Room Assignment Process

Important Reminders

Students approved for disability accommodation must also sign a housing contract before being assigned a space.

Previously approved disability accommodations in W&M housing automatically renew each semester. An approved disability accommodation in housing does not guarantee that a student will be able to secure on campus housing and all upperclassmen are subject to the housing lottery unless specifically exempted. 

Disability Housing Accommodation Approval for Returning Students

• All new and adjustment disability housing accommodation requests, with the associated documentation, must be made to Student Accessibility Services (SAS).
• Students seeking or receiving a disability housing accommodation approval must sign the housing contract in the Housing Application on the housing portal by the due date to be eligible to participate in the room selection process.
• Please note, returning students with an approved air conditioning accommodation will not be added to the returning student early room selection process as all upper-level halls have cooling systems. 

Disability Housing Accommodation Approval for New Students

• If you require housing accommodations due to a disability, please contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS).
• AC Approvals - If you have a disability requiring air conditioning, please contact Student Accessibility Services in the Student Success Office.
• DO NOT WAIT until after the New Student Room Selection process ends, hoping to select a space that accommodates your disability, including air-conditioned buildings. A delay in approvals for accommodations will prevent you from participating in the new student early room selection process, where students can select a space that meets their approved disability needs.
• Students seeking or receiving a disability housing accommodation approval must sign the housing contract in the Housing Application area of the housing portal by the due date to be eligible to participate in the room selection process.

For all students with a room selection time slot:

• Students who remain in the early room selection process will be able to view and select into available rooms that meet specific criteria their disability requires based on specific accommodations listed in the letter Residence Life received from Student Accessibility Services. No specific preferred buildings, room types nor roommate group size options are guaranteed during selection.
• In the room selection process, if a student is not satisfied with the room options available at that time, they have the option to forgo their approved disability accommodations by emailing [[myroom]] to request a traditional room selection time slot. Students selecting through traditional room selection are not guaranteed to select into, nor be placed into, a space that meets their approved disability accommodations.
• If a student has additional disability needs not covered by their current approved disability accommodations, please submit additional medical documentation to the Student Accessibility Services office for review. This must be completed before the room selection process starts.
• Student Accessibility Services will not make changes to already approved accommodations during the room selection process.

Due Dates for Disability Housing Accommodation Requests:

• January 5, 2026 – Due date for spring 2026 is for residents to submit new spring 2026 requests or adjustments with Student Accessibility Services.
• February 2, 2026 – Due date for returning students to submit fall 2026 requests with Student Accessibility Services.
• April 13, 2026 – Due date for students to submit summer 2026 requests with Student Accessibility Services.
• May 15, 2026 - Due date for new graduate students to submit fall 2026 requests with Student Accessibility Services.
• May 29, 2026 - Due date for new undergraduate students for fall 2026 to submit requests with Student Accessibility Services.
• These due dates mean that you must have submitted all documentation needed for an accommodation (this includes single occupancy room accommodations) by the stated due date.
• Requests will continue to be considered after these dates, but accommodations may be delayed based on space and availability.

Important Reminders

Students approved for religious accommodation must also sign a housing contract before being assigned a space.

Religious accommodations in housing are not automatically renewed for each academic year and must be requested and approved each academic year. An approved housing accommodation does not guarantee that a student will be able to secure on-campus housing, and all upper-level students are subject to the housing lottery unless specifically exempted.

• Requests for religious housing accommodations will be considered case-by-case basis according to documented need. Following a thorough review through the Planning, Strategy & Integrative Practices Office, they will make recommendations as appropriate to Residence Life.
• Due Dates for Religious Housing Accommodation Requests
  • January 5, 2026 - spring 2026 residents only for spring 2026 requests
  • February 2, 2026 - returning students for fall 2026 requests
  • April 13, 2026 – summer 2026 requests
  • May 15, 2026 - new graduate students for fall 2026 requests
  • May 29, 2026 - new undergraduate students for fall 2026 requests

For questions, please contact the Planning, Strategy & Integrative Practices Office directly.

First-year students enrolled full-time are required to live in on-campus housing during their first two (2) years following their high school graduation. The program will explore additional academic, social, and cultural living and learning communities for W&M students in the third and fourth semesters at W&M.

