Single freshman are required to live in University housing, or at home with a parent or guardian. Requests for exceptions to this policy must be submitted in writing to Housing Assignment Services. Matriculated students are guaranteed housing each year they remain at UD, as long as they apply by the published deadlines. Each semester a student lives on campus increases his or her priority in the application process. Housing assignments are made without regard to race, creed, sexual orientation, religion, or national origin.
The policies designed by Housing Assignment Services and Residence Life are designed to create inclusive communities in the residence halls, where students will discover opportunities to learn about themselves, about others, about what it means to be a good neighbor, and more.
Assignment Procedure
Incoming freshman can access their housing assignment and roomate information online during the first week of August, along with the name, home address and telephone number of their roommate(s).
Housing assignments are made according to the Housing Information that students submit. Freshman are housed with or near other freshman whenever possible. Incoming freshman whose applications and deposits are submitted by May 1 are guaranteed on-campus housing. Freshman who apply for housing after May 1 are normally guaranteed as space permits. Housing Assignment Services cannot guarantee a specific space or room type.
ยป View the freshman housing areas
Honors Housing
First-Year Honors Program Students receive automatic assignments to East Campus. Some students who are not in the Honors Program are also assigned to East Campus. Freshman Honors Housing offers a supportive community and a wide variety of extracurricular programs planned by Residence Life staff. Russell Fellows are upperclass Honors students who live with Honors freshman in the residence halls and serve as guides, mentors, and sounding boards for new students.
Special Needs Housing (Dietary, Medical, and Physical Needs)
Deadline for Special Needs Housing requests is May 31, 2012.
There are a variety of housing options to accommodate students' needs. To accurately and equitably evaluate requests for housing based upon medical, psychological, or physical needs, we will need documentation of your need, consisting of an evaluation by an appropriate professional that relates the current impact of your condition to your housing request. If you need to be assigned to a single or an air-conditioned building, you will need to submit the Special Needs Form. New students must submit this information by May 31. Documentation received after the deadline may result in an assignment that does not match your needs. For more information, please click here, or contact Housing Assignment Services at (302) 831-3676.
Special Requests for Substance Free or Female Only Housing
Students who request a co-ed-by-floor, all-female, or substance-free residence hall must contact Housing Assignment Services in writing by May 31. Incoming freshman who are approved to live in co-ed-by-floor or break housing are usually assigned with other freshman students. Incoming freshman students who are approved to live in an all-female (Warner Hall) or substance-free (Squire Hall) are normally assigned upperclass students. All requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Honors students are required to live in Honors Housing.
Break Housing
Students may request to remain on campus during academic-year break periods for a nominal fee. All residence halls, except those designated as break housing, are closed during the academic year recess periods (Thanksgiving, Winter Break, Spring Break). Students must contact Housing Assignment Services in writing to request break housing by May 31. All residents must follow the posted registration procedures and will be charged the published rate for the entire recess period. The dining halls are closed during break and recess periods. Break housing residence halls will be listed during the summer.
Tobacco Use
Smoking within the residence hall is not permitted. In addition to University policy, Delaware State Law prohibits smoking in public buildings. Actions such as covering smoke detectors are considered serious violations. Your neighbors will quickly notice the smell if you smoke in the residence halls. Complex Community Councils also set guidelines for smoking near the exterior of the building; remember that you are responsible for following rules as established by your peers and community. If you would like to change the guidelines for smoking near the building, please become active with your Complex Community Council (for more information contact Residence Life).
Smoking Objection
If you are a non-smoker, you may notice the smell of smoke on your roommate's clothes. If you are allergic to smoke or are very sensitive to the smell of smoke, you should note this on the Housing Application. Please understand that indicating that you are a non-smoker will not result in any special accommodation (e.g. an assignment in an air-conditioned hall). If you are requesting accommodation due to Special Needs, please review our policy.
Extended Housing (Triples)
When demand for on-campus housing exceeds the supply of available rooms and apartments, new students are assigned to expanded-capacity rooms (usually double rooms furnished for three students) for the fall semester. Freshman housing assignments are made randomly -- a computer program assigns students to permanent or extended housing spaces.
Students in extended housing will be assigned to permanent spaces as cancellations occur. All students in triples are usually reassigned to permanent spaces by the beginning of the spring semester. Students assigned to an extended housing space will receive detailed information in August, and they will receive a rebate for each week they remain in extended housing.
For further information about extended housing, please visit the Extended Housing webpage or view extended housing resources.
