University of Connecticut students on the housing waitlist were faced with difficult decisions regarding their housing going into the 2024-2025 academic year.
UConn experienced a record number of applicants this year, according to UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz. Of those students who were offered admission, there was a record number of students who were accepted and enrolled in the fall. This ultimately led to an overflow of need for housing.
UConn Today reported that the Storrs campus received almost 58,000 applications and welcomed a freshman class of around 4,500 students.
This overflow led to some students having to make difficult decisions regarding their housing process as they were put on the waitlist. Waitlisted students included all students who had turned in their housing application late, along with some who had turned in their application on time.
Reitz explained that “all students who accepted enrollment and met the deadline to apply for on-campus housing at Storrs were accommodated with a room assignment over the summer, regardless of whether they were from Connecticut or out of state.”
According to the UConn Residential Life website, “Storrs students who apply after February 10 will be placed on a waiting list.”
However, being on the waitlist does not guarantee that students will receive on campus housing. According to the 2023-2024 ResLife housing contract, any students who have “missed any Residential Life or Campus Change approval deadlines” will not be guaranteed housing.
When put on the waitlist, students were given the option to wait and see if they will be offered housing late in the summer or to seek off-campus housing and commute to their classes.
Nandita Patel, a third-semester psychology student who had applied for housing on the Stamford campus, turned in her applications past the deadline. She opted to wait out the summer and see if she received housing.
On April 12, 2023, in a response to an email she sent advocating for her housing, ResLife stated that they did not have enough information at the time to share with her any details about the waitlist or if they would be able to offer her housing. The email stated that ResLife would be monitoring housing availability throughout the summer to anticipate when they could start offering housing to those on the waitlist.
Patel then received an email later in the summer stating that although she had indicated a need for housing, ResLife would not be able to offer her housing as they were “overextended” by 50 beds, which included first-year students who are required to live on campus. The email went on to explain that if she had a “dire” need for housing with no alternatives, she could choose to stay on the waitlist with no guarantee of an offer.
Patel opted to stay on the waitlist, but she is not confident she will be offered any.
Currently, Patel is commuting an hour every day to the Stamford campus from East Haven. However, she will occasionally stay with friends who live on the Stamford campus.
Stamford’s student housing wait list was steadily reduced in the time leading up to the start of the semester.
University spokesperson Stephanie Reitz
According to Reitz, “Stamford’s student housing wait list was steadily reduced in the time leading up to the start of the semester.”
Patel said she feels lucky to have somewhere to stay occasionally.
“It’s not great, but it is what it is. I’m lucky enough to know people who I trust and are comfortable letting me stay with them at campus since I have a long evening class and early morning class the next day,” Patel said in a written statement.
She stated that she understands why she is in this position, as she turned in her application late however, she finds it frustrating with how UConn runs the waitlist process.
“I don’t love that they’re over admitting and focusing on freshman and newer students, but I understand, and it is what it is,” she said. “I believe there could be more communication going on or at least some more rationale behind their choices.”
When ResLife first started reducing the wait list, attention was focused on international and out-of-state students because “their distance made it considerably more challenging to secure local housing,” according to Reitz. Eventually, students were “offered beds regardless of their residency. About half of the students accepted the offers, while others either declined, made other arrangements, or did not respond.”
Zoe Ender, a first-semester digital media and design student, was also forced to make a decision when it came to her housing.
Ender had applied for housing before the deadline, but was put on the waitlist anyway. She opted out of the waitlist, as she lives close to campus and figured it would be easier to commute to campus. However, Ender said in a written statement that it has not been.
“It has been such a hassle, the parking passes were awful to try and get. I ended up buying the cheapest ones at around $350,” she said. “The buses are such a problem lately. My commute is around 20 minutes one way, but it ends up being more than an hour trying to get to class when you factor in parking and the buses.”
In the past, there have been student complaints regarding the bus system. However, according to prior reporting by The Daily Campus, UConn Transportation Services plans on hiring additional drivers to alleviate problems of shuttle drivers having to switch routes due to a shortage of drivers.
Lyaen Lewis, a first-semester computer science and engineering student, was put on the waitlist in July after experiencing technical difficulties when submitting her application.
“The technical difficulties I faced was the page kept giving a white screen when I attempted to submit and refresh,” said Lewis in a written statement. “I assumed it went through because I filled it out.”
ResLife informed her that there was nothing they could do due to the student overflow. Lewis said that she decided to wait for a housing offer.
The communication with the housing department over the summer was almost nonexistent. I sent multiple emails to UConn ResLife, which were never replied to. I kind of felt really ignored.
Lyaen Lewis, first-semester computer science and engineering major
“The communication with the housing department over the summer was almost nonexistent. I sent multiple emails to UConn ResLife, which were never replied to. I kind of felt really ignored,” Lewis said.
Lewis ended up commuting two hours from her home to Storrs for the first week of school, but was eventually offered housing after much persistence.
“I found out I was going to get housing a week into school after I went to them in person every day, and they finally offered me a room,” she said.
The waitlist is constantly changing, according to Reitz.
Going into the semester, the waiting list numbers included 25 first-year students, 32 transfer students from other colleges and 17 who transferred from UConn regional campuses to Storrs.
For students who were left frustrated by the housing shortage, Reitz stated that “UConn worked diligently to have beds available for as many students as possible by the start of the semester, and continued to reduce the waiting list daily.”
“This period of their college experience, while not ideal, will be a short time of inconvenience in what will otherwise be a memorable four years of growing academically, making lifelong friends, and preparing for fulfilling careers after graduation,” said Reitz.