Returning Undergraduate Students
Returning Student Application Processes
Unlike incoming freshmen, on-campus housing is not guaranteed to returning or transfer students. Returning undergraduate students who would like to live on campus have several options. Students may apply to join a Living Learning Program for the following year. Students who are not interested in an LLP should use in the Housing Application Process (HAP). Students who are members of the Corps of Cadets will have a separate housing process. Residential Well-being Student Leaders, students living in Oak Lane, and certain student athletes will follow their own housing processes.
Living-Learning Program Returners
Our Living Learning Programs invite students to apply to return to campus housing as a member of an LLP. Each LLP has certain admission requirements, but all students are welcome to apply. For more information about the LLP Returner process, please visit Living-Learning Programs.
Housing Application Process
The Housing Application Process opens in January for the following academic year. Entering the HAP does not obligate a student to live on campus. Once students complete their Housing/Dining Contract, they are committed to live on-campus. Students who want to live on campus should join the HAP. It is unlikely that we will be able to make offers to students on the waitlist.
Students are strongly encouraged to read the myths and 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. We encourage students who are interested in pursuing a co-op or study abroad opportunity to live on-campus, as on-campus contracts can be suspended during their absence. This eliminates the need to find a sublease or pay rent while they are not occupying their residence.
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. This means that students who wait to sign a lease until the results of the Housing Application Process have come out will still be able to find an off-campus lease if needed.
Reality
It is true that some students choose to live off-campus after their freshman year. For others, the convenience on-campus housing provides with location, utilities, simplified billing, Residential Well-being Student Leader support, and other amenities have them choosing to live on-campus past their freshmen year. In addition, many students enjoy the ease of an academic year lease versus a calendar year 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.
Some students also find it helpful to return to on-campus living after spending a year or two off-campus. Students do not have to live on campus consecutive years. It can be a great learning experience to live off-campus, but students may find that the benefits of on-campus living can outweigh the stressors and inconveniences of living away.
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. On-campus housing often proves to be an economical choice, especially with all of the resources and opportunities students living on campus can access.
Sign-up Begins: Tuesday, January 21, 2025 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 24, 2025 at 5 p.m.
Waitlist
The returning student waitlist for fall housing will open at 5:01 p.m. on Friday, January 24, 2025, 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.