The University of Connecticut Department of Residential Life announced that rising sophomores are now guaranteed on-campus housing for the 2026-2027 year in an email to students on Oct. 16.
The email stated that any rising sophomores on the Storrs campus are guaranteed housing if they apply by the deadline and “meet all eligibility criteria.” Incoming freshmen are also guaranteed on-campus housing.
Eligibility for housing information can be found on the current resident’s page on the campus housing website.
However, this change does not apply to rising sophomore commuter students who live at home or off campus. According to the campus housing website, commuter students are placed automatically on the waitlist.
Rising sophomores who live at UConn regional campuses and are applying for Storrs housing are guaranteed housing through the campus change process.
Juniors and seniors are still eligible to apply, but there is no guarantee that they will receive on-campus housing. This is a change from last year.
Rising sophomores “prioritized” in 2025-2026 housing process
In December 2024, Residential Life announced that sophomores, juniors and seniors were no longer guaranteed housing for the 2025-2026 academic year. The change was made to help alleviate the housing crisis UConn has faced over the past few years in which the university had an overflow of students applying for housing. Those not given housing were put on the waitlist and had the option to go seek off campus housing or wait out the summer to see if they would be given on campus housing.
Previously to this change, students had been guaranteed eight semesters of housing.
The change sparked controversy, and The Daily Campus reported that as of April 2025, 1,270 students were on the waitlist.
However, according to university spokesperson Stephanie Reitz, the change proved successful as last year all rising first year and sophomore students who applied on time were given housing. There were also many upperclassmen who met the deadline who received housing and all students who stayed on the waitlist were given housing offers.
She said that last year, even though sophomores were not officially guaranteed housing, they were considered “prioritized” by Residential Life and were most likely to be given housing.
“Last year, we described the first-year student cohort as guaranteed for housing, and the sophomores as ‘prioritized,’ since we couldn’t yet predict the number of applications we would receive.” said Reitz. “Internally, however, we planned to ensure that sophomores who applied on time would be guaranteed offers, if possible, as well as first-year students.”
There was no mention of sophomores being in a prioritized cohort in emails from Residential Life or the 2025-2026 housing contract.
Reitz stated that the success from the change prompted Residential Life to officially give rising sophomores an on-campus housing guarantee.
2026-2027 housing selection process
The 2026-2027 housing application opens on Jan. 1, 2026, and ends Feb. 13. As with last year, those who apply for housing earlier in the selection process are more likely to receive a housing offer than those who apply later in the period.
For juniors and seniors, eligibility to live on campus will be based on “multiple factors including space availability, primary campus designation, academic standing, and academic status,” as it was last year. Upperclassman named not eligible to get on-campus housing will be placed on the waitlist.
According to the housing website, students who are placed on the waitlist will receive updates on their eligibility from March until August. Those who apply after the deadline are still likely to be given a housing offer if they wait to receive housing leading up to the beginning of the school year. However, late applicants are less likely to be eligible to request roommates or participate in the April selection process.