Housing & Residential Education Student Affairs

The first-year housing application must be submitted by May 5 at 11:59 PM (MST) to receive the first-year housing guarantee. This deadline is firm as we work to house students as soon as possible. Students who apply after this deadline will be considered as spaces become available.

The University of Utah system updates automatically every day. If you just paid your enrollment deposit, you need to allow the system 24-48 hours to recognize the operation. 

Yes! This year, the application process it is based on application completion date. The earlier you apply, the better! This is true for returning and new students. Reservation times and guaranteed housing offers will be determined based on application complete date.

Based on your feedback, we've made the following changes to our upper-division housing process:

1. Reservation times and guaranteed housing offers will be based on when a student applies, so apply early! Make sure to apply by May 5th to be guaranteed a housing offer.
2. You do not need to log-in ahead of time and accept your LLC offer. If you get an offer for an LLC, you will "accept" this offer by reserving a room during your reservation time in that community.
3. Students can view potential roommates by viewing roommate profiles in Housing U. They can reserve together based on availability during their reservation time. There is no longer a roommate group tool to use. Only 4.5% of students used this tool in the past and most found it confusing! For the best chance of rooming together, apply early!
4. All first-year students who apply by May 5th will receive an offer for a room no later than August 1st! We heard you loud and clear and will meet our housing guarantee earlier.

The best chance of living with a friend is to complete your application around the same time, so that when you receive your reservation time it should be proximal to one another. Once you enter the system, during room selection, look for the same community you wish to live in. 

It is important to note that once students reserve a room, they can swap rooms and switch rooms afterward. For example, if your reservation time is today, and your friend(s) get it tomorrow, you can enter again tomorrow and change your room for the same as your friend (if yours is full). 

PLEASE READ: Changing rooms in Living Learning Communities (LLC) are only available for students who get accepted by that same LLC.  

All first-year students who apply by May 5th are guaranteed to receive a room selection offer by August 1st. Students will view the available room types during their room selection window. Check your UMail account regularly to learn when your reservation selection window is. Please note our housing guarantee is not building or room type specific.

Honors students are not required to live on-campus, but they are able to apply to live in unique communities:

If you are a first-year honors student, you are required to live in an honors designated area if you choose to live on campus (either Kahlert Village Honors Tower or Sage Point Honors Floor). 

If you are an upper-division honors student, you can choose to live in any upper-division housing option. You are not required to live in honors housing. You can, however, indicate interest in the Marriott Honors Community or Officers Circle Honors Houses (upper-division honors housing) when you apply. 

As any other first year student, if you are a first year Honors student, you need to complete a housing application as soon as possible. Once you have applied and received your reservation time, you will see the Kahlert Village Honors Tower and the Sage Point Honors Floor as housing options. This is when you can choose your bed location.

If you wait too long to apply, when you receive your reservation time, bed spaces in your preferred community may no longer be available. As with traditional housing, Honors housing reservation times will be allocated based on application date/time.

IMPORTANT: The housing guaranteed offer is for all students who apply by May 5; however, LLC reservation times start in April. So, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO APPLY! 

LLCs have a shared academic or interest-based focus. Students with similar academic interests or goals live together in these communities, which are often centered around a particular major, field of study, or shared interest like leadership, service, or sustainability.  They have focused programming tailored to the community theme, allowing residents to explore their interests in depth.

These communities often provide unique learning experiences, such as specialized workshops, guest lectures, and group projects related to the community theme. These activities are designed to enhance students' academic and personal growth.  

On the other hand, traditional housing offers a diverse community with students from various backgrounds, majors, and interests. This diversity can lead to a rich cultural experience and exposure to different perspectives.  A general campus experience without a specific academic focus.  

In traditional housing communities, students can interact with a wide range of individuals, fostering a broader social network. They also have freedom and flexibility, with fewer specific requirements or activities than LLCs. This freedom allows students to explore their interests independently and create their own college experience.  

At the University of Utah, all traditional housing options are on the upper campus. For the 2025-2026 academic year, our first-year traditional housing options are: 

• Benchmark Plaza (buildings 821 and 822)
• Chapel Glen 
• Gateway Heights 
• Sage Point 

Students that apply by May 5th are guaranteed a bed but not all of them will receive a reservation time by May 9th. A group of these students will receive a reservation time to reserve during 5/12 to 5/23 window. The rest will be on the guaranteed list and we will send out room selection offers weekly until Aug 01.

Please try again later. What you see in the Housing U portal is what we have currently available. Be aware that we are in a dynamic environment and room changes are not guaranteed.

Returning students will receive an email on January 24th. First year students will receive an email on April 11th with LLC decisions.

Decide on which LLC you prefer and reserve a room during your reservation time. After an LLC is selected, you may change rooms within that LLC, but you will not be able to change to a different LLC afterward.

