Continuing student housing process 2025-26
Information Sessions:
February 3–7
Application Period:
February 18–25
Room Selection Lottery:
April 8–10
Are you a continuing student interested in university housing for the 2025-26 academic year? This page contains detailed information to help you navigate the housing application and Room Selection Lottery process.
To get ready, we encourage you to take the first steps described below. If you need additional information you can return to this page anytime, or reach out to our staff for assistance.
Room selection eligibility
To be eligible for the Room Selection Lottery you must meet both of the following conditions:
- Continuously live in university housing during Winter 2025 and Spring 2025 quarters.*
- Re-apply for Fall 2025 university housing during the February 18–25 housing application period.
Students not currently living in university housing are encouraged to apply. Though you won't be eligible to participate in the Room Selection Lottery, your application will be placed on the waitlist and given consideration if a space becomes available that matches your preferences.
*Are you currently studying abroad or away, or on an approved leave of absence? If you were living in university housing during the quarter immediately preceding your approved leave or study abroad/away program, you are eligible to participate in the Room Selection Lottery if you apply during the February 18–25 application period.
Your first steps
- As you consider your housing options for next year, we recommend starting with our interactive Continuing Student Housing Planning Guide. It’s designed to help you explore your options, answer common questions, and provide personalized guidance tailored to your specific situation.
- Attend an Info Session specific to your housing community. These sessions, led by our knowledgeable housing coordinators, offer a complete overview of the application and room selection process, and give you an opportunity to ask any questions directly.
Continuing student housing process timeline
Before you apply |
Explore housing options You can only apply to one community, so it is important to carefully consider where to apply. |
February 3–7 |
Each college and community hosts Info Sessions about housing options, the room and apartment selection process, ways to improve your chances of getting a space, and more. |
February 10–21 |
Hoping to add a roommate to a group for a residence hall room or an apartment? Attend a Meet a Roomie event to connect with other students and form a group. |
February 18–25 |
Continuing student housing application period All continuing undergraduate students interested in fall 2025 university housing are encouraged to apply. Students eligible for the Room Selection Lottery must submit their application by the February 25 deadline. |
March 6–April 2 |
Preassignment March 6–11: Assignment of Theme Housing mentors and students accepted to a campuswide theme (ABC Themed Housing, International Living Center, Native American/Indigenous Themed Housing, Substance Free Recovery Housing, Trans-inclusive housing).
March 12–April 2: Assignment of Res Life student employees (RAs/NAs) and students with DRC accommodations for a specific type of housing. |
April 8–10 |
Room Selection Lottery The 2025-26 Room Selection Lottery takes place in two passes and gives eligible students an equal chance to participate, and to potentially pick their housing for next year. Randomly generated start times are sent to eligible students via UCSC email in advance of each pass. April 8: 1st Pass (start times emailed April 3) Note: Eligible students who don’t select a space during 1st Pass will be invited to 2nd Pass if it is held. 2nd Pass will only take place if spaces remain available for the Room Selection Lottery. April 10: 2nd Pass (start times emailed April 9, if it is held) |
April 11 |
Waitlist process begins At the conclusion of the Room Selection Lottery, any student who has not selected a space will have their application placed on the housing waitlist. Housing staff work throughout the spring and summer to accommodate as many students as possible. |
July 1 or before |
If your plans change, it is your responsibility to cancel your application via the Housing Portal. $150 cancellation fee for canceling an assigned housing space |
July 2–August 1 |
$250 cancellation fee for canceling an assigned housing space |
August 2 or after |
$350 cancellation fee for canceling an assigned housing space |
August 20 |
Room/roommate assignment info displayed in the Housing Portal |
Info Sessions
February 3–7
Each housing community is hosting Information Sessions that offer greater detail about housing options and the Room Selection Lottery.
Info Session schedule
Meet a Roomie events
February 10–21
Attend an event if you are hoping to add a roommate to a group!
