More than 2,500 returning students indicated interest in returning to University Housing this upcoming fall, according to Mari Anne Brocker Curry, director of housing information & marketing for University Housing. 

For the first time, however, room selection priority was not determined by class standing. Instead, returning residents received randomly assigned self-selection time slots through a lottery system designed to create a more equitable process.

University Housing implemented the change after last year’s sign-up cycle left some students unable to select a space before halls reached capacity. 

Brocker Curry said the department adjusted the process in response to student experiences.

“We made a few adjustments based on student feedback, and I think that those were well received,” Brocker Curry said. “Because we had to limit the number of returning residents who could sign up for housing for the first time in my 21 years in University Housing … we wanted to make sure that everybody had an equal chance to (sign up).”

Brocker Curry said the department allowed all students who met the initial interest deadline to enter the lottery and receive a self-assignment opportunity. 

Students who missed the deadline were placed on a waitlist, which University Housing has been working through in waves. They then contact students on the waitlist and give them a limited timeframe to accept a contract. 

Brocker Curry said the department has already reached out to multiple rounds of students and will continue doing so as rooms become available.

The lottery system also comes as University Housing prepares for future changes in capacity. 

Taft-Van Doren residence halls are scheduled to be demolished after the 2026–27 academic year, removing approximately 400 beds from the University’s inventory. However, Brocker Curry said that the University is working to offset that loss in partnership with Bromley Hall.

Even with those plans in place, some students said the new lottery process felt uncertain.

Jillian Schwankl, freshman in Media, plans to return to University Housing next year. She said the timing of the new lottery system added stress to an already busy part of the semester.

“It was kind of overwhelming at first because I was getting everything done for my first weeks of school, and they’re already talking about getting ready for your second year,” Schwankl said.

Schwankl said she luckily received an early self-assignment time slot and secured her preferred residence hall, Sherman Hall. 

Other students were less certain about their options.

Jasmina Ostrowski, junior in LAS, also entered the lottery and said that by the time her selection window opened, many upperclassman-designated spaces were no longer available.

“Since I wasn’t on the first day of the lottery, I knew I’d have even lesser chances,” Ostrowski said. “I just wish they would have more consideration for the upperclassmen because we’re still here and we’re still paying tuition and whatnot. We still need a place to live, and not everyone has the option to live off-campus.”

Ostrowski ultimately signed a lease off-campus, saying she felt fortunate to have a backup plan.

University Housing officials said students who are dissatisfied with their initial assignments can continue monitoring availability through the spring, as rooms often open due to cancellations or plan changes.

Brocker Curry added that the department will review feedback from this year’s cycle before the next sign-up period begins.

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