• High school graduation 2024 - Required to live on campus for 2024-25 & 2025-26
• High school graduation 2025 - Required to live on campus for 2025-26 & 2026-27
• High school graduation 2026 - Required to live on campus for 2026-27 & 2027-28
• High school graduation 2027 - Required to live on campus for 2027-28 & 2028-29

Housing Agreement & Housing Assignment

• Failure to sign the contract will not release a student from this requirement, and Residence Life will still provide a housing assignment. Our office will follow up with students who are required to live on campus to confirm completion of the housing contract.
• A student is expected to occupy the assigned room unless Residence Life has issued a written notice of approval and/or contract release.
• Students are not considered exempt from the residency requirement if they do not complete a housing application and/or contract. Failure to take possession of the assigned space is not grounds for an exemption to the residency requirement and/or to have associated charges reversed. 

When do housing contracts go live?

• November 3, 2025 - New and returning students online housing contracts for spring 2026 only
• January 20, 2026 – Returning students online housing contract for fall 2026
• Early May 2026 – New students online housing contract for fall 2026
• November 2, 2026 - New and returning students online housing contracts for spring 2027 only

Does the two-year live-on requirement include transfers?

• Traditional transfers - No, traditional transfer students are not included in this requirement.
• Pathways transfers - Yes, Pathways transfers are required to live on campus for their incoming spring semester and the following fall and spring semesters.

Study Away Programs

If you plan to study away in the fall of your sophomore year/3^rd semester, you will be required to live on campus the spring semester of your sophomore year/4^th semester. If you study away in the spring of your sophomore year/4^th semester, you will not be required to live on campus in the fall of your junior year/5^th semester. 

If you participate in the Semester in Washington D.C. Program and live in the Washington Program student housing in the fall or spring of your sophomore year, this will count toward your two-year live-on requirement.

Can first- or second-year students be released from the housing requirement?

Generally, the answer is no. However, there are limited circumstances under which a first- or second-year student might request release from the housing requirement.

Reasons for contract release eligibility are limited to the following:

• Students who are married
• Students with dependent children who reside with them
• Students who receive a disability housing contract release through the W&M Student Accessibility Services office ([[sas]]).
  • This option is only considered if Residence Life is unable to provide housing that meets the approved accommodation.
• Students who reside full-time during the academic year at the primary residence
  of the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) within 60 driving miles from the W&M Williamsburg campus.

Can first-year and sophomore students have cars on campus?

• First-years and sophomores may only have cars on campus under special circumstances, requiring prior written approval from Parking Services.

Need to complete a housing contract and application? Head over to the housing portal.

What do I need to know about applying for a release?

Students enrolled full-time are required to live in on-campus housing during their first two years following their high school graduation unless they apply for and are granted a housing contract release.

Before you look at the requirements for each release, there are a few things to remember.

• The deadlines to request a contract release for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years are by add/drop each semester. 
• Meeting the criteria for eligibility for a residency waiver does not mean a student will automatically be granted an approved waiver. It means that their request will be advanced for final consideration.
• A limited number of students will be granted an exemption.
• Do not sign a lease in the community until you have received written approval for your exemption. Signing a lease will not be considered a valid request for a contract release. 

Commuter Release

• Students requesting this release must be living at the legal residence of a mother/father or legal guardian (who established guardianship before the student turning 18) AND
• The residence must be located within 60 driving miles of campus.
• The mother/father or legal guardian must live at this residence 5 out of seven days a week.
• The student may NOT live with another current W&M student unless the current student is a sibling and both live at the legal residence of the mother/father or guardian.

Financial Hardship Release

• When the student has a significant verified need for financial assistance as indicated by the Financial Aid Office that grants, scholarships, loans or other available funding identifiable by the university does not fully fund.
• After a residence hall contract is signed, "extenuating financial circumstances" are defined as situations over which the student has had no control (such as loss of parental support due to death, divorce, loss of employment, catastrophic health issues, bankruptcy), which create a financial hardship and which have occurred after the contract was signed.

Disability Release

• Students who are requesting a release based on a disability need that can be supported with documentation should submit the documentation and petition to Student Accessibility Services.

