First Year Students
WELCOME, NEW BLUE HENS!
We're so excited for you to be a part of the UD community! We've included some resources below for you to learn about living on campus with us as a newly admitted first-year student or freshman transfer student (transfer student admitted with 18 or fewer credits from another institution within one year of high school graduation). Learn about our in-hall programs, buildings on campus, and more! Stay updated on specific housing application information on our Application Guide page as applications open.
After you make your admissions deposit, make sure to review this New Student Checklist so you can be sure you're set up to receive the communications you need as you enter the University of Delaware.
Frequently Asked Questions
- All new first-year and freshman transfer students are required to live on campus in the academic year of admittance and should complete the housing application in the My Housing portal once it opens.
- A student can request an exemption to live off-campus if they meet certain criteria (lives with a parent or legal guardian within 30 miles of campus, is married, has a child, is at least 21 years of age by the first day of classes, or has freshman transfer status). Instead of applying for housing, these students would complete the First Year Exemption Request form once it opens in the portal. Requests will be reviewed by our office.
- The first-year housing application and exemption request form for students entering in the Fall semester usually open in early-mid April with a priority deadline of mid-May (specific dates to be announced in spring). Before the priority deadline, students can request roommates, apply for Living Learning Communities, and submit accommodation requests. After the priority deadline, these items may not be available or guaranteed.
- The first-year student application for students entering in the spring semester typically opens in early November with a priority deadline in mid-December.
- Housing application information is provided to new students via their @udel.edu email address after they've made their admission deposit to the University of Delaware. Be sure to set up your UD email and check it regularly!
- First-year students live together in traditional and suite-style housing, primarily in double and triple rooms with limited single options. Traditional halls have rooms along the corridor with communal bathrooms by gender. Suite-style halls feature two bedrooms connected by a bathroom. Our buildings are primarily co-ed by room, meaning that, while students of the same gender share a room, the floors are mixed gender.
- Students can indicate interest in a room type in their application, but placement in this room type is not guaranteed.
- First-year students do not get to choose where they are housed and can be placed anywhere across campus in a variety of buildings. Some buildings have air conditioning, some do not; some buildings have elevators, others only have stairs. Take a look at the Explore Our Halls page for more details.
- While roommate requests are not guaranteed, students can mutually request a roommate(s) during the application process before the priority deadline.
- If a student requests only one roommate, they can still be placed in a triple with another student.
- Students who don't request a specific roommate will be paired based on available space and their responses to our Lifestyle Questionnaire, which includes questions around the roommate relationship, noise, cleanliness, and more.
- Approximately half of our first-year students request a roommate and the others are paired up by our system.
- Students in need of accommodations should connect with the Office of Disability Support Services (DSS) as soon as they know they'll attend the University of Delaware. There, students can be registered and work with their doctor or other care providers to complete forms to ensure that needed services are provided.
- All accommodation requests must be submitted to DSS by our priority application deadline. Accommodations are not guaranteed, but Residence Life & Housing will do everything possible to meet the requests submitted on time. Accommodation requests submitted after the deadline will be received, but may face delays or an inability to be met based on space availability.
- Accommodations can include a need for items such as air conditioning, elevator access, bathroom modifications, or a single room based on documentation submitted by a medical provider. This is important information to know as not all buildings have these items. This is not a process to circumnavigate the assignment process and should only be used by students who have a documented need. This process can also be used by students who have an emergent need, such as a change in diagnosis or incident (e.g., broken leg), to request new or future accommodations.
- Students can request to stay in our residence halls during the three break periods of the academic year: Thanksgiving, December, and Spring Breaks.
- There is no additional fee for Thanksgiving or Spring Break, but there is a fee for the December Break.
- Students who are participating in an in-person or online class or a University-sponsored activity, international students and students facing housing insecurity can request to stay on campus during Winter Session.
- There is no housing fee for Winter Session if students are living on campus during the fall and/or spring semester, but students living in traditional and suite-style housing are required to pay for a meal plan.
- While housing is not guaranteed past the first year, we encourage students who want to remain on campus to apply during the returning student application process which is typically during February for the following year. Priority to be guaranteed housing is given to current first-year students who will be entering their second year.
- Students apply for a chance to be guaranteed a space on campus, but we cannot guarantee placement in a particular location, room type, or with a requested roommate.
- The application process details are shared out with current residents and posted to our website each year as the application opens.
What's it like to live on campus at UD?
Explore Campus
Housing
Explore Our Residence Halls and Apartments
Life in Our Halls
In-Hall Communities and
Living and Learning Communities
Selected Residence Hall Tours
Tour of Gilbert Hall: youtube.com/watch?v=g-b5qCh2CzM
Tour of George Read Hall North and South: youtube.com/watch?v=2uS4ZwsM80c
Tour of South Academy Hall: youtube.com/watch?v=JaQB3YW8vZk