Meet a Roomie events schedule
Housing application period
February 18–25
All continuing undergraduate students interested in fall 2025 university housing are encouraged to apply.
How to apply:
Log in to the Housing Portal during the application period to apply. It doesn’t matter if you are first or last, as long as you apply by the February 25 deadline.
Get ready to apply:
- Decide which college or community to apply to. You can only choose ONE college/community on your housing application.
- If you are hoping to live with friends in university housing next year, make sure all group members are eligible for the lottery and apply to the same college/community. Read more about roommate groups.
- Have a disability-related housing need? Remember to submit a DRC Housing Accommodation Request in addition to completing your housing application.
- Use the interactive Continuing Student Housing Planning Guide to get quick and easy answers tailored to your situation, and to develop your plan and back-up plans.
The community you apply to affects which room selection pass(es) you will be invited to:
Apply to ↓ |
1st Pass |
2nd Pass* |
|
Your affiliated college |
✅ |
✅ |
|
The Village or University Town Center |
✅ |
✅ |
|
A different college |
🆇 |
✅ |
*Important: Eligible students who don’t select a space during 1st Pass will be invited to 2nd Pass if it is held. 2nd Pass will only take place if spaces remain available for the Room Selection Lottery.
Housing options
When completing your housing application, you can only choose one community, so it is important to carefully consider where to apply.
College Housing
You can apply to your affiliated college or to a different college.
Residence hall rooms are primarily triples, with a limited number of other room types (singles, doubles, quads, quints, etc.). Meal plan required.
Apartments are furnished and include a kitchen, dining room/living room, and bathroom(s). Apartment bedrooms are primarily shared rooms (doubles, triples, and quads), with a limited number of singles. No meal plan required.
University Town Center
University Town Center is located on the corner of Pacific and Cathcart streets in downtown Santa Cruz. Room types include two- and three-person studio apartments. No meal plan required.
The Village
The Village is located in UCSC’s Lower Quarry on the east side of campus. Room types include singles and small doubles. No meal plan required.
Campuswide theme housing
UCSC offers several themed housing communities that are open to students of any college affiliation. If you are interested in a campuswide theme, the application process has two steps:
- Apply to a residential community: This can be your affiliated college, another college, University Town Center, or The Village.
- Complete a supplemental application: This is required for all campuswide theme housing options and is included within the housing application.
After submitting your application, you’ll find out if you’ve been accepted into your desired theme housing before the Room Selection Lottery begins.
If you are not accepted, you can still participate in the Room Selection Lottery at the residential community you applied to.
Read about campuswide theme options
FAQ: Housing application
What’s the difference between a college and a community?
Each housing area is a community. This includes UCSC’s 10 colleges, as well as the Village, and University Town Center.
Does it matter whether I apply to my affiliated college?
Yes. Invitations to participate in 1st Pass of the Room Selection Lottery are only issued to eligible students who apply to live at their affiliated college, University Town Center, or The Village. College affiliates can pull non-affiliates into their group if they applied to live at the same college. However, only the affiliates will receive lottery times.
Preassignment
Prior to the Room Selection Lottery, housing staff assign the following groups:
March 6–11 |
Theme Housing mentors and students accepted to a campuswide theme: ABC Themed Housing, International Living Center, Native American/Indigenous Themed Housing, Substance Free Recovery Housing, Trans-inclusive housing. |
March 12–April 2 |
|
Room Selection Lottery
The 2025-26 Room Selection Lottery takes place in two passes and gives eligible students an equal chance to participate, and to potentially pick their housing for the upcoming academic year. Randomly generated start times, which determine when students can access the room selection process, are emailed to eligible students before each pass.
Roommate groups who can completely fill an apartment or residence hall room will have the earliest opportunity to select a space. The process also gives precedence to students who apply to live at their affiliated college.
The housing lottery is based on space availability at the time a student logs in, with fewer options as other students complete their selections. Unfortunately, space availability is not certain. To maximize your chances, participate in 1st Pass, either individually or as part of a group.
