Housing Selection FAQ
2026 – 2027 Selection
As we move forward, there is one significant change we want everyone to be aware of. Beginning this cycle, housing selection will occur by housing credits in the following order:
- Selection for 1+ Housing Credits (Rising Sophomores)
- Selection for 3+ Housing Credits (Rising Juniors)
- Selection for 5+ Housing Credits (Rising Seniors)
Each selection group will see the specific communities designated for them.
Our incoming classes continue to grow, and Babcock Hall will be offline for renovation during Fall 2026. As a result, most of Kitchin and Poteat Halls will be reserved for incoming first-year students.
When Babcock reopens in January 2027, it will be reserved for students who are returning to campus that classify as sophomores, juniors, or seniors. It will not include first-year housing for the Spring 2027 semester.
Rising sophomores will be able to select from spaces in the following communities:
- Quad Area – Davis, Efird, Huffman, and Taylor
- North Campus – Dogwood, Magnolia, Martin, and North Campus Apartments
Rising juniors will be able to select from spaces in the following communities:
- North Campus Apartments, Student Apartments, and Polo Hall
- Any remaining spaces in sophomore designated communities – Davis, Efird, Huffman, and Taylor, Dogwood, Magnolia, Martin
Rising seniors will be able to select from spaces in the following communities:
- Deacon Place
- Any remaining spaces in sophomore or junior designated communities – North Campus Apartments, Student Apartments, and Polo Hall, Davis, Efird, Huffman, and Taylor, Dogwood, Magnolia, Martin
If you are studying abroad for Fall 2026, your Off-Campus Lottery entry will be for the Spring 2027 semester.
The lottery randomly selects a determined number of students for release from the University’s residency requirement. This process will open on January 12 and close on February 1. Lottery outcomes will be released by February 15.
You will enter the Off-Campus Lottery in the Housing Portal. Students may choose to enter the lottery as individuals or in groups of up to four (note each individual must enter and agree to the terms). If selected, all members of a group will be released.
Because the lottery is NOT a guaranteed release, students should NOT sign leases to live off campus unless/until they are released in writing by Residence Life and Housing.
If released, students are expected to live off-campus from that point forward (including their senior year). When considering where you wish to live, consider an 18-month lease (January of junior year through May of senior year).
Those with (or expected to have) 6+ housing credits (typically seniors) must express their intent to live on or off campus for the 2026-2027 academic year. This task can be completed now in the Housing Portal at go.wfu.edu/housingportal.
Due to increased enrollment and demand for University housing, along with building renovations, we may be unable to house all seniors who wish to live on campus for the 2026-2027 academic year. In this case, we will use a lottery system to allocate on-campus spaces. Any students who express an intent to live on campus will be entered into that on-campus lottery.
Students who have fulfilled the residency requirement but do not express an interest in living on campus by the February 1 deadline will be assigned an off-campus application.
It’s important to note that if you leave the University before February 17, 2026, you will not receive a housing credit for the Spring 2026 semester and may still be required to live on campus for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Students who have declared their intent for on-campus housing should be mindful of the following cancellation schedule:
- Before February 1, 2026: Students who have fulfilled the residency requirement may cancel their on-campus lottery entry and change their intent to off-campus with no penalty.
- After February 13, 2026: Students who have been selected to live on campus and who would now like to cancel their on-campus lottery entry will be charged a $250.00 cancellation fee.
- Once a student selects on-campus housing, their housing selection and/or housing agreement may not be canceled. The housing agreement is legally binding once a student signs it (like a lease would be off-campus).
All rising seniors are required to submit their Senior Intent by the established deadline. If it becomes necessary to move forward with an on-campus housing lottery for rising seniors, scholarship-related housing requirements will be considered. Our office will coordinate with the Scholars Office to confirm which students are required to live on campus. If you have further questions about your scholarship requirements, please contact the Scholars Office at wfscholars@wfu.edu.
Your group’s housing selection date and time will be determined by the average number of housing credits for your group. For example, if your group’s average is four housing credits, your group will participate in the 3+ Housing Selection night and have access to that inventory.
Our office will only use an on-campus housing lottery for rising seniors if the number of seniors requesting to live on campus exceeds the available housing inventory.
After February 1, we will communicate directly with rising seniors who indicated a desire to remain on campus to confirm whether an on-campus lottery will be used. If a lottery is necessary, we will provide detailed information about the process, including clear instructions on forming groups and participating in the lottery.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue gathering information from students about their on-campus housing plans and determine the most appropriate next steps.
