The University of Connecticut department of residential life announced last December that for the Fall 2025 housing selection process, sophomores, juniors and seniors are no longer guaranteed on-campus housing.
In an email sent to students, ResLife stated that all students may apply for on-campus housing. However, students are no longer guaranteed housing, as eligibility to live on-campus will be based on “multiple factors including space availability, primary campus designation, academic standing, and academic status,” according to the email.
ResLife also stated that if there is a high demand for housing this year, students who apply close to the housing application deadline may be put on the waiting list. They recommended that if students wish to live on campus in the fall, they should apply early in the application period. The application period lasts from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14. Students can apply on the MyHousing website under “Applications.”
University spokesperson Stephanie Reitz explained in a written statement that students will receive an email concerning whether they qualify for housing after their application is submitted. Students that qualify for housing selection will complete the housing selection process in April.
Students who are not given on-campus housing will be put on the waitlist along with students who do not meet the deadline for the housing application. These students will be offered housing as openings occur, according to ResLife.
This policy does not apply to incoming freshmen, as all first-year students are required to live on campus due to UConn’s residency requirements, according to Reitz. However, this requirement can be waived under certain circumstances.
Transfer, campus-change and exchange students
Students transferring from other colleges do not fall under this policy, as they are guaranteed housing as long as all application deadlines and guidelines are met, according to Reitz. Campus change students transferring from UConn’s regional campuses are also guaranteed housing.
Exchange and UConn American English Language Institute (UCAELI) students are also guaranteed housing, according to the ResLife website. Those who apply for housing before June 1 will select their own housing over the summer, and those who do not meet the deadline will be assigned housing by ResLife staff in August.
Students with disabilities
As for students with disabilities who are registered with the Center for Students with Disabilities, there is no indication if ResLife will take their disability into consideration when determining if they will qualify for housing. Reitz and the CSD declined to comment on if this will play a role in determining if students with disabilities will receive housing.
However, the 2024-2025 Housing Contract states that students who are registered with the CSD but are put on the waitlist will be considered differently.
The contract states that “students who are on the waiting list…but have approved accommodations through the Center for Students with Disabilities for on-campus housing will be considered first priority on the waiting list.”
The 2025-2026 Housing Contract Draft states the same, but as it is a draft, it is unclear if this policy will change or stay the same.
History of housing issues at UConn
Prior to this housing selection policy change, students were guaranteed eight semesters of housing.
However, UConn has faced issues with housing in past years with many students applying for on-campus housing and UConn not having enough beds to accommodate. During both the fall 2023 and 2024 housing selection processes, UConn found itself overextended by 50 beds, which included first-year students who were required to live on campus, according to past emails to students on the waitlist at the time.
Many students on the waitlist were left with the decision to either stay on the waitlist and hope they receive housing with no guarantee or look for off-campus housing options and commute.
Addressing the issue
Some have questioned why the university does not just accept fewer students to address this issue.
Reitz stated that over the past few years the number of students who have accepted the university’s offer of enrollment, also known as the “yield,” has been higher.
“Interest in enrolling at UConn continues to increase significantly, with record numbers of applications from aspiring first-year and transfer students,” said Reitz. “This reflects well on the quality of UConn’s educational offerings, campus life, and the return it offers on investment.”
However, Reitz stated that the trends of the yield can be hard to predict as “so many individual factors go into each student’s decisions, especially when comparing multiple acceptances.”
She also explained that having more students accept enrollment offers benefits the university financially as it “helps the University meet the state’s expectation that its flagship university will pull its weight financially and support Connecticut’s overall economic growth.”
She said she recognizes that this increase in enrollment has led to a need for more student services, including on-campus housing, and the university is continuing to create ways that “maximize availability without compromising quality.”
Waitlisted students
For those put on the waitlist, offers of on-campus housing will depend on availability and the demand for housing, according to Reitz. These offers will be emailed to students through the spring and summer months if availability opens up.
For the past two years, many of these offers have not been made until late July, according to emails from ResLife sent to students on the waitlist in the past. According to reporting by the Daily Campus, students on the waitlist have also been told in late summer that ResLife would not be able to give them housing due to there being too many people on the waitlist. However, ResLife stated that if the student had a “dire” need for housing then the student could stay on the waitlist, with the hope that spaces would open at the beginning of the school year.
Last year ResLife was able to give students on the waitlist housing as the fall semester began due to the “melt,” according to Reitz. This was because “other students’ plans changed and beds became available,” said Reitz.
Reitz is expecting this melt and reduction of students to happen again due to new off-campus options.
Reitz encourages those on the waitlist to reach out to the Office for Off-Campus and Commuter Student Resources at offcampus.uconn.edu.
Students with questions about these new policies can email livingoncampus@uconn.edu.