A Community of Opportunity

Upper Room is open to any interested student who has completed their first year of college and is enrolled full-time at a Lincoln-area college or University. Upper Room is focused on deepening faith and exploring vocation through a Christian lens. Application to the Upper Room is not on a first-come, first-serve basis. Rather, the application process is a discernment process for the student and community leaders. It will involve an application with essay components and an interview. Through this process we will seek to offer invitations to those who are authentically committed to Upper Room’s core values. There are 10 student spots available in each Upper Room cohort. ADA accessible rooms are available.

To apply for membership to Upper room, read our FAQs, covenant, and lease. After careful consideration, complete the written portion of the application. We will be in touch.

Upper Room is a small intentional Christian Community (maintaining a 10 member to 1 Community Director ratio) that includes living and programmatic components.

Membership tuition is paid monthly in tandem with rent and will include all reading materials, retreat fees, weekly meals and discussion costs, speakers, and other programmatic offerings. Membership requires students to live at The Lutheran Center. Rent at the Upper Room will be $700-800 a month*, and includes a private single room and semi-private bathroom shared with one other student, community spaces including: a living room, dining room, full residential kitchen, study room, free on-floor laundry, and around-the-clock access to basement game rooms.

*Scholarships are available based on need, please reach out to Deacon Coco, community director, upon application

How does the price at the Upper Room compare to University housing and off campus apartments? At the Upper Room we carefully crafted our price for living, keeping students from all backgrounds in mind. The Upper Room comes in at a price lower than all University housing and is comparable to off-campus apartments.

What factors went into deciding pricing at the Upper Room? First and foremost, students. The Upper Room was created for students with input from students looking for a Christian community focused on discernment. It only made sense that we remained inclusive to all students when it came to pricing. With that being said, we also had to think of all the things the Upper Room offers that other places perhaps do not. This includes programmatic faith formation practices & guidance including; access to resources: books and other resources for spiritual guidance activities; speakers; a weekly community meal; and an entire community founded on reconciliation and restorative justice.

Covenants are guidelines set by both the Upper Room committee members and the Upper Room learning community members. They are our own version of University Housing policies. There are a total of three types of covenants. The first are Restrictive Covenants. These include guidelines such as the alcohol policy. The second are Covenants of Presence. These guidelines are open for change by learning community members but include statements on restorative justice, communication, and relationships between peoples. Lastly, the Upper Room has Covenants of Aspiration. During the mandatory Community Formation Retreat, members will have the chance to come up with their own Covenant of Aspiration to be followed during their iteration of the community.

So what comes with living in the Upper Room? Amenities include: one free weekly meal, free access to a washer & dryer, free access to a full kitchen, shared living room for all members, security measures, and a 10:1 ratio of members to Resident Advisor (RA) the Upper Room also offers around-the-clock access to the basement of The Lutheran Center that includes a television and game room. Living in the Upper Room does not include such things as parking or a private bathroom.

Are there requirements to live here? You must be a full time undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Do I have to be Lutheran to live here? Heck no. The Lutheran Center and the Upper Room are welcoming to all folks regardless of the faith they subscribe to or the beliefs they hold.