Other Release Types

• Marriage: The student gets married. A copy of the marriage certificate is required for verification.
• Dependent: The student has a dependent. A copy of the birth certificate is required for verification.
• Study Away: The student is accepted into a William & Mary-approved fall study away program. Verification must be received from the Reves Center or the Registrar. Spring study-away requests can be made during the fall semester.
• Wait List Student: The student is actively on the housing wait list and wishes to be removed from the room selection or room assignment process.
• Withdrawing: The student is ending their enrollment at W&M, which may include withdrawing from the university, being academically dismissed or transferring to another institution. Verification is required from the Academic Wellbeing Office or the student program.

Additional Information

• Failure to obtain an approved contract release from Residence Life will result in the posting of the semester housing charges to the student. Any first- or second-year student registered for the fall semester who fails to sign up for housing and has not been approved for contract release will automatically be assigned a room and meal plan and will be responsible for those charges unless a contract release request from the housing contract is completed and approved.
• Nonpayment of this charge may result in the cancellation of classes and/or restriction from registering for any additional classes.
• Any student found to have provided false information on the contract release request form or during this process may be subject to university disciplinary action.
• A student is expected to occupy the assigned room unless a written notice of approval and/or contract release is issued from Residence Life. A student is not considered exempt from the residency requirement or released from their housing contract until Residence Life approves a request in writing. Failure to take possession of the assigned space is not grounds for an exemption to the residency requirement and/or to have associated charges reversed.

Contract Release Submission, Evaluation & Decision Process

1. Contract release requests must be submitted on the contract release page of the housing application.
2. Any contract release request not completed within thirty (30) days of initiation will be discarded.
3. Contract release requests will be reviewed based on current policies stipulated in the housing contract.
4. Applicants will be notified of the decision in writing.
5. Release request decisions are final. There is no appeal process.
6. Residence Life generally will respond to initial requests within fifteen (15) business days.
7. Contract release requests will not be reviewed after add/drop, both fall and spring semesters.

Where to Submit a Housing Contract Release Request

You will need to log into the housing portal under the 2024-2025 housing application or 2025-2026 housing application (as pertains to your situation) and select the Contract Release Request page to submit a request. 

Cancellation of the Contract Prior to Occupancy: Students who are not required to live on campus may request to cancel their housing contract by submitting a request via the Housing Portal, according to the cancellation schedule published in the Housing Resource Guide. After a student’s cancellation period has ended, students with signed an academic year housing contract will owe and be charged full room fees. Any termination of the W&M Residence Life Housing Contract, subject to the terms and conditions in Sections 5, 6 and 7, may qualify the resident for a refund or adjustment of room fees owed. If Residence Life is unable to provide a fall semester room assignment by August 1, 2026, the student may request cancellation of the contract with no penalty. The cancellation policy does not apply to freshman or sophomore (by high school graduation year) housing assignments.

2026-27 Contract Cancellation Fee Schedule:

• For contracts signed through February 10, 2026:
  • Through February 10, 2026 - no penalty
  • February 11, 2026 to February 25, 2026 - $750 penalty
  • February 26, 2026 to March 11, 2026 - $1,500 penalty
• For contracts signed after February 10, 2026:
  • Between 1-2 business days - no penalty
  • Between 3-10 business days - $750 penalty
  • Between 11-20 business days - $1,500 penalty

2025-26 Contract Cancellation Fee Schedule:

• For contracts signed through February 11, 2025:
  • Through February 11, 2025 - no penalty
  • February 12, 2025 to February 26, 2025 - $750 penalty
  • February 27, 2025 to March 12, 2025 - $1,500 penalty
• For contracts signed after February 11, 2025:
  • Between 1-2 business days - no penalty
  • Between 3-10 business days - $750 penalty
  • Between 11-20 business days - $1,500 penalty

Residence Life is committed to offering gender-inclusive housing options to ensure inclusive communities. Residence Life offers two housing preference options based on gender:

• Single-Gender Housing: roommates/suitemates/apartment-mates with the same sex listed in W&M's Banner system
• Gender-Inclusive Housing: roommates/suitemates/apartment-mates of any gender or gender expression/identity

Residence Life is committed to providing genuinely safe and inclusive living communities.

• Must be at least 18 years of age at the time of the request.
• If you are under 18 years of age, please contact [[myroom]] for possible available options.
• Each individual student must be eligible for on-campus housing.
• Groups/living units cannot mix undergraduate and graduate students in a gender-inclusive housing selection.
• For incoming first-year students, all individuals in the group must pay the admission deposit and complete the online housing application and contract by May 29.

