Housing Help!

Hi! I am debating between a few schools and will not be able to make my final decision until they release information about scholarships (at the other school I am seriously considering, it will not be released until March or April). I want to live in Newman Hall if I attend uiuc but know the rooms go quickly. Is there a way I can still secure a spot but not be 100% committed? How does housing work if you do not know what college you want to attend? Do you just have to wait and decide or is there some way to secure it? Thank you!

For Newman, if you want a suite style room in the newer north building, you should plan to put in a deposit as soon as possible and should contact them now to see what is likely to be available. Traditional rooms in the south building remain available a while longer, as least they did a couple years ago. Like most colleges, the deposit is not refundable if you go elsewhere, so that is the drawback. At many schools, if you want a better choice, you need to put in a deposit early and risk losing it for various reasons, so perhaps do this only at a couple of your top choices.

If you opt for a university dorm at UIUC, the lottery isn’t until after the May 1st deadline and since it’s random, it doesn’t require any early deposit to be made. Of course, you may not get your top choice if you get a late selection time.

My son was looking at Newman due to the great location and the very nice new building and cafeteria. Though he was on the list, he wasn’t notified when sign-up started and ended up on a wait list for the north building. At that point, he opted to live with a friend in a university dorm instead, so forfeited the deposit. If you don’t care about choice of rooms or buildings, some people don’t bother with the deposits and just wait until they decide and take what’s available. If the cost of the deposit isn’t a big deal, then just make sure you are aware of the contract deadlines and cancellation policies before you sign anything. Then check every day in case sign-up starts earlier than listed.

My son is a freshman and living at Newman now. I also had two daughters stay there for their freshman and sophomore years. Getting into the north building is always tough for freshman as the current residents are already signing up for those rooms now for 2019. Rooms in the south building will start to fill up fast once the regular admission decisions come out. You will be able to see how many rooms are available on their on-line system after you are admitted. Then you can assess the situation and decide if you want to put a deposit down to be safe. Good luck!