1st Pass: Community Pass (April 8)
Lottery times emailed April 3
Important: To select a space during 1st Pass, a student or group must completely fill the available space (e.g., all spaces in a residence hall room or all rooms in an apartment).
Who can participate?
- Students who applied to live at their affiliated college, University Town Center, or The Village are issued lottery times to access the Room Selection Lottery.
- Students can participate as individuals or form groups with other students who applied to the same community.
What spaces are available?
- Available spaces at the college/community you applied to.
- For groups: Housing that exactly matches the size and gender makeup of your roommate group. For example, a 6-person apartment for you and five housemates. Read more about roommate groups.
- For individuals: Single residence hall rooms.
2nd Pass: Campuswide (April 10)
If held, lottery times emailed April 9
Important: 2nd Pass only occurs if housing remains after 1st Pass. Participating in 1st Pass gives you the best chance to secure housing.
Who can participate?
- All eligible students who have not yet been assigned housing will be issued lottery times for 2nd Pass. Affiliation or where you applied for housing does not matter.
What spaces are available?
- Any remaining housing across campus. If 2nd Pass is held, only a limited number of spaces for individuals or small groups are likely to be available.
After the Lottery: Housing Waitlist
At the conclusion of the Room Selection Lottery, any student who has not selected a room will have their application placed on the housing waitlist. To stay active on the waitlist, you’ll need to periodically verify your interest in university housing.
Housing staff work throughout the spring and summer to accommodate as many students as possible. We strongly encourage you to update your application preferences to include all the room types and communities you agree to accept. The more options you include in your waitlist application, the more opportunities housing staff will have to find a space for you.
Learn more about the waitlist »
FAQ: Room Selection Lottery
Do I have to log in precisely at my lottery start time?
Can my lottery start date and time be changed?
What if there are no spaces available for me to select during the lottery?
Roommate Groups
Eligible students can participate in the Room Selection Lottery as an individual or as part of a group. The lottery process gives groups the earliest opportunity to select a space, so forming a group can be a great option.
Get ready to form your group
Create your roommate group in the Housing Portal
Appoint your group leader
Make a plan – and back-up plans!
Important:
- Creating a roommate group does not ensure there will be a space available to accommodate your group size and/or gender(s).
FAQ: Roommate groups
If I am in a roommate group, is it guaranteed that we will be assigned together?
Do I need to officially submit my Roommate Group’s plans (and backup plans)?
FAQ: Gender and student housing
The spaces available to a student during the Room Selection Lottery are based on the student's gender. In the case of a roommate group, the size and gender make-up of the entire group will impact which spaces are available.
I’m nonbinary or declined to disclose my gender. Will this affect my roommate choices?
I need to update the official campus record of my gender designation—how do I do that?
Cancellation Policy
It is your responsibility to immediately cancel your application in the Housing Portal if at any time your plans change and you are no longer interested in university housing (e.g. you are accepted into an exchange program, you academically withdraw/take a leave of absence or are barred, find other housing, etc.).
- There is no fee for canceling an application prior to a space being assigned
- A $150-$350 fee is charged in all cases of a student canceling after a space is assigned, depending on the date of cancellation
Students who do not plan to move into university housing are encouraged to promptly cancel so the space can be reassigned to another student in need of housing. Students who remain assigned to fall housing will be assessed room charges (and board if applicable) in August, due in September.
Have questions about continuing student housing?
If you still have questions after reviewing this page, don’t hesitate to contact your college/community housing office or Student Housing Services for assistance:
College/Community Housing Offices:
Students can drop in, call, or email to get assistance from housing staff knowledgeable about the housing assignment and waitlist processes.
Email: housing@ucsc.edu | Phone: (831) 459-2394
Zoom Virtual Front Desk also available! Drop in for a one-on-one virtual session with a Frontline Adviser.