In terms of why reverse the order, our office needs to work backward to determine how many seniors we can house. We require all sophomores to live on campus. We expect many juniors to go abroad, and they also have the opportunity to be released from the residency requirement through the off-campus lottery.
We want to be clear that studying abroad in the fall does not automatically mean students will be without on-campus housing in the spring. Students returning from fall study abroad remain eligible to participate in the spring housing process, and our team is actively planning to support students.
However, we would like to be transparent with students that we will be unable to house all students returning from abroad for Spring 2027. Babcock Hall will reopen for Spring 2027, providing just over 200 beds only for students returning from abroad. Additional availability is expected to be severely limited and unpredictable. This is why we are encouraging those who would like to live off-campus to enter the Off-Campus Lottery, but it is not a requirement for students to enter this lottery.
Preparing for Selection
In the Housing Portal. However, to participate in the the housing selection process, students must first update their profile information and electronically agree to the Housing and Dining Agreement in the Housing Portal. Students must also be registered for classes for the upcoming Fall semester.
Room selection is an online process, which takes place over the course of several days. The amount of housing credits (previous semesters spent in on-campus housing) determines your selection date and time.
Information regarding room selection will be sent to you via email each year. We will walk you through the process!
Students for whom a portion of college costs are provided by Wake Forest Need-Based Scholarship funds should carefully consider their housing and meal plan selections. Please read about the financial impacts of the various options and then contact Student Financial Aid at finaid@wfu.edu with any questions.
Think about what is more important: where you live or who you live with.
The likelihood of getting one or the other is higher than if you are trying for both.
We recommend having a plan A, B and C.
A group leader is a designated group member who is responsible for entering the Housing Portal during selection and selecting the housing assignment for all their members in their group. The group leader is the person who creates the group, but can pass the leadership to anyone in the group. A group leader has the ability to add and remove members from their group prior to selecting a bedspace.
You should review the Room Type Availability List close to your selection day, and make sure you’ve created a back-up plan. You will need access to the housing portal, as well as the information about your group, if you are selecting as the group leader.
Start with two double rooms and think about building up from there. Create a list of additional people that can join your block. Add someone and create a five-person block. If there are no five-person blocks available, add another person and create a six-person block, etc. You could also divide up into two doubles if there are no larger blocks available. Use this worksheet to help you plan!
No, you do not not. You will need to go into the Housing Portal to submit your Senior Intent form. If you do not submit your intentions by the advertised deadline, Residence Life and Housing will automatically indicate that your intentions are to live off-campus.
When Housing Selection times are released, it’s crucial that the designated group leader is available to complete the selection process. If the group leader has a scheduling conflict, they should designate someone else in the group who can be available at that time. Please review this step-by-step guide on how to change the group leader.
For starters, we recommend keeping an eye out for events happening in your community that are designed to connect individuals who are also seeking roommates.
We have now created a Google Form for 26-27 Housing Selection for those searching for a roommate group. Once completed, our office will share the google spreadsheet with information for those also searching for a roommate group.
Another option is taking advantage of our “Search for a Roommate Group” feature available in the Housing Portal. For detailed guidance on how to use this feature, please refer to the step-by-step instructions in the document provided.
On the date that Housing Selection times are available, you will log into your Housing Portal to view your group and individual Housing Selection times. You will need to click through the application until you reach the “Selection Time” section. Please review this step-by-step guide on how to find your Housing Selection time.
How Selection works at Wake
Housing selection will occur by housing credits in the following order:
- Selection for 1+ Housing Credits (Rising Sophomores)
- Selection for 3+ Housing Credits (Rising Juniors)
- Selection for 5+ Housing Credits (Rising Seniors)
Each selection group will see the specific communities designated for them.
Rising sophomores will be able to select from spaces in the following communities:
- Quad Area – Davis, Efird, Huffman, and Taylor
- North Campus – Dogwood, Magnolia, Martin, and North Campus Apartments
Rising juniors will be able to select from spaces in the following communities:
- North Campus Apartments, Student Apartments, and Polo Hall
- Any remaining spaces in sophomore designated communities – Davis, Efird, Huffman, and Taylor, Dogwood, Magnolia, Martin
Rising seniors will be able to select from spaces in the following communities:
- Deacon Place
- Any remaining spaces in sophomore or junior designated communities – North Campus Apartments, Student Apartments, and Polo Hall, Davis, Efird, Huffman, and Taylor, Dogwood, Magnolia, Martin
It is impossible to predict precisely and there are no guarantees. We recommend students track the availability list closely up to their selection time, and utilize this to make a plan A, B, and C as to how they might pivot should an option not be available. Use this worksheet to help you plan!