Applying for On-Campus Housing
You may submit your application for on-campus housing, pay your housing deposit, and submit your housing and dining information directly through the My Blue Hen Home website. You can change your housing information as many times as you wish until May 31. If you are currently under 18 years of age, your parent or legal guardian must print the consent form and mail it to Housing Assignment Services at 5 Courtney Street, Newark, DE 19716. We cannot process your on-campus housing request for the fall semester without approval.
If you do not have access to a computer, or if you are uncomfortable submitting your on-campus housing application and preference form online, please contact Housing Assignment Services at (302) 831-3676, or e-mail your request to UD-Housing@udel.edu. Please note that if you submit a written form, it will be more difficult to make changes to your housing preferences at a later date.
Housing Deposit
You may elect to pay your $200 housing deposit with a credit card or electronic check. Once you have authorized payment and submitted your Academic-Year Housing and Dining Agreements, you will be asked to submit your room and roommate characteristics information.
Roommates
The University of Delaware allows students to select a roommate. May 1 is the deadline for students to inform the University that they are attending, therefore a listing of available roommates will not be accessible until after that date. Be sure to log onto My Blue Hen Home between May 7 and May 31 if you wish to choose a roommate.
Hall Type
With the exception of Rodney Complex, which is coed by floor, all freshmen residence halls are co-ed by room or suite. Honors residence halls may accommodate female-only floors. Please indicate your preference, but be aware that hall type is not guaranteed.
- Coed-by-room/suite
- Coed-by-floor
- Coed-by-wing/cluster (upperclass only)
- Women Only Hall Special Request
Room Type
Freshmen are assigned a double room in most areas on campus. However, if no spaces in double rooms are available, students may be assigned to a single room.
Room Preferences
Please note that room types are not guaranteed. Some buildings have more singles than doubles and some buildings have very limited singles.
Roommate Characteristics
Having a roommate is a wonderful opportunity to learn from someone with a different background than your own and helps you develop negotiation and communication skills. Many students will have the chance to live with someone from a different country and will have the opportunity to deepen their global competencies while developing a friendship that spans continents.
You will also be asked to complete a Roommate Characteristics questionnaire. Your answers tell us about you in greater detail so that we can try to match you with a compatible roommate. It is important that you respond honestly. For instance, although all residence halls are designated as smoke-free, it is important for us to know your smoking preference. If you indicate that you smoke and are assigned to a double room, you will most likely be assigned to a roommate who smokes.
Please complete the Roommate Characteristics questionnaire even if you choose to select your own roommate. Most roommate requests can be accommodated, however in the event that we cannot accommodate your request, it is important that Housing Assignment Services is able to match you with a compatible roommate.
Housing Rates
All incoming freshman students pay the same rate for on-campus housing regardless of the location or type of room as long as they are assigned to a designated freshman residence hall. Incoming freshman students who choose to move to a building designated as an upperclass building during the academic year will be responsible for the published housing rate for that type of room from the effective date of the move. Students wishing to check in early will be charged a $50 per day early check-in fee.
Cancellations
If you later wish to cancel your Housing Application, you must send a letter of cancellation to Housing Assignment Services at 5 Courtney Street, Newark, DE 19716, or by e-mail to UD-Housing@udel.edu. The letter or email must be either postmarked or timestamped by May 31 for a $100 refund. Students are obligated to the Academic-Year Student Housing Agreement beginning June 1, 2012. Students attending the University of Delaware may request release from the Agreement and decisions will be made based on the documentation submitted. Students who decide not to attend the University of Delaware or students who are released from the Housing Agreement will forfeit the $200 deposit.
All Dining cancellation requests must be submitted in writing by mail to Dining Services, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, or by e-mail to UD-Housing@udel.edu. A complete explanation of the Cancellation Policy is available in the Dining Services Agreement. If you have questions regarding canceling your dining plan, please contact the UD1 Flex/Dining Office at (302) 831-4033.
Dining at the University of Delaware
A dining plan is mandatory for all students living on campus with the exception of those living in the Christiana Towers Apartments. See Dining Plans for details.
Student Housing and Dining Agreements
The Student Housing and Dining Agreements are available online through the Student Guide to University Policies website. Please read the Agreements carefully before submitting your application. There are limited reasons for release from these Agreements. For those students who submit their application after June 1, the Agreements are binding immediately. Students who submit Housing and Dining Agreements are financially responsible for the cost of their residence hall space and their dining plan for the entire academic year. You will not be released from your Student Housing Agreement because you fail to sign in or occupy a space for fall or spring semester.
If you wish to obtain a written copy of the full Housing Agreement, please contact Housing Assignment Services. For a written copy of the Dining Services Agreement, please contact Dining Services at (302) 831-6761.
Winter Session Housing
Students enrolled in Winter Session will be charged for both housing and dining for that term. Rates are announced in the late spring.
