Is it normal for colleges to send housing before an admissions decision?
I got this email and idk if it’s a regular thing
“We are excited that you have submitted your application to the University of Florida! Now that you’ve made your first step toward becoming a part of the Gator Nation, you are eligible to make your first step towards joining other Gators in living on UF’s campus.”
Yes you can put down a deposit on housing at many schools before you actually commit and are simply an accepted applicant. If you decide not to attend you lose the non refundable part, which seems to be around $50 at many schools. You also may have to put down a much larger deposit that is often times refundable (be sure to check this out) but you need to put it down to secure your place in the queue.
At UF, you really, really need to go ahead and put down the housing deposit as soon as possible. They allow you do it before the admissions decision in February. This puts you in line for on campus housing and is also how they assign dorm sign up times for admitted freshman in the summer. I highly recommend you go ahead & pay it quickly if you are at all thinking about attending UF! There isn’t enough room for the whole freshman class to live on campus and you really don’t want to miss out on that amazing experience. My DS loved it . Go Gators!
At the moment my son paid the housing application fee of $25, which is all they said to do in the email. In fact they added “no further action is necessary.” Is it time for MORE necessary action, i.e. a housing “deposit,” which I would expect to be more money?
@Trisherella NO, nothing else is required until your son is accepted to UF. At that point, they will want the housing deposit ($200 or $250, I think). You’ll need to pay this to go through housing selection.
The annoying thing(for some) is that this is done before the May 1st deadline for enrollment. If you decide to enroll in a different school, but paid your housing deposit, you will end with only getting a refund on 1/2 of it. If you don’t pay the deposit (and go through room selection), you put housing at risk (and may end up in a temporary triple).
While we are on the topic of housing, I was curious how likely it is for a freshman applicant to receive a single room for on campus housing. I applied very early just so I could get an early spot in line.