No, however you will receive communication from Residence Life and Housing prior to the start of the academic year on how to register your off-campus address and complete your required off-campus online course.
No, you must have the exact number of people to fill a block or a room.
Housing Selection in April is “suited,” meaning you’ll only be able to select housing options that match the size of your group. For example, if you’re a single person, you will only be able to choose a single space in locations with shared hallway bathrooms, such as Efird. If there are no single spaces available during April’s selection, you will need to wait until July to complete your Housing Selection for the next academic year.
Housing Selection in July is not “suited,” which means you’ll have more flexibility. For example, if you’re selecting a space in a double suite, you can choose one side of the suite, and another person will be able to select the other side.
You will receive email communication from our office if you need to participate in the July Housing Selection process.
Day of Selection
It happens! Come to the Help Desk in Angelou Residence Hall and we will see what we can do.
- On a case-by-case basis during housing selection, Residence Life and Housing may allow a student to delete an active assignment and select again if an error or mistake was made in the selection process. If you selected as a group, the entire group’s assignments will be deleted and the entire group will need to reselect their housing.
- Under no circumstances will a student who selects for a group of residents during General Room Selection be allowed to change rooms between General Room Selection and the Fall Semester. The earliest opportunity for a room change for those students is the Room Change process over Winter Break.
- Unapproved room changes may result in a fine, return to the original assignment and loss of opportunity to move during the room thaw process.
There is a second round of the room selection process which occurs during the middle of the summer each year. All students who are required to live in campus housing, but do not select during the first round of housing selection, are automatically placed on the list to select during the second round. Again, this is a normal part of our assignments process and occurs each year.
During the summer, rooms open up across campus for a number of reasons, including when students decide to go abroad or transfer. After allowing time for these changes to be processed, unused spaces are made available in our second round of housing selection. Students on the list for the second round will receive an email with a selection day to go online and select at that time.
We encourage you to explore options to find potential roommates and suitemates. However, please note that during Housing Selection in April, if you enter as a single individual, it will only show single room options. If there are no single rooms available during your selection time, you will not have any options to select. The process in April prioritizes groups who can fill an entire suite and/or room which is why we encourage students to try to find a group.
If there is not a space available to you at selection time in April, you will be rolled into our Second Round Selection that occurs in July. During that time, there will be a wide range of spaces across campus, which will all be segmented into doubles and singles by this point.
Click here to learn more about the Second Round of Housing selection
Lists of types of available spaces will be posted on the Residence Life and Housing website approximately one week prior to room selection. Specific room numbers are not provided, but instead the building and room type like the example below. This list will be updated in real time, usually on a delay of ~15 minutes.
Yes, all on-campus students must have a meal plan based on their area minimum.
For example, students living in first-year housing can select meal plans that state “All students” only.
Students living in upperclassmen housing can select meal plans that state “All students” or state “Upperclassmen”
Students living in apartment spaces can select meal plans that state “All students” or state “Apartments”
Once the group leader assigns their group members to their housing spaces, group members will get a notification to log back into the Housing Portal in order to select their meal plan.
We understand that Housing Selection may get a bit confusing. Please reference this document that was created to help share how different group types move through the housing selection process.
The short answer is no. The system is set up where it will only allow you to enter Housing Selection at your group selection time.
However, if you leave your group, the system will then allow you to enter Housing Selection at the individual time. If you enter at your individual selection time, you will only be able to see spaces for groups of 1.
Disability-Related Housing Accommodations
Wake Forest University views living on-campus as integral to a liberal arts education and the Wake Forest experience. As such, the University has a six-semester resident requirement.
In support of students with disabilities, Residence Life and Housing has a wide variety of housing and dining options on-campus which can accommodate the vast majority of disability needs. For more information, please refer to our Housing/Dining Accommodations page.
Accommodations are recommended and granted for the individual student. In order to be fair to 4000+ students, it is generally not possible for someone with an accommodation to pull-in an entire group. Our team works with students on a case-by-case basis based on their recommended accommodation(s).
Rising sophomores are unable to pull in other students, as this cannot be guaranteed in the general rising sophomore selection experience.
Resident Adviser
Yes, you will need to fill out the Housing Application.