• Gender-inclusive housing is about WHO you want to live with in your room/suite/apartment, not what building or room type you want.
• Students selecting gender-inclusive housing should plan to live with a roommate.
• Students should not assume that they will be able to select a single by choosing gender-inclusive housing as single occupancy rooms are not available through the gender-inclusive housing process.
• You will not be able to search for a roommate with no gender-related housing preference, meaning that if you have selected “Single-Gender Housing,” you will not be able to search for roommates who have selected “Gender-Inclusive Housing.”
• Residence Life cannot guarantee that there will be enough options to grant all students gender-inclusive housing preferences. If Residence Life cannot accommodate the request or the resident does not select a roommate, they will be assigned a roommate based on the single-gender housing preference.
• Gender-inclusive housing is optional, and all students selecting the gender-inclusive housing option must carefully read, accept, and understand the expectations listed.
• Gender-inclusive housing is not intended for and is highly discouraged for romantic couples. However, students will not be asked for their reasoning for requesting gender-inclusive housing.
• Gender-inclusive housing eligible buildings typically have all genders living on the same floors/wings throughout the building with exceptions noted below under “Buildings With Some Gender-Inclusive Options”.

• Spaces for groups of two will be in Hardy Hall (limited), Ludwell Apartments, Old Dominion Hall, One Tribe Place, Richmond Hall or West Woods 1 halls.
• Spaces for groups of three students will be in Landrum Hall (limited) or Ludwell Apartments.
• Spaces for groups of four students will be in Tribe Square, Evans Apartments or four-person suites.
• Spaces for groups of six students will be in Landrum Hall (limited).
• Students accepted into a living-learning community (including the Africana House, Mosaic House and the Global Village) and students with approved disability accommodations will also be eligible to select into available gender-inclusive housing.

• Gender-inclusive housing for graduate students will be in two-, three- or four-bedroom apartments at the Evans Apartments.

• Gender-inclusive housing for first-year students is offered in rooms in residence halls with single-use or suite bathrooms available.

• All buildings on this list house all genders in each floor/wing, suite, apartment and/or room unless otherwise noted.
• Bryan Hall (suites only, all other spaces separated by sex (male/female) by floor/wing)
• Chandler Hall (all spaces)
• Botetourt Complex (Dinwiddie, Fauquier, Gooch, Nicholson, Spotswood) ) [GIH first-floor only, 2^nd and 3^rd floors/wings separated by sex (male/female)]
• DuPont Hall (all spaces)
• Evans Apartments (all spaces)
• Hunt [GIH first-floor only, 2^nd and 3^rd floors separated by sex (male/female)]
• Jamestown Triangle (Cedar, Hardy, Lemon) (all spaces)
• Landrum Hall (all spaces)
• Ludwell Apartments (all spaces)
• Monroe Hall (all spaces)
• Old Dominion Hall (all spaces)
• One Tribe Place (all spaces)
• Richmond Hall (all spaces)
• Tribe Square (all spaces)
• West Woods 1 (Maple, Oak, Pine, Poplar) (all spaces)

• While all buildings on this list house all genders (unless otherwise noted), the floors/wings are separated by sex (male/female).
• Barrett Hall
• Camm Hall
• Dawson Hall
• Fraternity Houses (all male)
• Jefferson Hall
• Madison Hall
• Sorority Houses (all female)
• Stith Hall
• Willis Hall

If housing demand exceeds the supply, we will wait list students through a random process.

Being wait listed does not necessarily mean you will not live on campus for the 2026-27 academic year. It does mean, however, that you will not be able to participate in the room selection process at this time.

Students required to live on campus are EXCLUDED from the wait list. Students who graduated from high school in 2025 and 2026 are required and guaranteed an assignment unless they apply for and are granted a housing contract release (separate from the contract cancellation process).  

