The University maintained a housing surplus this semester, with 30 beds remaining unfilled following the influx of new transfer students and the exchange of students returning from leave and going abroad. Last semester was the first time in three years that the University had a surplus of available beds instead of a deficit.
Of the University's 4,679 beds, 4,649 beds were filled compared to the 4,647 beds that were filled last semester.
Despite the 30 vacancies, determining housing placement was less flexible this spring than the numbers indicate due to the time it took to process some students on leave, said Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential and dining services. But he said he hopes to honor more room change requests once departing students have cleared out their belongings.
"Housing was a little tight for the spring because there were students who took leaves or were dismissed, and they were late to get some of their things," Bova said. "But we honored as many individualized requests as we could."
The number of students living off-campus remained stable this semester as well. About 1,300 students currently live off-campus, a number similar to previous semesters, Bova said.
The Office of Residential Life has also processed the requests for off-campus housing for next year. Students may be taken off the waitlist following the housing lottery in April. Bova predicts that if the same trends hold, between 1,000 and 1,100 seniors and between 200 and 250 juniors will live off-campus next year. These numbers do not include commuters, married students and resumed undergraduate education students who do not need to request off-campus housing through ResLife. While almost all the seniors who apply for off-campus permission are approved, 100 to 150 juniors are denied permission in the randomized lottery every year.
The number of junior applications has dropped significantly since a change in the application process for juniors implemented two and a half years ago restricted the time frame in which they could apply to a one-month period in the fall.
"Juniors were expecting to have the same guarantees as the seniors," Bova said of the change. "Off-campus housing is a senior process, and juniors need to understand that."