If you complete the Housing Agreement for the upcoming academic year but later decline the position or become ineligible, you will still be responsible for fulfilling the Housing Agreement. Students with fewer than six housing credits will participate in the Housing Selection process. If you have six housing credits and are eligible to live off-campus, you can change your intent before the deadline without any penalty. However, if you request to live off-campus after the deadline, a cancellation fee of $250.00 will apply.
If you are assigned to a space with suitemates, our Assignments team will contact you to provide direction on how to pull-in suitemates. If you do not pull anyone into your suite by the established deadline, students will be able to select to live in that suite during Housing Selection.
Greek Block Selection
Greek blocks are a group of rooms that are blocked off for a Greek organization’s members. They are located in various residence halls across campus and accommodate about 20-30% of the organization’s membership. There are increased expectations and accountability for Greek members living in blocks.
Students living in Greek blocks are expected to live in the block for the entire academic year (unless studying abroad). These students are expected to follow the same residence hall guidelines in the Guide To Community Living. Students living on blocks are expected to contribute positively to the residence hall community. The chapter may be held responsible for the behavior of members living in the block.
Managers will turn in a roster with all members that will be living on the block for the next academic year, placing you in your room. These members will receive specific selection instructions. Assignments on a Greek block come with an agreement to live there for an entire academic year unless you are transferring, studying abroad, or withdrawing from the university.
These members will receive specific selection instructions.
You should connect with your chapter President or the designated person in your chapter who manages your organization’s block. They will be able to provide more information about how to submit your name to join your organization’s block.
You will know before the end of March if you are selected to live in your organization’s block or not.
If you are not selected, then you will have time to form a roommate group on the Housing Portal before going through the housing selection process in April.
Off-Campus
Students who wish to live off-campus but have not fulfilled the residency requirement, will be given the option to participate in the off-campus lottery if they have more than 4 housing credits.
There is no guarantee that just by entering the lottery that you will be chosen. Students should not sign a lease until they have received an email from the Residence Life and Housing office saying they have been released.
You do not complete the upcoming academic year housing application. However, you are required to submit your Senior Intent form on the Housing Portal by the established deadline indicating your desire to live off-campus for the upcoming academic year.
No, but students may decide to sign up for a meal plan if they would like to.
Study Abroad
Students studying abroad during the Fall Semester will NOT select housing during Housing Selection for the full year. Instead, students abroad for the Fall Semester will be required to select their housing for the Spring Semester online in December.
- In Mid-December, you will be required to electronically self-select your actual spring room and meal plan.
- An e-mail from Residence Life and Housing will be sent to your WFU e-mail account with log-on times and instructions on self-selecting your spring room and meal plan.
- Wake Forest University views living on campus as integral to a liberal arts education and the Wake Forest experience. In support of that view, Wake Forest University has a six-semester residency requirement; your semester abroad will count as one semester towards this requirement. You will be expected to return to on-campus housing upon your return to the University.
Students planning to study abroad during the Spring Semester should proceed with General Room Selection for the Fall Semester. During the Fall Semester, these students should notify the Office of Residence Life and Housing by visiting the Housing Portal > Housing and submitting their Spring Intent.
During the spring semester, these students will be able to participate in General Room Selection for the following fall from abroad.
Studying abroad in the Summer will not affect your room selection process, as you will be on campus for both Fall and Spring semesters.
Off-Campus Lottery
No, however, you will be asked to submit the Senior Intent form by the established deadline.
When the Off-Campus Lottery period is active, it does not matter if you apply when it opens or right before the close date. You have the same odds of being selected.
To start, each person from the group must go into the Housing Portal and select that they would like to participate in the off-campus lottery.
Once in the housing portal, you can form a roommate group. If someone from the roommate group is selected for the off-campus lottery AND everyone in the group has elected to participate in the lottery, then everyone in that group will be selected for off-campus.
You can only form groups of 4 or less for the off-campus lottery.
No. If you select for the Off-Campus lottery and do not get chosen, it will not impact your on-campus housing selection time. Housing Selection times are determined by your housing credits.
Selection in the off-campus lottery is binding. Once selected, you will not participate in the upcoming Housing Selection process and will need to acquire housing off-campus for the remainder of your time at Wake Forest University.
If at any point you find yourself wanting to return to on-campus housing, please notify us in writing at housing@wfu.edu. Please understand that you are no longer guaranteed priority selection and our ability to allow you to return to campus is based on availability.