applications will go live in October and will be accepted until November 19th at 11:59 PM.
  • References have until November 26th at 11:59 PM to submit their reference form.
  • References will receive the form once you submit your application by the November 19th deadline.
  • While references are filling out information on your behalf, professional staff in the department will review applications.
  • Once we have all references and application scores in January, we will extend offers for interviews.
  • If you are offered an in-person interview, it will occur sometime between February 13th and 14th.
  • Once interviews have concluded, staff will make selections, and offers will be extended in March.

RA recruitment for the following academic year occurs each Fall Semester. We accept applications only during the main application cycle and do not solicit or accept applications received at other times of the year.

Training occurs prior to each semester. Training for the Fall semester typically spans two full weeks, including weekends and nights, and starts in Mid-August. Training for the Spring semester typically starts a week before the semester begins, in mid-January. Training periods may encompass weekends, holidays, and nights as needed.

  • All Resident Assistants are required to attend training every semester as a condition of employment. This training is critical for you to grasp essential aspects of the RA position, engage in professional development, and integrate with your building and community teams. Failure to attend may result in consequences for your employment.
  • If you are enrolled in a course that conflicts with a training period, you must immediately speak with your direct supervisor to discuss the issue.

RAs receive a bed waiver, RA meal plan (varies depending on room type), and priority course registration after your first semester as an RA. The RA position may impact your financial aid package, and you should speak to the financial aid office before accepting an offer if one is extended to you.

  • If candidates hired for 2026-2027 are not guaranteed the ability to choose their own suite mates.
  • RAs hired before RA room selection will have the opportunity to fill a suite/apartment.
  • RAs are not required to fill their entire space and can opt to fill as many spaces as they wish.
  • RAs hired after RA room selection will not be able to pull suite mates, as those spaces are available for returning students to pick from.
  • Additionally, please be aware that RAs can only pull students who are eligible for their community into that specific community; RAs cannot pull commuters into on-campus housing, undergraduates into graduate communities, graduates into undergraduate communities, or those who do not meet eligibility requirements for a specific community (i.e., West/Chávez/Tubman) into those communities.

  • Each person applying for the undergraduate RA position will only receive one offer. If you decline the RA position being offered, you will not receive another one in a different building/community/area. Thus, if you decline the offer, you will not be an RA for the following year.
  • Each person applying for the graduate RA position will only receive one offer and may be placed in Schomburg and West or Chapin apartments.

RAs in Undergraduate College Communities:

  • Cumulative and Semester GPA of 2.5 for every semester employed
  • Good Student Conduct Standing
  • Full-Time Student Standing

Undergraduate RAs in West Apartments, Chávez, and Tubman:

  • Cumulative and Semester GPA of 2.5 for every semester employed
  • Good Student Conduct Standing
  • U3/U4 Class Standing (Minimum of 57 credits)
  • Full-Time Student Standing

Graduate RAs in Chapin, Schomburg, and West Apartments:

  • Cumulative and Semester GPA of 3.0 for every semester employed
  • Good Student Conduct Standing
  • Full-Time Standing (Dependent on Class Year)

From the moment of hire, Resident Assistants are expected to uphold the Terms of Occupancy and adhere to all university and residential conduct standards. We conduct comprehensive reviews of applicants' entire conduct history.

Eligibility for Leadership:

  • University Probation: Students on university probation are ineligible to hold a leadership position.
  • Conduct Violations: We understand that individuals may face allegations of conduct violations. When reviewing incidents where a student was found responsible for a violation of the terms of occupancy or university policy, we consider several factors, including but not limited to:
  • Completion of any assigned sanctions.
  • Demonstrated learning from the experience.
  • Behavior exhibited during the incident.

A successfully completed application encompasses a few parts:

  • Fully answered application questions
  • Current resume
  • Names and emails of one paraprofessional or professional reference

We highly recommend using the Career Center's resources for assistance with creating a resume.

  • When applying, you will be required to submit the name and email address of one professional or paraprofessional reference.
  • References can be professional staff members, faculty members, former employers, Advisors, Resident Assistants, etc. 
  • References should not be from parents/guardians, friends, etc.
  •  Prior to listing someone as a reference, you should speak to them and inform them that you intend to use them as a reference for your application.

Please note that we are not looking for a letter of recommendation from your reference. Rather, we will contact the references you provided and ask them to complete a recommendation form with standardized questions on your behalf.

  • Find more information about our different communities on our Campus Residences website
  • There are several specialty living communities, including:
    • Gender Inclusive Housing Communities (offered in select suites/apartments and on select floors in most residential Communities)
    • Our Living Learning Communities
      • 2nd-Year Living Community (2YLC) located in Lauterbur Hall
      • Honors College and Simon STEM Housing in Yang Hall
      • Socially Just Seawolves is located in Tubman Hall
      • Chavez Community Changers (C3) in Chavez Hall
      • Women in Science and Engineering Housing (WISE) and University Scholars programs are housed in the Eleanor Roosevelt Community

Being an RA requires the student to possess a large number of traits, such as: acceptance of different cultures and diversity, high motivation, friendliness and customer service orientation, cool under pressure, dedication, professionalism, trustworthiness, flexibility, and trainability.

RAs in Undergraduate Community and West Apartments (Building A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K):

The RA position is a 10-month position (mid-August to the end of May). The position starts before the fall semester and extends beyond the end of the spring semester.

Chapin, & Schomburg Apartments:

The RA position is a 12-month position. The Period of Obligation is June 1 through May 31 of the following year.

 It is important to note that campus housing does not close during break periods, including Fall Break, Winter Intersession, Spring Break, and the Summer Session. As such, RAs may be required to work during these break periods.

If you are a new transfer student who began in the Fall semester, you do not need to do anything special to apply.

As long as you have an SBU GPA by the end of the Spring semester, the committee will complete grade checks for all applicants.

If you are a transfer student who will be matriculating in the Winter or Spring semester, please reach out to the committee via email (CampResRASelection@stonybrook.edu) as those scenarios are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. It is important to note that all applications are due by the posted deadline.

Yes, you can still apply. After the fall semester ends, the committee will conduct a grade check on all candidates. If your GPA meets the minimum requirements at that time, you will be able to move forward in the process.

If you will be studying abroad during the RA recruitment and selection process, please reach out to campresraselection@stonybrook.edu.

If you are studying abroad during the fall semester, please reach out to the RA selection committee so that we can send you important information about the application process, including deadlines and information about our virtual informational sessions.

If you are studying abroad in the spring semester, please reach out to campresraselection@stonybrook.edu to schedule a virtual interview.  

Generally, yes, but being an RA must align with your ability to fulfill the role. If your accommodations prevent you from participating in essential tasks like mandatory training, Tuesday evening staff meetings, community engagement, serving on duty, or working with diverse populations, the RA position may not be a suitable fit. If your accommodation involves a specific room type, you will be placed in a space that meets your accommodation on file.