First-Year Students

Students walk through an arch on Virginia Tech's campus in the fall during sunset. Photo by Logan Wallace for Virginia Tech.

Academic Year Contracts

First-year student housing contracts are due by June 1 of the upcoming academic year. Virginia Tech is committed to our first-year students housing and dining plan requirement with the goal of accommodating all first-year students. However, Virginia Tech has a policy whereby the first-year requirement and guarantee can be suspended for those who do not to submit their housing contract before the university’s on-campus housing capacity has been exhausted.

Freshman Residency Requirement

All incoming first-year students at Virginia Tech are required to live on campus during their first year, unless they are approved for an exemption under the following guidelines:

Reside with their parents or close relatives who are established residents of the community;
Are married and live with their spouses;
Are military veterans of at least six months active duty;
Are at least 21 years old; or
Have this condition waived pursuant to other binding agreement with the university.

If you believe you qualify under one of these guidelines, please complete the First-Year Residency Requirement Waiver Request on the StarRez Portal.

Virginia Tech maintains a first-year housing and dining plan requirement with the goal of accommodating all first-year students. Virginia Tech may, on occasion, suspend the first-year requirement and guarantee for those who do not to submit their housing contract before the university’s on-campus housing capacity in Blacksburg has been exhausted. First-year students should submit a housing contract as soon as they are committed to attending Virginia Tech.

Steps to Complete Your Housing/Dining Contract

Step 1 - Create your VT Username and password - If you already have your VT Username, skip to step 2. Go to onboard.it.vt.edu where you will create your VT Username and password. This will need to be completed before you can log into Hokie Spa. It takes at least 24-48 hours for the VT Username/password to process through the various Virginia Tech systems.

Step 2 - Before you complete your Housing/Dining Contract, please read the Terms and Conditions of the Housing/Dining Contract online. Although the terms and conditions will remain available throughout the year for your reference, you may wish to print and retain this information for your convenience. It is your responsibility to read and understand the terms and conditions of the Housing/Dining Contract before returning it to the University.

Step 3 - After you have activated your VT Username, complete and electronically sign your Housing/Dining Contract by following these steps:

Log into the StarRez Portal using your VT Username and password.
Select the academic year from the menu choices displayed.
Your Housing/Dining Contract questions will be displayed.
You do not need to return anything to our office if you electronically sign your contract. The matriculation fee paid when accepting admissions to the University includes the housing prepayment noted in the terms of the Housing/Dining Contract.

Do you need your housing/dining contract in print?

Contact Housing at housing@vt.edu to request a paper version of your on-campus student housing offer. Please be sure to include your name, ID number, and preferred mailing address. We will send this out as soon as possible. You will then complete and return the paper copy directly to the housing office. We can send you an Adobe PDF version of the contract or mail you a printed copy.

You may also request a copy by stopping by our office during weekday office hours or by calling us at (540) 231-6205. We cannot offer a housing/dining contract until you are admitted to and have accepted the offer of admission to the University.

Waiting for another roommate to accept their contract to VT?

Please do not wait to complete your contract in anticipation of a roommate being accepted to the university. You can complete your contract now in the StarRez Portal and return to the contract process to create a roommate group at a later time. If your friend has not been accepted or does not yet have a student ID/application ID number, you will not be able to make a roommate group with them until they have done so. Click here for instructions on creating a roommate group in the StarRez Portal.

Selecting a Dining Plan

You will select your dining plan in the StarRez Portal. You may change your dining plan preference throughout the summer, but final changes must be made before the fall move-in date. Learn more about the dining plans we offer.