On Monday, January 29, all undergraduate students currently living in university housing received an email update about the 2024-25 continuing undergraduate student housing process. This email (copied below) includes information about housing information sessions, the application period, the housing waitlist, and off-campus housing resources.
Highlights & Key Dates:
- Housing Info Sessions: Feb. 5–9
- Housing Application Period: Feb. 26 – March 4
- Room Selection Lottery: April 9–18
- Housing Waitlist Information
- Community Rentals: Off-campus housing resources
- Open office hours
Attend a Housing Info Session: Feb. 5–9
Plan to attend a housing information session during the week of Feb. 5–9 to learn more about housing options and the Room Selection Lottery.
Housing Application Period: Feb. 26 – March 4
To be eligible for the Room Selection Lottery, students currently living in university housing must reapply for housing during the housing application period, which opens Feb. 26 and closes March 4. Understanding your options and the Room Selection Lottery process can help you decide which college/community to choose on your application. For example, if you would like to form a group with friends you hope to live with, you must all apply to the same community.
What's new this year?
- We are changing from a priority-based system to a lottery system. All continuing students living in university housing during Winter & Spring 2024 who apply during the application period will be in the lottery.
- The application period and room selection process are being held six weeks earlier. This means students can know sooner if they’ve secured on-campus housing or if they are on a waitlist and need to consider off-campus options.
What’s staying the same?
- Before the Room Selection Lottery, housing staff will assign students with DRC accommodations, students accepted into campuswide theme housing or the Camper Park, and Resident Assistants (RA) and Neighborhood Assistants (NA).
- The 2024-25 Room Selection Lottery will take place in a series of passes. Randomly generated lottery times will be emailed to participating students in advance of each pass.
- Roommate groups who can completely fill a space (a full apartment or a residence hall room) and students who apply to live at their affiliated college will have the earliest opportunity to select a space.
- The housing lottery is based on availability at the time a student logs in, with spaces becoming more limited as other students complete their selections. Unfortunately, space availability is not certain, and some students will not be able to make a selection during the lottery.
- Important: If you have a disability-related housing need, you must submit a Housing Accommodation Request in addition to completing a housing application. Visit drc.ucsc.edu for information. A new accommodation request is needed each year.
Housing Waitlist:
After the lottery, any student who did not secure housing during the lottery (or was not eligible to participate in the lottery) will be on the housing waitlist. Additionally, any late applications will be placed on the waitlist.
A small number of housing spaces may become available as cancellations occur, though we cannot predict when or how many. When a space becomes available it will immediately be reassigned to a student from the waitlist. While housing staff work throughout spring and summer to accommodate as many students as possible, all students on the waitlist are strongly encouraged to also pursue off-campus housing.
Waitlist management
Housing Coordinators will first work to assign any waitlisted Renaissance Scholars, Regent Scholars, and students with disability-related accommodations issued by the Disability Resource Center (DRC). Additional students will be assigned on a space-available basis.
Community Rentals: Off-campus housing resources
If you are considering living off-campus next year, it’s never too early to start planning your search. Here are a few important first steps you can take now:
Renters Workshop: Take the online Renters Workshop and receive a Certificate of Completion to show landlords you are a knowledgeable prospective tenant.
Networking: Think about who you want to live with, and start networking. You never know who will have information about a place to rent unless you ask, so cast a wide net! You could also meet a potential housemate or group to search with.
Places4Students: Familiarize yourself with Places4Students, UCSC’s rental listings partner. This one-stop-shop lets you search for current off-campus rentals, student sublets, and roommate profiles.
Rental Application Packet Create a Rental Application Packet. If you’re searching with a housemate group, work on your packet together. Having all of your important information in one place will make it easier to apply right away when you find a rental you are interested in.
Explore the Community Rentals Housing Search Timeline and Checklist for more tips and resources to support you throughout your search.
Open Office Hours
Have questions about continuing student housing? Contact the housing office at your college/community or the Campus Housing Office during open office hours:
College/Community Housing Offices: Open 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Students can drop in or call during these hours. You may need to wait or make an appointment with the Housing Coordinator if that person is busy with another student.
Campus Housing Office: Open Monday–Friday, 10:00 a.m.–Noon, 1:00–4:00 p.m. Students can call or email.
