Returning Undergraduate Students
Returning Student Application Processes
Unlike incoming freshmen, on-campus housing is not guaranteed to returning or transfer students. Returning undergraduate students must request housing for the next academic year either through the Living Learning Program Returner application process or the Housing Application Process (HAP), which is sometimes known as the “housing lottery.” Members of the Corps of Cadets, Residential Well-being Student Leaders, students living in the on-campus fraternity and sorority houses in Oak Lane, and certain student athletes are not part of these processes.
Living Learning Program Returners:
Each fall, our Living Learning Programs invite students to apply to return to campus housing as a member of an LLP. Prior membership in an LLP is not required to be eligible, and we encourage students to strongly consider this option if they wish to return to campus housing. For more information about the LLP Returner process, please visit Living Learning Programs.
Housing Application Process:
The Housing Application Process occurs at the beginning of the Spring term for the following academic year. Entering the HAP does not obligate a student to an on-campus contract; a student is not obligated until they complete their Housing/Dining Contract. If a student does not participate in HAP, it is unlikely that they would receive a contract offer later outside of the process.
Students are strongly encouraged to read the myths listed below as well as the complete 2023-2024 HAP Student Guide before entering the process. The Housing Application Process is for the regular academic year only.
Reality
The Housing Application Process will occur during the first week of classes in January and the results will be announced around February 1st. Students will be notified about whether or not they will be receiving an offer for on-campus housing. In the past several years, 30-75% percent of returning students who participated in the returning Housing Application Process received a contract offer. The actual offer rate will be dependent on the number of students who apply for housing.
Later in February, if space permits, we may make a second round of contract offers using the HAP applicant pool. If students do not receive a contract offer by the end of February, we encourage them to seek off-campus accommodations. Students who did not enter the application process may place their names on a waiting list. We seldom make offers to students on this list, and only after we have exhausted offers to HAP participants.
Reality
The housing market in Blacksburg follows the "college town" academic year cycle. Many off campus leases run from August to August to maximize occupancy in the off-campus market. Unlike the on-campus academic year only leases, most off-campus facilities require a 12-month lease. Some off campus students will decide to stay in Blacksburg over the summer while others will attempt to find a sublease, if allowed, for their apartment. Co-op and study abroad students especially like on-campus leases because the lease is suspended during their absence, while off-campus subleasing is not necessarily.
For example, several apartment complexes have opened with vacancies for the current academic year, and leasing agents are scrambling both for early lease renewals and new commitments. While premium locations, based on amenities or proximity to campus, do fill earlier than others, off-campus student housing has traditionally continued to be available in Blacksburg into the spring and summer months.
Reality
It is true that some students choose to live off-campus after their freshman year. For many students, this is an expected and healthy transition. For others, the convenience on-campus housing provides with location, utilities, simplified billing, student leader support, and other on-campus amenities has them choosing to live on-campus past their freshmen year. In addition, many students enjoy the ease of an academic year lease versus an August to August lease.
Students who decide to move off-campus are still eligible to purchase a dining plan. More than 9,500 off-campus students choose to purchase a dining plan for their meals each semester.
Reality
Although special offers can seem more attractive, we encourage parents and students to compare costs from several local apartment communities with our on-campus housing costs and compare not only the rent, but utilities and the convenience of on-campus housing and dining options. We think on-campus housing proves to be an economical choice.
Sign-up Begins: Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 8 a.m.
Students should log into the StarRez housing portal with their VT Username/password and 2-factor authentication. Select "Housing and Dining Contracts" and then "Housing Application Process" on the resulting page.
Sign-up Ends: Friday, January 20, 2023 at 5 p.m.
Wait List
The returning student wait list for fall housing will open at 5:01 p.m. on Friday, January 20, 2023, for those that miss the regular sign up and for those that are not eligible to enter the Housing Application Process due to non-enrollment.