Returning Student Housing Application
Returning Student Housing Application
Rising sophomores, juniors, seniors, students enrolled in a 4+1 or 3+2 program and Associate in Arts students transitioning to Newark in the fall are eligible to apply for returning student housing.
Living on campus as a returning student is neither required nor guaranteed, but students must apply in the My Housing Portal to be considered for a space. 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 or Theme Housing Community. Roommate requests may be restricted for certain communities.
Students interested in moving off campus can find resources to assist with that search on the Moving Off Campus page.
2025–2026 Returning Student
Application Opens
Early February, 2025
2025–2026 Returning Student
Application Deadline
February 28, 5 p.m.
Priority Order for Housing Guarantee
Returning students are not automatically guaranteed on-campus housing; guarantees will depend on the number of applications received and our available spaces each year.
The priority order for getting guaranteed a space on campus as a returning student will generally be based on the term a student was admitted to UD, with with students admitted most recently receiving highest priority. That means rising sophomores will receive highest priority to be guaranteed housing, followed next by students admitted during the last academic year and so forth. Academic credits do not factor into housing guarantee.
All students with a valid application on file by the deadline will receive an email about one week after the application closes indicating whether they have been guaranteed housing.
Priority to be guaranteed housing differs from priority during the room assignment and selection process.
Traditional, suite- and apartment-style housing will all be available to returning students, each type making up about one third of our returning student inventory. Single rooms are limited. Final housing placements will depend on what kinds of spaces are available at the time that you select or are assigned to a space.
When you apply for housing, you are applying to live on campus in general. We do not guarantee a particular style of housing, specific room or roommate as part of being guaranteed housing on campus.
Apartments only make up about 30% of our housing inventory for returning students, so we cannot guarantee placement in an apartment. If you only want to live in an apartment, you should consider off-campus housing options.
Once a student’s basic application is complete, they may create verified roommate groups of 2–4 with other applicants in the Roommate Manager section of the My Housing Portal until the application deadline. While most students in roommate groups are able to be assigned together somewhere on campus, forming a roommate group does not guarantee assignment together nor in a specific room type, which will depend on space availability at the time of assignment.
Students applying to live in a Living Learning or Theme Housing Community may only create a group with other students who have also applied to that community. That means all group members must apply to the community separately, and groups may be separated who don’t meet this criteria as of the application deadline.
There is no upfront fee to complete a housing application, and you can cancel your application without fee before being guaranteed housing.
Once guaranteed and through 11:59 p.m. the night before your contract binding date, you can still cancel your application with a $200 cancellation fee.
Starting on your contract binding date, you become legally bound to the contract and can no longer cancel your application.
Students applying by the February deadline will have a binding date in late June, which will be communicated throughout the application process.
To cancel your application before becoming legally bound, log into the My Housing portal, go to the Application Status section, select Cancel Application/Request for Release from the menu dropdown and follow the steps for your application.
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). Roommate requests may be restricted for certain communities.
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 and emergency contact information.
- Provide optional identity details.
- Get instructions to submit housing accommodations, if needed.
- Answer lifestyle questions.
- Complete the room interest poll.
- 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 upper division communities being offered for next year.
- Indicate which type of community you want to apply to: Honors Housing (Honors Program students only), Living Learning Community (LLC) or Theme Housing Community.
- 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.