Returning Students

No, on-campus housing is not guaranteed for students after the first academic year/semester of initial admission to the university. Returning students must complete an application in the My Housing portal during the application timeframe to be considered for a space on campus, and there is no fee to apply. Applicants will be notified via email whether or not we can guarantee them a space on campus.

Associate in Arts students transitioning to the Newark campus also follow the returning student application processes and timelines as it relates to their intended transition term.

For returning students not already living on campus who want to move on campus in the spring semester, the spring housing application opens in early November with a priority deadline in mid-December. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, space permitting.

For returning students wanting to live on campus next year (2024-2025), the application is expected to open in the first week of the Spring 2024 semester and close at 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 29, 2024. All applications will be reviewed after the deadline. We highly recommend that students interested in living on campus apply by the February deadline as there may not be another opportunity to apply. Our ability to open a late, non-guaranteed application in the summer for students who miss the original deadline will depend on space availability. 

Guarantee of housing is dependent upon how many students apply for housing.  Priority for being guaranteed a space on campus for next year will generally be based on the term when a student was admitted to UD regardless of credits completed. Rising sophomores (any first year student admitted during the 2023-2024 academic year) will receive highest priority, followed next by students admitted during 2022-2023 and so forth. If the number of rising sophomores who apply outnumbers the available spaces, not all rising sophomores will be guaranteed and no other groups will be guaranteed. Priority to be guaranteed housing within each class grouping will be determined at random. Priority will be averaged for roommate groups with mixed admit terms. Note that priority process to be guaranteed differs from room selection priority which is explained below.

Students who are not initially guaranteed housing may have the opportunity to be placed on a waitlist for housing in case space becomes available during the summer.

Yes, students who apply during the application period can request roommates. For the academic year process, students can form roommate groups of 2-4 students of the same gender from within the applicant pool. The full group will either be guaranteed housing or not guaranteed housing based on their averaged priority. While most students in roommate groups are able to be assigned together, forming a roommate group does not guarantee assignment together, which will depend on space availability.

Traditional, suite, and apartment-style housing are available, with each type representing about one third of our inventory for returning students. Room types include limited single occupancy, some triple occupancy and the majority of students living in double occupancy. Where a student ends up will depend on what housing options are available at the time that they select their space or are assigned to a space. Explore Our Halls online to learn more about our buildings and amenities. We also offer specific in-hall communities for returning students - details about next year's communities will become available one the application opens.

When you apply for housing, you are applying for a space on campus in general.  Students cannot apply to live in a specific location or room type, and we can't guarantee placement in a specific location.  We recommend that students who only want to live in an apartment look at off-campus housing since only about 30% of returning students will live in apartments on campus.

Most, but not all, returning students who get guaranteed housing for next year will self-select their housing assignment in the spring during an online room selection process. Priority for room selection/assignment will be determined by term admitted to UD and roommate group size. Students admitted earliest (typically rising seniors) will be given priority to select first with students admitted in 2023-2024 selecting last. Priority will be averaged for groups with mixed admit terms. Within each admit term grouping, roommate groups of 4 will be given priority to select first followed by groups of 3, then 2, then individuals. 

Guaranteed students who do not get the opportunity to self-select their space will be manually assigned by our staff throughout the summer.