Apply for housing

The residence hall housing application is available to first-time freshman who have been admitted to University of Idaho beginning Nov. 19, 2024.

At this stage of the application, you can update personal and emergency contact information, complete your student profile to find a roommate, pay the $100 non-refundable application fee and sign the Residence Hall and Dining Services License Agreement. You will not select a room at this time. This step is simply to reserve your spot in on-campus housing. Room selection will happen later in the process.  

To complete your housing application, go to iwanthousing.uidaho.edu.

Specialized community application

If you are interested in living in one of our many specialized communities, you are encouraged to apply for your desired community through the housing application beginning Nov. 19, 2024.  

Housing and Residence Life will review applications as they’re received.  

Approvals will be emailed to you on a rolling basis. Approvals will be determined based on your eligibility for the community and availability of beds in the community.  

Specialized community room assignments that have been accepted will be emailed starting on Feb. 26, 2025.

• If you are not approved for the specialized community because there are no available beds, you can be placed on the waitlist for your desired specialized community and will then be eligible for room selection according to your position on the list.
• If you are not approved because you are not eligible for the specialized community, you will be eligible for room selection according to your assigned timeslot.

Finding roommates

Learn more about finding roommates during the application process below.

Complete the housing application by the Feb. 19, 2025, deadline to receive a priority room selection timeslot. If you apply before Feb. 19, you will receive an assigned room selection timeslot based on the month you completed the application. Room selection timeslots will be emailed to your Vandal student email address.

If you applied for and were approved for a Specialized Community your specific housing assignment will be emailed to your Vandal student email address. You can log back into your housing application starting Feb. 26, 2025, to view your room assignment, select a meal plan, select a check-in timeslot, review housing assignment information, sign your Residence Hall Agreement and finalize your application.

• You will have five days to decline your Specialized Community room assignment. If you decline your room assignment, you will be given a timeslot for room selection based on the month you completed the housing application.
• You do not need to email Housing and Residence Life to accept your room assignment.

When you complete your housing application by Feb. 19 you will be emailed your specific room selection timeslot on March 4 to your Vandal student email address.

Priority application room selection timeslots 

• Application completed Nov. 19 – Dec. 19, 2024: Room selection begins on March 18.
• Application completed Dec. 20, 2024 – Jan. 19, 2025: Room selection begins on March 19.
• Application completed Jan. 20 – Feb.19, 2025: Room selection begins on March 20. 

You may log into the application ANYTIME after your assigned timeslot has started. If you log in before your timeslot, you will only see the homepage.

During your assigned timeslot, you can log into your housing application, view available rooms and select the room you would like to live in. You will only be able to select a room after your assigned timeslot has started. You should log out after you select a room and submit your application.

If you did not complete the application before Feb. 19, 2025 and you have not yet selected a room, you will be able to log into the housing portal to select a room and submit your finalized application on March 21, 2025.

If an ADA accommodation is needed, you should contact and complete all necessary documentation with the Center for Disability Access and Resources (CDAR) by May 1. Failure to do so may result in a significant delay in housing being able to provide requested accommodation.

On June 1, the option to self-select a specific room on campus will end. If you miss the June 1 room selection deadline, you will have your room assigned by the Housing and Residence Life Office according to room availability.

If you decide to cancel your housing application or housing assignment, you must do so by July 1. If you cancel your housing application or room assignment after July 1, you will receive a $350 cancelation fee. If you cancel your room assignment after picking up your room key, you will be subject to all fees outlined in the Residence Hall and Dining Services License Agreement and Residence Hall Handbook found at iwanthousing.uidaho.edu.

How to cancel

While we would certainly like you to live with us, we understand that this may not be the best option for you. Complete the cancel application form to cancel your application before university move-in dates. If you have any questions, contact us at 208-885-6571 or housing@uidaho.edu.

New student move-in begins at 8 a.m. Pacific time, Wednesday, Aug. 20. You can select a thirty-minute check-in window through the housing portal. Checking into the room includes picking up a room key, getting directions to the room, picking up a VandalCard, getting a parking permit, etc.

