Housing Selection for Current Students
Housing Selection is the process by which our current Deacs select their housing for the following semester or academic year! The selection process allows students to pair up with roommate groups and from there select housing based on their roommate group size.
Spring 2025 Housing Selection
Students abroad for the Fall 2024 semester will participate in our Spring Only Housing Selection process.
- Students participating in Spring Only Housing Selection will select their room and meal plan for the spring semester on December 11 via the Housing Portal.
- All selection times will be between 10:00am-4:00pm Eastern time, so please plan accordingly.
- Selection times will be available on December 4th in your Housing Portal.
- Please note that options will be limited; you are not guaranteed the option to select a roommate group or roommate of choice. It is possible that you will need to fill an empty bed in a double room with an existing roommate.
- We anticipate Polo Hall being available for selection for Spring 2025. (roommate groups of 4 or 2)
- You will receive an email via your WFU email address with specific instructions to select your Spring housing and meal plan.
- The Availability list, which will indicate all open housing spaces for selection, will be live on December 6th in the Housing Portal. This list is dynamic and updates about every 15 minutes throughout the selection process as spaces are chosen.
2025-2026 Housing Selection
The Housing Application for the 2025-2026 academic year will open in January 2025 via the Housing Portal and is the first step students will take in the selection process. The application also offers the opportunity for students to start thinking early about their living plans for next year according to their class year and, therefore, residency requirements before selection.
As you plan, be sure to review the important information below regarding housing for the 2025-2026 academic year, including a change to our past selection process regarding selection times and important dates to add to your calendar. We encourage you to check back here regularly for updates, including dates for Housing Selection Information Sessions in the Spring!
Information Sessions
| Date: | Time: | Location: |
| TBA | TBA | More info to come! |
THINGS TO KNOW
Wake Forest University views living on campus as integral to a liberal arts education and the Wake Forest experience. In support of that view, the University has a six-semester residency requirement.
Those with 6+ housing credits (typically seniors), will be asked to express their intent to live on or off campus for the upcoming academic year. Those who do not express an on-campus intent by the deadline will be assigned an off-campus application.
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.
Occasionally there are times when there are more students guaranteed housing than spaces available in the residence halls.
In the event, this does occur double rooms that were previously triples (or rooms that can accommodate three people) may be converted to triple occupancy, single rooms that were previously double rooms may return to double occupancy, and designated floor lounges may be converted into student rooms.
Housing charges will be adjusted for those students whose room occupancy changes due to an expanded occupancy situation.
Under no circumstances will a student who selects for a group of residents during housing selection be allowed to change rooms between selection and the Fall Semester. The earliest opportunity for a room change for those students is the Winter Room Change process.
Unapproved room changes may result in a fine, return to the original assignment, and loss of opportunity to move during the Open Room Change process.
Members of the apartment/block/room may have the first opportunity to fill vacancies that may occur during the year by pulling in a roommate of choice.
- If a single room becomes available within a block/suite/apartment, students currently living in that space will typically have the first opportunity to fill the single, prior to it being generally available for room changes.
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 alongside those which were not yet selected 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.
During the second round of selection, students can plan to select a single bed or to look for open doubles in a roommate group of two people.
SPECIALTY HOUSING
Wake Forest University offers our All-Gender Housing pathway for continuing students who choose to live in mixed-sex living units. These living units may be apartments, suites, houses, or rooms in areas of residence halls with private bathrooms (toilet and shower areas).
When selecting All-Gender Housing, it is important that students keep these items in mind:
- Students agree to All-Gender Housing for the academic year with limited options for room changes.
- Residence Life and Housing may consolidate students in all-gender housing in the event of unfilled spaces.
- Students are encouraged to be mindful of who they choose to live with. Residence Life and Housing discourages students in romantic relationships from living together; additionally, students are encouraged to consider carefully when sharing living spaces with their closest friends.
For questions, concerns, or assistance with the All-Gender Housing process please contact any of the following individuals
- Dr. Zach Blackmon (he/him/his), Associate Director of Operations, in the Office of Residence Life and Housing at 336.758.5185 or blackmzr@wfu.edu; or
- Kayla Lisenby-Denson (they/them/their), Director of the LGBTQ Center, at 336.758.4917 or lisenbks@wfu.edu.
Fall Study Abroad
Students studying abroad during the Fall Semester will NOT select housing during Academic Year Housing Selection. Instead, students abroad for the Fall Semester will be required to select their housing for the Spring Semester ONLY online in December.
Spring Study Abroad
Students planning to study abroad during the Spring Semester should proceed with Academic Year Housing Selection for the Fall Semester. During the Fall Semester, our office will be notified by Global Programs and Studies that these students are going abroad, and their Spring Semester housing will be canceled.
During the Spring Semester, these students will be able to participate in Academic Year Housing Selection for the following fall from abroad.
