First-Year Student Housing Application
First-Year Student Housing Application
The first-year housing application is for incoming freshmen and freshmen transfers entering in the fall semester and can be accessed in the My Housing Portal. It opens in mid-March and 48 hours after you submit your admissions deposit and set up your UD email, UDelNetID and password.
Housing is not first-come, first-served, but there is a priority deadline. There is no fee to apply.
2025–2026 First-Year
Application Opens
Mid-March, 2025
2025–2026 First-Year
Application Priority Deadline
May 15, 2025 5 p.m.
On-Campus Living Requirements
All newly admitted first-year students are required to live on campus and are guaranteed housing the academic year of admittance. They should complete the housing application in the My Housing Portal after making their admissions deposit. Newly admitted students in the World Scholar program will wait and apply for spring semester housing when they prepare to return to campus.
Failure to complete either a housing application or exemption request may result in either being assigned and charged for housing or not being guaranteed and being placed on a waitlist.
Students admitted as a freshman transfer (transfer student admitted with 18 or fewer credits from another institution within one year of high school graduation) are not required to live on campus for the term of admittance, but will be guaranteed housing if they complete a first-year application.
Exemption Requests
First-year students can request an exemption to live off campus if they meet one of these criteria:
- Living with a parent or legal guardian within 30 miles from campus
- Married
- Have a child
- At least 21 years of age by the first day of classes
The full exemption policy and required forms can be found in the First-Year Exemption Request process in the My Housing Portal. To request exemption, submit the form by the priority deadline instead of a housing application.
First-year students will be placed in traditional or suite-style housing, primarily in rooms that house two or three students, with limited single rooms available. First-year students may be placed anywhere across campus in a variety of buildings, and may not choose where they are housed.
Some buildings have air conditioning while others do not, and some have elevators while others have only stairs. Room rates depend on room type.
About half of incoming first-year students choose to let our system's algorithm assign their roommate(s) based on the compatibility of their lifestyle answers in the housing application. It can be an excellent opportunity to meet a new friend group, and we typically do not see increased roommate conflicts between these roommates compared to those who request each other.
To request a specific roommate, you can create or join a roommate group of 2–3 students of the same gender using the Roommate Manager in the My Housing Portal by May 18 (new requests or changes cannot be made after this deadline).
If you are required to or applied to live in an LLC, you may only be able to select other students who are also in that community.
We do our best to accommodate roommate requests, but they are not guaranteed. Group size does not guarantee a specific type of room (i.e., a group of two could still be assigned to a triple room with a third student).
New Student Checklist
This checklist is a helpful guide that lists some key actions to complete after submitting your admissions deposit and during and after New Student Orientation (NSO).
Get your ONEcard
Your ONEcard is your official university ID used to access services and facilities such as your residence hall, parking, fitness centers, student activities, Student Health Services, athletic facilities and events, laundry and dining meals and points. Cashless spending using your Flex account on your ONEcard is also available at many locations on campus.
You'll receive an email with instructions to upload your photo online so you can pick up your student ID card when you attend NSO in person. Submit your photo at least five days prior to your NSO date to ensure your card is ready.
Housing Application Steps
The housing application has three sections. Completing the basic application in the Apply for Housing section of the My Housing Portal is required of all applicants.
The Roommate Manager and Housing Communities sections are optional if you'd like to request a roommate or apply to live in a Living Learning Community (LLC). Students required to live in an LLC, based on academic program, cannot apply for a different community and roommate requests may be restricted for certain communities.
Housing assignments will be sent to UD email addresses later in the summer. We appreciate your patience as we assign the thousands of Blue Hens to our residence halls!
Basic Application
(Required of All Applicants)
- Review application instructions.
- Electronically sign the housing contract (if under 18, parent/legal guardian must sign).
- Agree to the cancellation fee policy.
- Your application is valid! Receive confirmation email.
- Confirm demographic information.
- Provide optional identity details.
- Get instructions to submit housing accommodations, if needed.
- Answer lifestyle questions.
- Complete the room type interest poll.
- Indicate your intention if you plan to submit a supplemental community application.
- Submit the basic application and learn about next steps.
Optional Sections
After submitting the basic application, students gain access to these optional processes.
Housing Communities Section
- Read about the first-year communities being offered for next year.
- Select the community you want to join.
- Complete required essay questions.
- Receive email confirming submission.
Roommate Manager Section
- Review instructions to either create a new roommate group, join an existing group with specific students, search for potential roommates or view suggested roommates.
- Accept or decline pending invitations to join a group.
- Receive emails confirming new group members or other changes to the group.
- Verify your group.