Once you are checked in, you may begin moving your belongings into your new room. The move-in process does not need to be completed during the thirty-minute check-in time.

Starting Dec. 17, 2024, the 2025-26 residence hall housing application will open for current residents, transfer students and any student who is not a first-time freshman. You can update personal information, emergency contacts and complete your profile to find a roommate at this time.

Learn more about coordinating roommates during the application process.

When you complete your housing application by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time) on Monday, Feb. 3, you will have the first opportunity to select your room as part of the general room selection period.

Individually assigned room selection timeslots will be utilized for the 2025-26 Housing Application process. Following the application deadline, you will be notified of your assigned timeslots through your Vandal email.

Beginning at the start of the assigned timeslots, you can use the Housing Portal to choose an available room for the 2025-26 academic year. You will only be able to view available spaces during or after your individually assigned timeslot. If you log into your housing application before your assigned timeslot, you will be redirected to log out of the Housing Portal and to return during your timeslot. 

From Tuesday, Feb. 11 to Friday, Feb. 14, you can participate in the general room selection process if you completed your housing application before the deadline. General room selection timeslots will be assigned randomly, without consideration of the date of completion of the application.

If you didn't complete an application before the application deadline, you won't be able to select a room until after the general selection period.

The following communities will not be available for selection:

• All first year housing communities
• All spaces designed for ADA accommodations 

Starting on Feb.19, if you are a current or transfer student and have completed a 2025-26 Residence Hall Housing Application, you may select your room from any remaining available spaces.  

Room self-selection will close June 1, or sooner if all available spaces are filled.  

When all available spaces are filled, Housing and Residence Life will open a waitlist and applicants on the waitlist will be assigned a room by Housing and Residence Life if a space becomes available. Housing and Residence Life will accommodate student preference, if possible, but it is not guaranteed. 

If you decide to cancel your housing application or housing assignment, you must do so by July 1. If you cancel your housing application or room assignment after July 1, you will receive a $350 cancelation fee. If you cancel your room assignment after picking up your room key will be subject to all fees outlined in the Residence Hall and Dining Services License Agreement and Residence Hall Handbook found at iwanthousing.uidaho.edu.

How to cancel

While we would certainly like you to live with us, we understand that this may not be the best option for you. Complete the cancel application form to cancel your application before move in. If you have any questions, contact us at 208-885-6571 or housing@uidaho.edu.

Transfer student move-in begins at 8 a.m. Aug. 20 and returning student move-in begins at 8 a.m. Aug. 21. You can select a thirty-minute check-in window through the housing portal. Checking into the room includes picking up a room key, getting directions to your room, picking up a VandalCard, getting a parking permit, etc. Once you are checked in, you may begin moving your belongings into your new room. The move-in process does not need to be completed during the thirty-minute check-in time. 

During Fall break, all residence halls will remain open for students who wish to remain on campus.

All dining facilities will be closed during the break. 

The Residence Halls (with the exception of LLCs and Stevenson) will close during winter break. The cost is $500 to stay on campus during winter break and you will be reassigned to a different room during this time if you choose to stay on campus. All dining facilities will be closed during the break.

If you are living in any of the Living Learning Communities (LLCs) or in Stevenson Wing and are in need of winter housing, fill out a Winter Break Housing Application.

If you plan to return to the residence halls for spring semester, you may leave your belongings in your rooms during winter break. You should plan to take any important items with you (ex: medications, passports, computers, schoolwork, etc.) as you will not be allowed back into the buildings during winter break.

If you are not planning to return to the university or residence halls for the spring semester, you will need to complete the “Request to Break License Agreement” form in the Housing Portal. Cancelling your Licenses Agreement after Dec. 1 will result in a $350 late cancellation fee.

Note: During winter break, Housing and Residence Life staff will conduct Health and Safety checks in student rooms. These inspections help ensure a safe environment by confirming that safety equipment is functioning properly and smoke detectors are not obstructed.

All residence halls remain open during spring break for all who wish to remain on campus.

All dining facilities will be closed during this week. 

