Application Guide

The following students should complete the Spring Semester housing application:

• Newly admitted first-year, freshman transfer and transfer students joining the Newark campus for the first time this Spring who plan to live on campus
• World Scholar first-year students admitted in Fall 2025 who are currently abroad and will be returning to campus in the Spring

• Current undergraduate students NOT already living on campus who wish to move on campus for the Spring

• Associate in Arts students transitioning to the Newark campus for the first time this Spring who want to live on campus

Students who already have active, guaranteed housing contracts for the academic year and have been living on campus for fall automatically have spring housing and do not need to apply.

All newly admitted spring first-year students and class of 2029 World Scholars returning from study abroad are required to live on campus in the spring and should complete the Spring Semester housing application in the My Housing portal. 

Students required to live on campus can request an exemption to live off-campus if they meet certain criteria to include: living with a parent or legal guardian within 30 miles from campus, are married, have a child or are 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 housing portal. If you would like to request a housing exemption, be sure to complete the First-Year Exemption Request form in the My Housing portal by January 9, 2026 instead of a housing application.

Failure for these students to complete either a housing application or an exemption request may result in either still being assigned and charged for housing or alternatively not being guaranteed or assigned a space on campus.

Spring housing is guaranteed through the spring application for those students required to live on campus (spring admit first year and class of 2029 World Scholar students returning from study abroad) and for transfer students admitted as a freshman (FT) who choose to apply. These students become bound to the contract three business days after completing a valid application.

Freshman transfer students are typically identified by the Office of Admissions as incoming transfers being admitted with 18 or fewer credits from another postsecondary institution and have graduated from high school within the last year. 

For all other students, including transfer students not admitted as a freshman, housing is not guaranteed and will be offered to applicants via email pending space availability. These students become bound to the contract five business days after being notified of a housing guarantee. We are typically able to offer housing to most students who apply, but we highly recommend applying by the priority deadline for the best consideration.

The Spring Semester housing application will open in the Apply for Housing section of the My Housing portal during the first week of November with a deadline of December 11, 2025 at 5 p.m. for priority consideration. The application will remain open through the start of the spring semester space permitting, but applications submitted after the priority deadline may result in delayed processing and communication from our office. For newly admitted students, the application should become available in the portal shortly after making the admissions deposit.

Vacancies are limited for spring semester housing. Students will have the option to indicate room type interests, living learning community interests and request a specific roommate within the application, but these interests are not guaranteed. Completely open rooms for roommates in the spring are limited, but we will accommodate as many requests as we can space permitting.

First-year students are housed in traditional or suite-style buildings while upper division students are housed in traditional, suite and apartment-style buildings. Traditional halls have rooms along the corridor with communal bathrooms and are mainly located on East and Central campus. Suite-style halls typically feature two bedrooms connected by a bathroom and are mainly located on Laird (North) campus. Traditional and suite-style halls feature primarily double and triple occupancy rooms with limited single room inventory. Apartments typically feature single bedrooms with either private or shared bathrooms. We expect to have very limited availability in single rooms and apartments for new spring residents.

Our buildings are primarily co-ed by room, meaning that while students of the same gender share a room/suite, the floors are mixed gender. Students can indicate interest in a room type in their application, but we cannot guarantee assignment to any specific type of space. Room rates will vary depending on room type.

You can learn more about our buildings on the Explore Our Halls page.

Students with a medical, psychological or physical condition that substantially limits one or more major life activities and may impact their housing can request reasonable housing accommodations by submitting documentation directly to the Office of Disability Support Services (DSS) no later than December 11, 2025 in addition to completing a housing application. Documentation consists of an evaluation by an appropriate professional that explains the condition and how specific housing accommodations would mitigate its impact on the student.  Accommodations can include a need for items such as air conditioning, elevator access, bathroom modifications, or a single room based on the documentation submitted. This is important information to know as not all buildings have these items. This is not a process to circumnavigate the assignment process and should only be used by students who have a documented need. Questions about this process should be directed to the DSS office. 

 Students with specific dietary restrictions, allergies or intolerances should contact the university Dietitian at Dining Services to discuss what dining accommodations can be made during their time at UD. Dining Services works very hard to accommodate students in the dining halls, and a housing accommodation is often not necessary, but any documentation for consideration should be submitted to the Dietitian for review by December 11, 2025.

Submitting documentation does not automatically qualify a student for housing accommodations. Staff from Disability Support Services and Dining Services will review documentation submitted and make a recommendation to Residence Life & Housing if necessary. Residence Life & Housing will make every effort to honor the recommendations made for requests submitted on time. Requests received late may result in an assignment that does not meet the recommended accommodations, and our ability to provide an accommodation after the deadline will be extremely limited. Roommates are not considered a reasonable accommodation.

Students who apply by the priority deadline and get guaranteed spring housing will be assigned by our staff and provided assignment information via UD email in late January about one week prior to move in. Assignments are finalized this late so that we can work with as many available spaces as possible to meet specific student requests. Keep in mind that location, room type and roommate requests are not guaranteed, and placement will depend on available space.

Students who apply for spring housing can cancel their application within the Application Status section of the My Housing Portal before becoming bound to the contract and will only be charged a $200 cancellation fee. After becoming bound to the contract, students can complete a Request for Release from the contract. Release is not guaranteed and may come with additional financial penalties if approved. Students required to live on campus will receive follow up from our office in the event of a cancellation request.