Hello! I’m a Gator alum with a rising high school senior. He will be applying for UF and UCF in September and is looking for an on campus suite option. UCF offers a ton of these housing options, and after a recent tour of UF, I see Lakeside and Keyes as the two UF options. Is that correct? Also, I understand he must have at least 30 college credits to opt for Keyes. (As a state college dual enrollment student/AP student he will have 40+ credits earned from these two programs upon arrival.) Our strategy is to have him apply early and then apply for housing as soon as possible. Does this sound like the best option? Can someone give us an idea of how likely it would be for an incoming freshman to get housing in one of these two areas? Thanks in advance for any help you can give and Go Gators!
it’s a good idea to apply for housing as soon as possible since the selection priority for housing is based on the date of the housing application (not the admission application). My son is a freshman beginning this fall, and he applied for housing in mid-November last year, so he was in the last group to select housing on the housing selection day.
He wanted Broward but ended up selecting Lakeside, since Broward was no longer available. Simpson and Trusler were still available at that time as well.
The downside to Lakeside is that is more expensive, being a single room rather than shared room, and it is the farthest dorm from the center of campus.
My D says there are a lot of freshman in Lakeside for the Summer this year and they will be staying there for Fall and Spring. Possibly being so far away and more expensive it is not as popular as it was in the past, or perhaps starting in Summer and opting for a single housing contract for Summer, Fall and Spring can give a Freshman an advantage.
Thanks for all the information. I really appreciate it. Wow! RCGator, I would have thought mid-November was early. Is it safe to assume you can apply for housing as soon as the admission application opens in August? Like your D, CaucAsianDad, I too started my career as a Gator in Summer B and I loved it. Great tip on the single housing contract! Thank you!
you can apply for housing as soon as the admission app. is submitted, so I would assume the housing application becomes available at or around the same time the admission application period begins
Thank you!
I have met a ton of people in lakeside and they all love it. just bring a bike