Are you ready to be a resident assistant?

Many types of people with a wide variety of strengths and talents make great RAs. We pride ourselves on hiring a staff who represent a wide range of experiences and backgrounds. But there are several things we hope for in our candidates. First, great candidates for the RA position are excited at the prospect of building new relationships with others and taking ownership in helping to build a community where students can thrive. They’re also genuinely curious about expanding their understanding of other perspectives different from their own. Finally, the RA position can be challenging at times; great candidates have the ability to be flexible and are willing to try multiple approaches to overcome hurdles they may face.

Yes! Commuter students are eligible for the position if they can demonstrate 1) active involvement in a residence hall community for at least one semester prior to the term of appointment, or 2) related experience working with other students or organizations, managing conflict or building relationships.

Take advantage of the opportunities offered. Attend an RA info session and a resume and interview preparation workshop. If you currently live on campus, talk to your RA, other RAs and your Residence Hall Coordinator or Graduate Hall Director about what they see as important in the RA position.  Get involved! We offer lots of great ways to be involved in your community, including the Resident Assistant Internship and Leadership Exploration program and opportunities for you to plan programs and advocate for the needs of your community. 

While we expect our successful RA candidates to have contributed to a residential community, we also value the outside involvement many of our candidates engage in. Spend some time considering how your involvement in clubs, internships, employment and academic experiences can translate to being a successful RA.

If you live off campus, we encourage you to check out the RAILE program to learn more about what on campus life is like. The program can help you learn more about our work, our residential communities, and connect with and learn from professional and student staff members.

It could; everyone is a little different. The RA position includes a room waiver and a stipend. We encourage all candidates who have questions about their financial aid to consult with Student Financial Services prior to accepting the RA position to better understand how it could impact their aid package.

All applicants will be asked to provide an updated resume and email address for at least one recommender who can speak to your qualifications. You will also be asked to answer several short essay questions, which we strongly recommend be completed in a Word document and copy/pasted into the application.

Changes cannot be made to content and selections after a student submits their application. Only the Recommendations page will remain open (until the deadline) for applicants to return to and review the status of recommendations or to make a change to a recommender.

Yes. We will be asking candidates to take place in a structured informational session process as part of their candidacy. These informational sessions will aim to provide everyone with a strong understanding of what life is like in the RA role and living on campus, regardless of whether they have on campus living experience or not. Once details are finalized they will be posted and candidates will need to ensure they make plans to attend at least one informational session.

We are still finalizing the interview dates; they will be posted on the website when confirmed. After the application closes, we will work to send candidates information about their specific interview time slot and related instructions. Individual Interviews will take place virtually.

Please contact raselection@udel.edu as soon as possible. We ask applicants to hold all interview blocks on their calendar in advance of receiving their specific interview time assignment and should communicate in advance about significant conflicts.

You will receive email confirmation once your recommender has submitted your recommendation form. Should they need the form re-sent, you can resend them the email by logging back into the application, going to the Recommendations page and clicking "re-send" by their name.

While not required to also apply for housing, if you want to live on campus regardless of whether or not you are offered an RA position, you must apply for returning student housing by the appropriate deadline. More information regarding returning student housing can be found on our Current Students page. Details about application deadlines and processes will be on our Application Guide page as soon as it is available.

The RA selection process is very competitive. We typically hire less than half of the candidates who apply. The percentage of applicants hired for the RA position varies from year to year based on needs in our buildings and the number of RAs who choose to return each year.

The Resident Assistant position is a time-intensive position and should be a top priority; however, we encourage our applicants to maintain some involvement in other activities. If you are looking to work outside of the RA position, either on or off-campus, we require you receive prior approval.

Intensive academic commitments like clinicals and student teaching are not compatible with the time demands of the Resident Assistant position. Candidates needing to complete these requirements in their first year of employment will not be eligible for hire.

If offered the RA position, an introductory meeting will be held in late April or May with your supervisor and fellow Resident Assistant staff. RA Training is required for all staff and typically begins in mid-August.