We have provided a wealth of information about Housing Selection below and within the links provided. Returner room assignments are not prioritized by date of application, so please read everything thoroughly, including the housing agreement, before completing the application, and contact our office if you have questions. For students participating in specific processes, additional information will be sent via email after applications are submitted.
Students applying for 2025-2026 Housing will use the application found on the Housing Portal. The application will be available in the housing portal starting February 1 with a priority deadline of March 14 to participate in housing selection.
Housing Selection Timeline
- February 1: Housing and Dining Application opens for 2025-2026 academic year
- March 14: ALL Housing and Dining Applications DUE for returning 2025-2026 students (roommate groups finalized) in order to participate in Returner Housing Selection. Students who submit a housing application after this date will be assigned a bed space on a rolling basis after housing selection.
- Week of March 17: Housing placement begins for students with approved ODR Accommodations (only accommodations that affect physical placement, excludes students with ESAs, bed shakers, etc.). Residence Life and Housing will contact individuals to discuss their housing needs and placement.
- Week of March 24: Priority Selection and Same Building Sign-Up processes begin; students who are eligible for priority housing (volunteers who participated in Move-In Crew, Home Sweet Halls, or Destination Day, and other groups identified by RLH) and those who have signed up to live in their same building will choose their space and assign any roommates during this week.
- Week of March 31: 4-3-2-1 General Selection begins; any group member will log in during their assigned time slot and select their room space as well as assign all roommates.
- 4-person groups: April 1st – 2nd
- 3-person groups: April 3rd – 4th
- 2- person groups: April 8th – 9th
- 1-person groups: April 10th – 11th
Roommate Groups
Roommate groups can be as small as two participants and as large as four. All participants of a roommate group must have a completed housing application in order to receive a housing assignment. Roommate groups should be formed with the desired housing in mind. You should have enough members to fill the room, apartment, or suite you would like to select during the Housing Selection process.
In order for a mixed-gender roommate group to find each other in the portal and complete housing selection, every group member must have selected “yes” to living with a mixed gender group on the Gender Preferences page of the housing application.
Individuals who plan to go through housing selection on their own do not need to create a roommate group.
Housing Selection Process
Housing Selection takes place over the course of several weeks from late March to early April. Housing Selection is the time when roommate groups and individuals have the opportunity to select their room for next year. There are several different designated processes within Housing Selection that will shape how and when you will select your space. Please read below for more info.
4-3-2-1 General Selection
All students will be assigned a room selection timeslot to go into the Housing Portal and select a space from the available rooms. Any group member can log into the housing portal during their room selection timeslot, select a space from available rooms, and assign all group members to the available spaces. Most groups will have the individual with the earliest timeslot access the portal to select and assign the spaces.
Students participating in the general selection process will choose their spaces for next year based on roommate group size and classification. The largest groups with the most senior classifications receive the earliest timeslots. Students who have a four-person group will select their spaces first. Room selection timeslots will be assigned based on student classification so that Seniors in four-person groups receive the earliest timeslots, then Juniors in four-person groups, and so on. Students with a four-person roommate group can only see and select spaces that match the number of students in the group (i.e. four-person suites or apartments).
After the four-person roommate groups have gone, three-person roommate groups will begin room selection. Room selection timeslots will again begin with Seniors in three-person groups, move on to Juniors in three-person groups, and so on. After three-person groups, we will go by classification for two-person groups, and then finally for individuals who are not in a roommate group.
We encourage roommate groups to have a backup plan in place if their top choice is not available during their timeslot.
Same Building Sign-Up
Students who currently reside in an upper-class hall have the opportunity to select their same building for the following year. Students will be asked during the application process if they plan to Same Building Sign-Up.
Please note: this is not applicable to first-year students who live in first-year halls.
Specialty Communities
The following are the four (4) specialty communities offered for 2025 – 2026:
24-Hour Quiet Floor: This community is for residents who can commit to reducing noise levels in order to create a generally quiet and peaceful environment, even outside of Residence Life’s quiet hours. If you opt into this community, you will have the opportunity to select it (based on availability) during Housing Selection.
All-Female Building: UMW’s all-female community is a longstanding community tying back to our history as an all-female college. This year, the all-female community will be housed in Bushnell Hall due to the one-year closure of Ball Hall for accessibility improvements. If you opt into this community, you will be able to select a space in Bushnell Hall during general Housing Selection.
LGBTQ+ Supportive Community: This community will be housed in both Custis and Madison Halls this year and offers an especially inclusive and welcoming environment for members of the LGBTQ+ community. If you opt into this community, you will be able to select a space in Madison Hall during general Housing Selection.
Substance Free Floor: This community is for residents who are committed to abstaining from any influencing substances and who expressed interest in living in an environment with others also committed to this type of abstinence. If you opt into this community, you will have the opportunity to select it (based on availability) during Housing Selection.
ODR Approved Accommodations
Students who have approved housing accommodations through the Office of Disability Services will have an opportunity to manually assigned by Residence Life and Housing before housing selection starts.
Since accommodations are often very individual in nature, Residence Life and Housing will communicate directly with each student that has an approved accommodation regarding their housing for next year. In order to receive an assignment during the designated ODR period, students must have an ODR-approved accommodation and completed housing application by March 14. Students with accommodations that are approved after March 14 will still have their accommodations met but options may be more limited.
Students approved for accommodations that are not limited by physical placement (Emotional Support Animals, bed shakers, etc.) will be able to self-select their room and participate in their chosen Housing Selection process.
Priority Selection
Students who volunteered during move-in and Home Sweet Halls as well as students displaced due to changes in residence hall classifications will be offered an opportunity to select their housing prior to General Selection. These individuals will receive direct communication from Residence Life and Housing.
More Information
- First-year students who signed an agreement to live on campus during 2024-2025 are bound by the two-year residency requirement and may not choose to change to commuter status without being released by the Contract Review Committee. Students obligated to the second-year fulfillment who do not participate in Housing Selection will still be assigned a space and be held to the terms and conditions of the Housing and Dining Agreement.
- Single rooms are the most sought-after room type and the most limited room option within residence hall inventory. Most students live in double rooms with a roommate. Standalone single rooms are located in Jefferson Hall; single rooms in apartments are located in the 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom UMW Apartments. Please note: ODR-approved single room accommodations are eligible for assignment in any upperclass residence hall.
- When going through Housing Selection, we encourage groups to discuss backup options in the event that their preferred space is no longer available when selecting. It is important to be thoughtful as to where your timeslot will fall in the housing selection process and realistic about the subsequent availability of desired spaces.
- Meal plans will be selected in the housing application after completing room selection. Returning students who do not select a meal plan by May 1 will be assigned the 150-block meal plan.