Upperclass Housing FAQ

The reasons students share with us for choosing to remain in on-Grounds housing include:

• Location: Closer to classes, libraries, bus stops, and dining locations.
• Flexibility: You can change rooms when space is available: a luxury you may not have off-Grounds.
• Complimentary Services: Maintenance staff are ready to take care of problems and are available 24/7 for emergency repairs. Our housekeeping staff clean public common areas. Resident Staff members are available to support your continued personal and academic success.
• Safety and Security: You live exclusively with other students in an environment where your safety is a priority. Lock and access card systems govern access to the buildings. Lock cores are changed whenever keys are lost. University housing meets high standards for fire safety, with annual inspections by the State Fire Marshal's Office.

Due to the wide variety of options both on- and off-Grounds, it is hard to say definitively which one is less expensive. When comparing on-Grounds to off-Grounds housing there are a few things to keep in mind that will often show on-Grounds housing to be the better value:

• On-Grounds contracts are for 9 months, meaning you only have a contract for the time you are in school. Off-Grounds contracts are almost always 12-months, so more than likely you will pay for 3 months you don't need, or have to deal with the sublet process in a difficult market, if you do not plan to spend the summer in Charlottesville.
• On-Grounds housing includes all utilities except telephone and cable TV, so you don't have a separate bill for electricity, water, heat, Internet, etc. Some off-Grounds accommodations require the tenant to pay some or all utilities; this can drastically increase your cost.
• On-Grounds housing requires no damage deposit. Some off-Grounds locations may charge as much as one month's rent as a deposit.
• All on-Grounds apartments have fully furnished living rooms and bedrooms, whereas most off-Grounds accommodations come unfurnished.

• Apartments: Bice, Bond, Copeley, Faulkner, Gaston/Ramazani, and Lambeth.
• Hall-Style: Johnson, Malone, and Weedon Houses.
• Residential Colleges: Brown College, Hereford College, and the International Residential College.
• Language Houses: French and Spanish Houses, and Shea House, which includes multiple language groups.

For detailed information on each area, including floorplans and photos, see our Returning Undergraduates housing page.

Housing & Residence Life (HRL) welcomes students of all genders at UVA, with a goal of providing housing accommodations that are conducive to individual academic success. HRL offers an inclusive housing option, known as open housing, to students who wish to request roommates regardless of their sex or gender identity.  We also offer individual assistance for students who wish to explore on-Grounds housing options that accommodate their gender identity or gender expression.

To learn more, please visit our Open Housing page.

Housing is generally available in one or more of the on-Grounds upperclass areas for students who complete an application by the priority application deadline. Your preferred area(s) and room type may not be available. Housing is not guaranteed for upperclass students, so please make sure to follow the deadlines for housing applications and room selection in order to have the best opportunity for on-Grounds housing.

For students who apply after the priority deadline, we will continue to make housing offers throughout the summer as space is available.

Housing is not guaranteed for upperclass students, so please make sure to follow the deadlines for housing applications and room selection in order to have the best opportunity for on-Grounds housing,

Please see our Students with Families page for more information.

Housing applications are submitted online through the housing portal. Please make sure to follow the deadlines for housing applications and room selection. Assignments are made based on a randomly assigned timeslot, and there is no advantage to applying early as long as you meet the posted deadlines.

Before applying, you should consider several things:

• whether you want to live in an on-Grounds apartment, hall-style area, or residential college or language house
• whom you would like as a roommate and/or apartment-mates
• whether you prefer a single or double room.

Application process

• On the application you can create a roommate group, join an existing group, or apply as an individual.
• You or the group leader will receive a randomly generated timeslot to select rooms for all group members from what's available at that time.
• All group members will then have until the Friday of their assigned timeslot week to accept or decline their individual housing offer.

To see all housing deadlines for the current year, please visit our Application Dates & Deadlines page.

Students who drop out of a group to become Resident Advisors (RAs), study abroad, or withdraw from the University are automatically released from their housing agreement. Remaining apartment-mates or roommates may contact the assignments office at housingassignments@virginia.edu if they would like to request someone who does not already have a housing assignment and would like to take the vacated space(s). However, we cannot guarantee that these requests can be accommodated. Housing & Residence Life will fill any vacancies as it deems appropriate.

We cannot guarantee that you will get the specific area, building, apartment, or room that you are seeking. We urge you to be flexible. If you decline an offer to live on Grounds during any of the stages in the process, you can apply for remaining on-Grounds options after the room selection process ends but there may be limited availability. If you accept an on-Grounds offer, you may be able to change to other available room assignments beginning two weeks after the start of the fall semester.

Please do not sign a contract for on-Grounds housing unless you intend to live in on-Grounds housing. If you sign a contract, you are responsible for the cost of the housing unless you are able to find an approved replacement who can take over the assignment prior to move-in. Please understand that the housing agreement is a binding legal document and can only be cancelled within the cancellation timeframe listed on your housing portal.

We release students from their housing contracts to study abroad. The steps to be released are as follows.

Study abroad during the current academic year, spring semester:

• Please email housingassignments@virginia.edu to let us know you are not returning for spring semester due to study abroad. We will cancel your contract for the spring and remove the housing charges from your student account.
• Please note, you must vacate your housing at the end of fall semester (by noon on the day after the last exam).

Study abroad during future academic years:

• Fall semester abroad: You may sign up for housing for the full academic year. Once you know for sure that you are studying abroad, email housingassignments@virginia.edu. After receiving confirmation from you we will cancel the full academic year contract. If you wish to return to housing for spring semester, complete the spring semester housing application online (available in early November of the semester you are abroad). Please note that we are not able to hold a specific space for you while you study abroad.
• Spring semester abroad: You may sign up for housing for the full academic year. Once you know for sure that you are studying abroad (typically in October or November after you move in), email housingassignments@virginia.edu. After receiving confirmation from you we will cancel the spring semester portion of your contract.

If graduating in December, you will need to inform Housing & Residence Life in writing (please email housingassignments@virginia.edu) in order to ensure you are not charged for spring term housing. You must vacate your housing by the end of the fall semester (noon Saturday after the last exam). Your account is updated once we confirm you have vacated your room.

Please see our Special Housing Accommodations page for information.

Please see our Service and Assistance Animals page for information.