All students who will be living in Theme Housing must:
- Complete the Housing Application
- Provide your name and University ID number to the group leader.
Theme Housing communities are considered on-campus housing and, therefore, subject to all regulations and guidelines as outlined in the Guide to Community Living, the Housing and Dining Agreement, and other housing publications. Some Theme Housing may have additional requirements. Please contact the appropriate group contact if you are interested in Theme Housing.
By providing your name and University ID number, you are agreeing to live within that Theme Housing community for the entire academic year. Students choosing to live in Theme Housing do not have the option of moving to other campus locations during the academic year. Please note that some Theme Housing spaces are co-ed; contact the appropriate group contact regarding the possibility of shared bathroom facilities. Finally, note that current Theme Housing communities are not guaranteed acceptance for the following academic year.
Visit our Theme Housing page for more information.
If you are going to be an RA for the fall semester, you will participate in this online process. When instructed, you will need to visit the housing portal to update contact information, select a meal plan, and accept the Housing and Dining Agreements.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Want to learn more?
Please contact the Office Residence Life and Housing at housing@wfu.edu or 336.758.5185 for further information.
Want to learn more about selection this year?
We encourage attending a Housing Selection Information Session to learn more about the process and visit Find Your Way Home for detailed step-by-step guides for completing the Housing Selection Process.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
Completing a housing and dining application is required each year.
To participate in the housing selection process, students must first update their profile information in the Housing Portal.
Plan ahead with those you want to live with about where you would like to live. A group leader should invite others and form a housing group.
Before the group’s selection time, each person will need to log in and accept their invitation in order to be pulled in during selection.
Keep in mind groups looking to select multiple occupancy apartments/blocks/rooms must fill all beds in the apartment/block/room at the time of online selection.
The way a space is listed on the availability list and/or in the selection portal is fixed and will not be reduced in size.
- Selection times will now be assigned based on a roommate group’s AVERAGE housing credits.
- The earlier your time, the sooner you are allowed to participate and the more room options you may have.
- Students who are not guaranteed housing (including non-resident students, students beyond their 8th semester in housing, etc.) will not be issued a selection time and are not eligible to participate in the General Room Selection process.
- If you have a disability-related housing accommodation on file, someone from the Office of Residence Life and Housing will contact you to schedule a meeting to select your housing.
The earlier your selection time, the sooner you are allowed to participate and the more room options you may have.
A list of available rooms, including the type and occupancy of the room, and independent blocks will be posted and updated frequently during the selection process. Review the availability list regularly as you get closer to your selection time.
- Have a backup plan should your first choice (or second or third) not be available when your selection time comes.
- Review our community pages and the Guide to Community Living for information about the different communities around campus.
You (or your group leader) will log into the housing portal at your selection time on your selection date and select the housing, placing all members of a group in their beds for the coming year.
Help Desk
During General Room Selection, the Office of Residence Life and Housing will provide a help desk during all room and dining selection processes. Here, staff members will be available to provide personal, one-on-one assistance for any student who would like help.
Note: On a case-by-case basis during room selection, the Office of Residence Life and Housing may allow a student to delete an active assignment and select again if the student made an error or mistake in the selection process
The 25-26 process information is in the process of being updated. Please check back on November 18 for the most up to date information.
January 2025
Wednesday, January 22 @ 9 a.m.
Step 1: Complete the 2025-26 Housing and Dining Application via the Housing Portal.
Here, you’ll update your student profile, contact and emergency info, privacy preferences, etc.
It’s important that you complete this information as soon as possible, as you’ll need this step completed to continue in the housing selection process. Completing this step ahead of time also allows you to think proactively about the next steps.
View step-by-step instructions for completing the 24-25 Housing Application.
If you would like to live off-campus but have not yet fulfilled the WFU Residency Requirement, you can enter the Off-Campus Lottery via the Housing Portal.
Only students with FOUR or MORE housing credits (typically rising juniors who have lived on campus) are eligible to enter the lottery.
As our office finalizes the number of students able to live on campus for the fall semester, we will use random selection to release the appropriate number of students.
The deadline to enter the lottery is Feb. 12. Lottery outcomes will be communicated to students by Feb. 23.
View step-by-step instructions for entering the Off-Campus Lottery.
If you have fulfilled (or are on track to fulfill the residency requirement during the Spring 2024 semester –typically rising seniors), you will need to express your Senior Intent via the Housing Portal. This indicates whether you would like to live on-campus or off-campus for the 24-25 academic year.
The deadline to submit Senior Intent is Feb. 12. Those who have fulfilled the residency requirement and do not express an on-campus intent by February 12 will be assigned an off-campus application for the 24-25 academic year.
*Please note that if you leave the University before February 22, 2024, you will not receive credit for this semester and thus may still be required to live on-campus for the 2024-2025 academic year.
View step-by-step instructions for submitting your Senior Intent.
Monday, January 29 @ 9 a.m.