Students Protected from the Wait List Process for 2026-27 Room Selection

• Students required to live on campus - High school graduation years 2025 and 2026
• Spring 2026 study away students
• Students who obtain a 2026-27 room assignment through Same Room Sign Up by 5 pm on Tuesday, February 10, 2026
• Living-learning communities such as Africana House, Mosaic House and the Global Village
• Special Interest Communities such as Lavender House
• St Andrews William & Mary Joint Degree Programme students currently at St Andrews who sign the housing contract in the 2026-27 housing application by the published due date
• 1693 Scholars
• Spring 2026 newly admitted Pathways transfer students
• Fraternity and sorority housing
• Roommates of approved early room selection students with a room selection time slot

• Some students will withdraw from the room selection process for various reasons, such as study abroad opportunities and other changes to circumstances. When this happens, reinstated students will be contacted with either a room selection time slot or assignment as these spaces open.
• If you plan to live with a not wait listed roommate, they will not be able to hold a space for you or pull you into their room while you are on the wait list. 
• When students are wait listed, reinstatements are randomly issued as space becomes available, meaning there is no ongoing numbered wait list. Our assignment system randomly identifies a wait listed student each time a space is vacated. There is no specific order to the waitlist. 
• After completing the room selection process, reinstated students will be emailed a room assignment as space becomes available throughout the spring and summer. We will continue to assign newly available spaces to reinstated students. 
• Wait list students are housed before former students, transfer students (except for designated transfer spaces), and currently enrolled students who did not sign a 2026-27 housing contract by 5pm on February 10, 2026. 
• As a wait listed student who is not required to live on campus, you are permitted to seek off-campus housing and request cancellation of your housing application without penalty while there is an active wait list.
• If you want to begin an off-campus search, we recommend starting with the Williamsburg Off-Campus Housing site.
• To submit a request to cancel your contract, please return to the "Contract Release" page of your 2026-27 housing application on the housing portal, read the information listed there, select the “Wait Listed Student Release” option, acknowledge your request on that page and click "Save & Continue" at the bottom of the page. After the Residence Life staff reviews your request, they will send a follow up email.

Why is there a wait list for housing?

A wait list happens when the demand for on-campus housing exceeds our available space.

Are currently wait listed students charged a fee to be released from their housing contract?

No cancellation fee would be applied for a currently waitlisted student who is granted a Wait Listed Student housing contract release.

How many people are on the housing wait list?

Currently there is not an active housing waitlist.

How does the housing wait list work?

When students are waitlisted, reinstatements are randomly issued as space becomes available, meaning there is no ongoing numbered waitlist. Our assignment system randomly identifies a waitlisted student each time a space is vacated. There is no specific order to the wait list. Reinstated students will be emailed a room assignment as space becomes available throughout the spring and summer. We will continue to assign newly available spaces to reinstated students through the end of add/drop as long as there is an active housing wait list. It might be easier to think of the wait list as a "pool" rather than a "list."

I was waitlisted last year. Can I be waitlisted again?

Due to the randomized process for waitlist designations, students can be waitlisted again in a subsequent year even if they were waitlisted in a prior year.

When will I be placed in on-campus housing?

It is impossible to provide a specific answer to this question. Residence Life will continue to place wait listed students into housing as space becomes available through the end of add/drop as long as there is an active housing wait list.

I have an approved accommodation. Why was I wait listed?

An approved accommodation in housing does not guarantee that a student will be able to secure on campus housing and all upperclassmen are subject to the housing waitlist unless specifically exempted. If/when students are reinstated off the waitlist, they will be assigned to a bed space. We will do our best to meet their accommodation. However, if the bed space does not meet their  accommodation at the time of assignment, they will be prioritized for a room to change if/when a space becomes available.  

How can I find off-campus housing?

• The Williamsburg Off-Campus Housing website is a good starting place.
• Join the College of William and Mary (W&M) Housing, Sublets and Roommates Facebook group.
• Talk with friends who live off campus — often, they pass leases/spaces on to other students from year to year.
• W&M is planning an Off-Campus Housing Fair. Watch for details on social media.

I thought housing was guaranteed for four years. Is this not true?

In the modern era, W&M has never guaranteed housing for four years.

I don't have a car. How am I supposed to get to and from campus?

WATA (Williamsburg Area Transport Authority) provides free bus transportation to all W&M students. We recommend that as you search for an off-campus location, you consider proximity to a bus stop if you need public transport.

What if I can't afford to live off campus?

There are a wide variety of properties and price points off-campus. We recommend you search for spaces that are suitable to your budget. 

Moving off-campus & financial aid

Want to know more about how moving off campus and financial aid works? Review Financial Aid information and contact the Financial Aid Office.