Failure to select a room during within 72 hours will result in the forfeiture of your housing offer.   

No. Once an offer is accepted, students have committed to that community and cannot change their housing to another LLC.

You can view photos and 3D floor plans on our website by selecting the community you’ll be living in. You can also check out our virtual tours on our YouTube or our Housing Tours webpage.

Students can view potential roommate profiles in Housing U via CIS.  Students can also use NearPeer or make friends and find prospective roommates through social media platforms. Please note that starting in 2025-2026 students will no longer need to create roommate groups. In the past only 4.5% of students utilized this tool and most found it confusing. Instead, students who wish to room together can reserve a room together based on availability during their reservation time. 

We encourage students to communicate with each other and book in the same room together. Students can book together based on availability.

We ask these questions to create a student profile that is visible to other students. This way, when students go to reserve a space, you may view the profile of other students that are already booked in that room and work to find a good match.

You can view your roommate(s) or suitemate(s) by logging back into the Housing U Portal in CIS. Click “Apply for Housing” and select the 2025-2026 academic year application. From here, you’ll be automatically directed to the “Application Review” section where you’ll be able to view your roommates’ names, answers to profile questions, and the ability to send them a message to their UMail.

If your roommate has a privacy setting on that does not allow you to view their information, please contact the HRE office for assistance in reaching out to them.

Each semester, room changes are not allowed for the term's first and last two weeks. This process accommodates late arrivals, cancellations after classes start, and enrollment verification. Be aware that room changes are not available during the summer. After meeting with your RD, the Room Change Request Form is available on the Housing U portal.

Room changes are prioritized when students feel unsafe in their current setting. Requests for preference changes are processed lower on the priority list, and the resident must meet with their Residential Director (RD) before submitting the room change form in Housing U portal.

We've renamed the meal plans to show you the amount of meals that you have access to per week! Additionally, we have eliminated our lowest usage plans, the block plans which were listed with one total amount to spend down per semester. The usability of the weekly plan means that a student can utilize 5, 10, 15, or 21 meal swipes per week and $200 in flex per semester! 

You can change your meal plan in the Housing U Portal in CIS by following these steps. The next period that you are able to change your meal plan is January 3 - January 10, 2025. Note that after this period, meal plans are unable to be changed or adjusted.

Yes! Enjoy having access to food options and dining halls across campus by purchasing a meal plan.

No. Once added to an account, these meal plans are only eligible for cancellation during the meal plan removal period, through the first Friday of courses in the fall or spring semester.

The move-in process will occur over multiple days, from August 12th to 15th.

Move-In days and times will be appointed based on your residence hall and floor. This is the time that you should plan to arrive on campus.

Residents arriving on or after Friday should check in at their area's front desk instead of checking in at the Union Building. HRE will send other important move-in related information to you throughout the summer, including flow maps, parking information, and other logistics. For the most up-to-date information about moving in, visit our helpful Moving In webpage.

HRE has created a comprehensive packing list for you! This list is located in our New Student Housing Guide and on our Pre-Arrival Moving In webpage. We recommend reviewing this list and checking in with your roommate(s) or suitemate(s) to determine if larger items, like minifridges and TVs, need to be brought to campus.

Early arrivals are available August 8-11. Early arrival housing is only available to students who need to move in early for approved University-sponsored activities or requirements. Contact HRE for more information. You will be charged a daily rate of $40. There is no meal service during this period.

The early arrival date for the Spring 2026 semester is January 1, 2026.

Please note that not all areas are eligible for early move-in.

Incoming University of Utah students must upload an appropriate photo to the UCard Photo Uploader. Once this is complete, they will receive a message in their UMail from the UCard office. From here, they can download Atrium Campus Connect App and activate their Mobile UCard. Once this process is complete you will be able to use your Mobile Ucard to access your building.

All students who live on campus will be issued a mailing address. You will receive this address via email one week before you will be able to begin shipping items to campus. This email will also contain instructions on paper mail pick-up and our package locker system. We begin accepting mailed items on August 6 for pick-up on the student's move-in day.

Residents are strongly encouraged to not bring a vehicle with them to campus. As a U of U student, you’ll have free access to campus shuttles to make your way around campus, and the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) public transportation system for trips off campus via bus, light rail (TRAX), and commuter rail (FrontRunner). UTA routes serve students from campus to downtown Salt Lake City, the SLC airport, ski resorts, and north and south along the Wasatch Front mountain region.

Students who bring a car to campus will need to purchase a virtual parking permit through Commuter Services.

Housing & meal plan charges are included on your tuition bill and can be paid through the Office of the Bursar. All payments and payment plans are arranged through the Office of the Bursar. Specific housing and meal plan rates can be found on our Rates & Your Housing Account webpage.