Theme Housing follows a student-led, staff-advised format that relies heavily on the entrepreneurial spirit of students to form and run their own communities.
Our office will release further details regarding Theme Housing for the 24-25 academic year via your @wfu email. You can learn more about Theme Housing here.
Student leaders of Student Organization Blocks will receive direct communications from our office regarding the next steps in the housing selection process.
February 2025
Monday, February 12 @ 9 a.m.
All required materials for Theme Housing and Block Requests must be submitted. Groups will receive follow-ups from our office as needed.
Eligible students interested in the Off-Campus Lottery must submit their interest via the Housing Portal.
Outcomes will be released by our office by Feb. 23.
Seniors must submit Senior Intent (decision to live on campus or off campus for the 24-25 academic year via) the Housing Portal.
Note: Prior to February 28,
- Students who have fulfilled the residency requirement may cancel their on-campus housing application and change their intent to off-campus with no penalty.
- To change your intent, please submit a written request to housing@wfu.edu.
Note: After February 28,
- Students who have fulfilled the residency requirement and want to cancel their on-campus housing application and change their intent to off-campus will be charged a $250.00 cancellation fee.
- Once you select on-campus housing, the agreement is final and binding.
Friday, February 23
Our office will release the Off-Campus Lottery results. Students who have not fulfilled the residency requirement should not sign an off-campus lease prior to being released from our office.
Monday, February 28 @ 9 a.m.
Students requesting disability-related accommodations should submit a request and all supporting documentation via the Housing Portal. Please carefully review the requirements for submitting disability-related accommodations and supporting documentation.
*The Office of Residence Life and Housing has a wide variety of housing and dining options and provides reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities who request housing and/or dining accommodations. A release from the University’s residency and meal plan requirements are generally not considered reasonable accommodations. Most housing or dining accommodations can be made among the current residential and dining facilities on campus.
March 2025
Tuesday, March 5 @ 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Stop by Benson (outside the Food Court) with any questions you have!
Friday, March 8 @ 9 a.m.
All rosters for block housing must be submitted. Our office will follow up with communications as needed.
April 2025
Monday, March 18 – Friday, March 22
Appointments for Disability-Related Accommodations will take place the week of March 18-22.
A staff member from our office will email you to set up an appointment to discuss any recommended accommodations or necessary follow-up. During your appointment, you will discuss your accommodations with a staff member as part of an interactive process; our staff will also discuss housing selection timelines/processes with you at this time as necessary.
Students living in Theme Housing or Blocks will need to log into the Housing Portal and select a housing and meal plan by March 22.
RAs and students being pulled in by an RA will need to log into the Housing Portal and select a housing and meal plan by March 22.
Friday, March 22
Our office will release the Room Availability List via the Housing Portal. Here, you’ll be able to see what’s available (including the number of beds needed to fill a space, as well as any spaces that are allocated for a specific sex) at the time of your selection. Only spaces that match the size of your roommate group will be visible.
*The list is only available during selection week and will update every 15 minutes during housing selection.
View step-by-step instructions for navigating the Room Availability List.
Monday, March 25-Thursday, March 28: Housing Selection!
Important Note:
As a reminder, in the past, selection times were based on the EARLIEST selection time assigned to the group, and selection times were assigned based on the individual’s housing credits.
Beginning with the 2024-25 Housing Selection, selection times will now be assigned based on a roommate group’s AVERAGE housing credits.
View step-by-step instructions for navigating housing selection here.
Individuals or groups with five or more housing credits who have expressed an on-campus intent for the upcoming academic year will select housing on March 25 from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m., according to your housing selection time.
Your selection time will be available on March 11 by 9 a.m. via the Housing Portal.
If you are entering housing selection with a group, the group leader will select housing for your group.
Individuals or groups with three or more housing credits who were not released via the Off-Campus Lottery will select housing on March 26 from 4 p.m.- 8 p.m., according to your housing selection time.
Your selection time will be available on March 11 by 9 a.m. via the Housing Portal.
If you are entering housing selection with a group, the group leader will select housing for your group.
Our office will pause selection and reopen the availability list and housing portal on March 28.
Individuals or groups with one or more housing credits (typically sophomores) will select housing on March 28 from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m., according to your housing selection time.
Your selection time will be available on March 11 by 9 a.m. via the Housing Portal.
If you are entering housing selection with a group, the group leader will select housing for your group.
Selection By the Numbers
Thinking about group sizes and where to look? Use this guide to help get you started!
Note: This guide is pulled from our most common floor plan numbers – reference against the availability list to see what’s actually available before your selection time.
*Please note that we recommend using a pencil, not a pen, when adding these dates to your calendar. Though we’ve taken a great deal to provide accuracy for the upcoming year, dates are subject to change as needed should institutional changes impact the 25-26 academic year dates. Check back here regularly as we near key dates and deadlines, and be sure to check your WFU email for the most updated information.