First of all, congrats to everyone that was accepted! I was accepted and I have a few questions about living on campus. I applied for housing and was recently offered a contract. Does this mean that if I accept the contract that I will be guaranteed on campus housing? Also, what will happen/ would I have to do if I accept the contract but later decide to not go to UF (I’m still waiting to receive decisions from some schools)? Which residence hall is the best for freshman?
From what I read in the contract, to accept the housing contract you pay a $225 deposit. If by May 1st you decide not to attend UF you can cancel the contract but they keep $125 of the deposit and only refund you $100.
What I can’t tell is: is your priority/place in line determined by when you accept the contract and pay the $225 deposit or was it determined by when you initially placed the $25 housing contract deposit after applying for admission?
@FloridaBound16, thanks for the info and this is very helpful. I will then have to rush my kid to sign the housing contract. We paid the $25 last Dec 1 so we will have to rush this one. Thanks again.
@FloridaBound16 @Greensat If your kids find a roommate before it’s time to select your room, the roommate with the earliest priority date gets to go first and then “pull in” the other roommate. So, if your get a bad date, but your kids roommate has a better date, you’ll both get to use the better date. A lot of kids find roommates on the Class of 2020 Facebook page and such. 
@Greensat You do not need to rush to pay the $225. I spoke to housing yesterday. The $25 housing deposit was the one that locked in your housing priority date. Just don’t miss the $225 rental deposit deadline.
Hey, I’m a third year student at UF, and I’ve heard about how this works a little bit. Even if you sign the contract, you’re not guaranteed housing. I don’t know what happens if you don’t go to UF, but I would look into other options like Windsor Hall, which isn’t a UF dorm but it offers roommate matching and guaranteed housing, plus a bunch of other amenities that UF dorms don’t have. I’ve lived in Hume and Murphree and I think that Hume was pretty in comparison to other dorms, but it’s a hike to classes. It took me 20+ minutes to walk to class. Murphree was older and I liked that at first, but I would hear people from midtown drunkenly yelling all through the night. And I was put with two random roommates who weren’t very friendly. If I could go back I would have stayed at Windsor, because I’ve known a lot of people who have and beat the hassles of having to share a communal bathroom or dealing with creepy roommates. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions, I’d be happy to help.
The above post is incorrect. Once you pay the $225 deposit you ARE guaranteed housing.
^^^It just may be in a temporary triple (if you’ve submitted your housing deposit late).
I think it would be a safe bet to call UF directly and ask about guaranteed housing, because from my knowledge, it’s not guaranteed. There are other options around campus that would be safer to do financially. If you have any other questions I’d be happy to help!
Each student has a deadline to pay the $225 by. If you pay by your deadline, you are guaranteed housing.
Housing Advance Rent Payment
The Housing advance rent payment ($175 for Summer B 2016 – $225 for Fall/Spring 2016/2017) is required to complete the Housing Contract, and can be submitted after you complete the online portion of the contract. The advance rent payment must be received by your due date to complete your contract or you may not receive campus housing.