Dear Students, 

Happy New Year and we hope your semester is off to a strong start!

It is that time of the academic year to begin/prepare for our annual room selection process where you will select your University housing assignment for the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year.

As incoming first-year students, you were the second class ever to be able to select your own room, a strategic change that was implemented based on student feedback/input and one that is aligned with national best practices in our campus housing/residential life profession.  Data from our students has shown that this change increased student satisfaction with their room assignments and significantly decreased room change requests.  As we prepare to roll out the housing process for your sophomore year, also known as returner room selection, we are excited to share that we are continuing to enhance our processes to serve our residential students better. For many years, our returner room selection process has remained essentially unchanged and has been a lengthy, slow process. This year, we are embracing a transformative change rooted in a commitment to providing more student agency, which will help you shape your own experiences, and to our aspirational department vision, which places our residential students a top priority. As you embark on your room selection journey, our department has overhauled this process so that room selection will occur over weeks instead of months. By April 4, you will have selected your room for Fall 2025.

This change is more than procedural—it reflects our long-term vision for a modernized, inclusive and efficient housing experience that prioritizes the needs of our residential students. By streamlining processes like room selection timelines and integrating enhanced flexibility, we aim to create an environment that aligns with national standards and fosters stronger communities and overall satisfaction on campus. Our approach not only supports the academic and social success of our students, but also ensures that our systems evolve with your needs in mind. Read on for key information and dates for this year’s room selection process.

The 2025-2026 Housing & Meal Plan Contract will open on February 10. We will email you when it opens!

The process will look very similar to last summer’s with one difference: Returning students do not need to rank Learning Community preferences. We know that you are familiar with our campus and communities, so simply select your room during room selection and you will be assigned to that building’s respective LC. If you would like to review where our Learning Communities are across campuses, click here and they are located at the bottom of the page. Read on for more details on the process, rates, and deadlines.

RETURNER HOUSING CONTRACT 
 

The Returner Housing Contract will open on Monday, February 10, 2025and the deadline to complete is Sunday, March 9, 2025. This contract is only available to students with a housing requirement for Fall 2025.  If you are receiving this email, this is your confirmation that you have a housing requirement and are required to live on campus for the 2025-2026 academic year. Visit this page for more information and a step-by-step walkthrough.

Key Dates

Contract open date in the housing portal: February 10

Contract close date: March 9

Deadline for Student Accessibility Accommodations (for best consideration): February 21

Room Selection Dates:

• March 20–21: Patrick Leahy Honors College Residence Halls Housing Selection (Triple, Pair, Individual) *We will be sharing more information about PLHC Room Selection prior to the contract open date.
• March 24-28: Pair/Triple/Quad Room Selection
• March 31-April 4: Individual Room Selection 

Please note:

• You can edit your contract as many times as you want until the deadline, but please note that if you edit your contract, you will need to submit it again.
• You can review each of the four meal plan options and select one in the contract.
• Be sure to sign and submit when you have completed the contract or go back in to make changes.

Creating a roommate group:

• If you know other students you want to live with, one person can create a roommate group on the roommate group page in the contract. Request your preferred roommates to join the group by submitting their NetIDs. Once they have accepted the request (prior to the contract close deadline), you will be in a confirmed roommate group and go through room selection as group.
• Individual students will pick an individual bed in any available space regardless of room type. Paired students will pick a pair of available beds in an available double OR triple room. Selecting as an individual does not mean you will necessarily end up in a single room, and selecting as a pair does not guarantee placement in a double room.
• You will receive an email notification before your room selection window opens.
• For more information about the room selection process, visit this page.

Suites

It is important to know that suites are very limited on campus. Only 10% of sophomore students will live in a suite. If you are planning to choose a suite during room selection, you will be able to assign yourself or your roommate group to one room only within the suite. Other students choosing rooms will be able to assign themselves to the other rooms within the suite. Since our system does not allow for groups of more than 3 students to be formed, if you and a group of students would like to live in the same suite, the best way to attempt this is by being in communication during room selection and trying to choose rooms within the same suite. Please note that Living and Learning does not have triple rooms so roommate groups of three will not be able to assign themselves there.

Room Types and Costs

Room Rates and Room Types can be found on this page under the “Room Rates” accordion.

 

Wishing you continued success in the semester. 

 

Sincerely, 

Charles Holmes-Hope

Director for the Department of Residential Life

Devon Smith
Associate Director of Housing Operations