Apply for Housing—Grad Students

Applying for housing is easy but there are a few things to consider before filling out your application. With that in mind, we created this housing application guide to answer questions that graduate students have about applying for on-campus housing.

How to apply for graduate student housing

Follow these steps to complete your housing application:

Step 1: Fill out your HFS student profile.

Go to the StarRez Housing Portal

Your HFS student profile determines your eligible housing and unlocks your application on the appropriate date.

Step 2: Complete your housing application.

When your application is available you will see it listed on the StarRez Housing Portal.

You are now ready to complete your housing application.

When to apply

These timelines are for autumn quarter applicants. Your student status and application date determine when you will be assigned and how you are assigned. If demand is high, commuting distance may also be taken into consideration. 

Family housing: Students may apply any time after they've been admitted to the UW.

Assignment Process

  • Priority 1: Randomly assigned within your group, and you will participate in room selection.

  • Priority 2–4: Assigned by HFS based on your group, application date, and commuting distance (if there is a waitlist).

Newly Admitted Graduate Students

  • Priority 1: April 2–May 31

  • Priority 3: On or after June 1

New Transfer Students

  • Priority 1: May 5–May 31

  • Priority 3: On or after June 1

Newly Admitted First-Year Students

  • Priority 2: May 5–May 31

  • Priority 3: On or after June 1

Continuing UW Students

  • Priority 3: On or after May 5

Non-matriculated Students

  • Priority 4: On or after May 5

Room selection and assignment

We will notify you of your room selection appointment time. During your appointment time, you will log in, search for available rooms that meet your criteria, and assign yourself. If you have a mutually requested roommate, you can also assign that person to the room with you. 

  • For the best chance of assigning yourself to one of your preferred rooms, log in to the room selection website as soon as you can after your appointment time begins. 

  • We cannot accommodate requests for earlier appointments based on schedule conflicts. 

  • Have a backup plan. If there isn’t space available in your preferred building, room or apartment type, have second and third options ready to choose from. 

Room selection process 

  • Search for your room based on your building choice, room type choice and bathroom type choice. 

  • You may choose to assign your mutually requested apartment mates with you, provided they are not already assigned. 

Changing your room 

  • You may search and select as many times as you like during your selection period. 

  • You can only change your own assignment, not the assignment of your mutually requested apartmentmates.

Assignment by HFS staff 

  • Once 12-month buildings approach full occupancy for autumn, we will begin making assignments on students' behalf, based on their preferences and available vacancies. 

  • Assignments for winter, spring and summer will also be made by HFS staff. 

  • Students who apply for family housing will be assigned during all 4 quarters by HFS based on availability and priority. 

MUTUALLY REQUESTED APARTMENTMATES 

  • You will only be given search results for areas that you are both eligible for and that you both have selected as preferences. 

  • If your apartmentmates didn't preference or aren’t eligible for the area you are trying to assign yourself to, you will not be given any search results.

PAIR AND GROUP ASSIGNMENTS 

A pair or group is comprised of yourself and one or more other students. You may assign yourself and one or more other people as long as: 

  • The other person is not already assigned; and 

  • All group members enter the UW student ID numbers of all other members on the application; and 

  • All group members have the same preferences; and

  • All group members are eligible to live in the area selected. 

Apartmentmate requests must be made using UW student ID numbers, not names. Be sure to have the UW student ID numbers of all students you want to be assigned with before you submit your application. 

Applicants who apply with a group of two or more will be able to assign their entire group of mutually requested apartmentmates. The first group member to select online may assign everyone to an available room or apartment; however, they will not be able to designate which room within an apartment is assigned to each person. 

If, after being assigned by a group member, you wish to adjust your individual assignment within an apartment, you will have the opportunity to make your request by completing an online request. Details will be emailed to you after room selection ends. 

Confirmation of your assignment

Assignment confirmations will be emailed after room selection ends. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Before you apply

You will need this information during the application process:

  • Your building preferences 

  • What method you will use to pay your quarterly housing and dining balance 

  • If you have a roommate request (you need their UW student ID number) 

  • If you want to live in a single-gender or mixed-gender apartment 

  • Your dining account level choice 

You will also need to 

  • Agree to the application's terms 

  • Electronically sign the agreement 

  • Pay a $500 prepayment

A $500 prepayment is required for on-campus housing. Paying the prepayment is the last step in submitting your application. Your prepayment will be applied to your autumn quarter housing statement. Some students with financial need may submit the application without a prepayment. 

Select a dining level

We recognize your needs may differ from students who live in residence halls. That’s why we offer a special Apartment Dining Account for students who live in on-campus apartments.

Requesting an apartmentmate

You may request apartmentmates on your application. Your request will be accommodated if:

  • Both applications have identical housing preferences

  • Both applicants have the same assignment priority

  • Space is available

If you want to request a specific apartmentmate on your housing application, you will need their UW student ID number. We cannot guarantee requested apartmentmates will be assigned together.

Except as required by law, assignments to UW housing facilities provided for students are made without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or military status.

Students who request a mixed-gender apartment will be assigned with other students who have requested the same.

Finding apartmentmates

You are not required to find your own apartmentmates; however, if you would like to, please consider the following resources:

If you don’t find apartmentmates on your own, we will assign one or more for you.

Accommodation of students with disabilities 

Students with individual accommodation or accessibility needs will follow the same housing application process as all students to apply for UW housing. In addition, the student will then register with UW’s Disability Resources for Students (DRS).

Family housing applicants with a disabled family member may follow the same guidelines for application and registration with DRS.

Parking near your building

Depending on where you live on campus, parking areas and loading zones may not be located close to your building. Please be aware of this before making housing choices. A map of parking areas can be found on the UW website.

Cancellation charges

If you decide to cancel your application and assignment, cancellation charges will be based on the date you submit your notice. 

Questions? We're here to help!