The ACUHO-I membership includes a diverse range of institutions. Despite their differences, though, they share a common goal to deliver exemplary student experiences.
Assessing individuals, programs, and operations, though, requires a proper measuring stick. That’s why campus housing programs rely on established professional standards to inform their strategic direction and operational procedures.
Two of the leading resources for setting the standard for campus housing are the ACUHO-I Standards & Competencies for Campus Housing Professionals and the CAS Standards. Crafted in broad terms to better enable their application, these best practices and standards are invaluable ways to assess operations, identify gaps, and plan accordingly for the future.
ACUHO-I Standards and Competencies
The ACUHO-I Standards & Competencies for Campus Housing Professionals provide a compendium of best practices that, while voluntary, campus housing programs are strongly encouraged to use. Standards and guidelines are used to evaluate programs, create self-assessments, shape staff training, and more. You can count on the ACUHO-I Standards to help assess your department’s mission, functional areas, qualifications, and ethics.
In addition, this resource, updated in 2025, also contains the competencies that individual professionals need to have in order to achieve the corresponding standards. When individuals understand the skills and knowledge they need to succeed, they can better plan their career path and seek out the appropriate professional development opportunities.
Functional areas covered in the ACUHO-I Standards & Competencies for Campus Housing Professionals include:
Foundations
Student Learning and Development
Residential Facilities
Business Management
Human Resources
Ancillary Partnerships
Public-Private Partnerships
Emergency Management
Dining Services
ACUHO-I Standards & Competencies for Campus Housing Professionals
The ACUHO-I Standards & Competencies for Campus Housing Professionals has been updated for 2025 and beyond. Explore the new edition to discover the best practices that housing departments should strive to achieve as well as the individual professional skills and knowledge that staff members—at all career levels—must have to reach those goals. The information you need to power up your department’s performance and maximize your career progression is all here in one document.
This new edition was headed up by Amanda Knerr of Ball State University who worked alongside more than 30 volunteer professionals to review, revise, and reimagine the standards and competencies. ACUHO-I members have free access to this vital resource through the online community. Download your copy today and begin working for a stronger, more productive department and career.
The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education promotes standards for virtually every aspect of student affairs, including housing and residence life. These CAS Standards foster student learning, development, and achievement, as well as promote professional practice. Designed to describe quality practice, the standards are developed through collaboration and consensus and can be applied across institutional types and sizes.
ACUHO-I liaises with the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education to contribute and report on changes to the functional area of Housing and Residential Life.
ACUHO-I members can access the “Housing and Residential Life Programs Standards” document for free through the CAS Standards storefront. Users will have to create an account in the CAS store and then redeem a discount code. Contact the ACUHO-I office to receive your code. A self-assessment guide is also available for an additional charge.