To apply for summer housing, please use the Summer Housing Form.

Any questions regarding summer student housing, please email conferences@uidaho.edu.

If you are not planning to live in your apartment after the end of your current agreement, please complete and return an Intent to Vacate form. As a reminder, an Intent to Vacate form must be submitted 60 days prior to your check out date to avoid a $100 fee.

If you are continuing as a registered full-time student/employee, you may request to renew your agreement to continue living in the on-campus apartments during this timeframe.

The apartment application will be available to admitted students and full-time U of I employees. The opening of the application will be dependent upon apartment availability.

Interested applicants should follow the steps outlined in the housing application during this time, which allows you to choose your preference for apartment type(s) and size.

When you receive an apartment assignment, you will receive a letter sent to your Vandal email address. You will be required to sign the apartment agreement and submit a deposit of $500 to reserve the apartment.

The apartment term will begin on Aug. 1 for new residents. Residents can begin moving in on this day.

• Only freshmen (new applicants) can live with other freshmen.
• Non-first year (transfer) and returning students may live together in eligible spaces but are NOT eligible to live in first year communities or with first-year students.
• Once you create or join a group, you will not be able to join any other group, but you can still add members to your group.
• Any groups of one (1) will automatically be deleted after 24 hours.
• You cannot have a multi-gender roommate group. All members must be the same gender.

There is a maximum of five members per roommate group. However, not all rooms/suites will accommodate all five people.

• Wallace Residence Center: Only four people maximum can be in a roommate group.
• Theophilus Tower: Only two people maximum can be in a roommate group.
• Living Learning Communities (LLC): Depending on the suite, two to five people may be in roommate group.
• McConnell: Not eligible with roommate groups.
• North Campus Communities (NCC): Only two people maximum can be in a roommate group.

Group Leaders

• Only the Group Leader has the ability to approve other members to join the group.
• Group Leaders must assign each member in the group to a bed. However, all group members will have the ability to assign beds during room selection if the Group Leader is unavailable to do so.
• You can leave a group at any time unless you are the Group Leader.
• The role of Group Leader may be assigned to anyone else in the roommate group at any time before the priority application deadline.

During roommate search, you will be able to create a group of potential roommates. If you have already been added to a group, you will see those details below. If you know your friend’s Vandal Number you can start creating a group by clicking “Search for Roommates by V Number.” If you do not have an intended roommate, you may search for any potential roommates by clicking "Suggest Roommates" or "Search for Roommates by Profiles." As more members are added to the group you will be able to see all the group members on this page.

If a student does not appear in the search, ensure the following:

• You have entered the correct Vandal Number (V#).
• Your friend has started the housing application.
• Your friend is the same student classification as you
• Your friend is the same gender as you
• Your friend has not entered another roommate group.
• Your friend has not opted into a specialized community.
• Your friend has not cancelled their housing application.

If you would like to join an existing group, you may do so by using the roommate search feature and add yourself to an existing group. If the group is already full, you will not be able to add yourself and will receive an error. All requests to join a group MUST be approved by the Group Leader within five days. 

You can leave a group at any time, unless you are the Group Leader, by clicking “Leave Roommate Group” on the Roommates Page. The option to leave will appear once you are part of a group. If you are the Group Leader and would like to leave the group, you may assign the Group Leader role to another member of the group and then leave.

You will receive a notification whenever there has been a change to your roommate group. 

When the time comes to select a room, anyone in the group may assign other members of the group to a bed space. If you are the Group Leader you will be required to assign yourself and your roommate(s) to a bed space. You will only be able to assign your roommate group to the same room/suite in an eligible building. You will not be able to assign rooms or suites outside of the one selected through the Roommate Group process. Technology does not always work perfectly, and there is a chance that group members may not be accurately assigned to the same room. It is advised that you be in contact with group members and that requests to join groups are confirmed.

If you have any questions about the roommate group process, feel free to contact us at housing@uidaho.edu or 208-885-6571.

Important reminder for housing applications

You must still sign the license agreement and choose a meal plan to have your application marked as complete. Failure to do so results in a canceled room assignment.