UCF Housing

Does anyone have any experience with housing at UCF? My son got accepted there about a month or more ago but we did not put a down payment on housing. To do so it is $250. What?? We already put a housing payment down for USF and UF and they were only $50 and $25 respectively. Maybe I was reading the wrong price but is that what it is? Just to hold a spot? My son also got into Burnett Honors and would be interested in the Towers. He is waiting on UF on Feb 9 to make a final decision. I guess my question is: If he decides to go to UCF in a month for Fall 2018 will housing be gone? Towers? Anyone have any experience with UCF housing? Thanks!

have the same questions too and would like to know answers. Not sure if we need to put down a deposit to hold a spot since my daughter is waiting to hear from other schools before she decides where to go.

UCF has rolling housing just like rolling admissions. They give Freshmen priority, but returning students enter a lottery this month and housing could be gone if you wait past 1/31. I believe, if you decide not to go to UCF, you get the deposit back. I’d verify that and then sign up before it’s too late. Housing at or near UCF is really limited and is already being snapped up by returning students.

But wouldn’t my son have to commit to the school in order to commit to housing?

That I don’t know. I would definitely find out soon though.

Just went on the housing site and it when you start a housing app it tells you what is limited and what is not. So far only Apollo private bedroom, Lake Claire private bedroom, and Neptune private bedrooom are “very limited”. The Towers, which we are hoping for, is not limited yet. I will be checking it every day.

@BillyMadison123 I seem to recall the very limited availability for those locations from the first day housing opened, so I don’t know that it is a good indication of what is currently available. My daughter has the option to change her preferences for housing up until May 1- she put her deposit down on the second day housing was open(I think they go by deposit date). I would think that since he is honors and they get special housing in Towers, he would be safe.

Is there any information in the honors college material? I would think there are many in the same boat as your son.

According to the housing agreement there are cancellation fees. For Towers it said $100 fee if you cancel before May, 5th. So it seems you would be out $100.
If the system allowed you to see choices, then I would assume you could put down a deposit without accepting admission.

I spoke to housing. You do not get the full deposit back. You get $150 of the $250 back. You have to cancel by May 1 to get that deposit back.

I made the deposit once I got accepted and was sure I was going to attend. I had the same dilemma, but even if your son applies for February, that’s still early. Plus, freshman get priority. Don’t throw a $100 in the mud for no reason

Yes you get most of the deposit back. The fee for UF is just to determine your place in line once housing is selected. They also will have a deposit comparable to UCF’s, most of which you get back if your child decides not to attend. You have to make a similar deposit for FSU, and you will get most of it back if it takes longer for your child to decide where to go. We put deposits down at all three schools because my son wanted to attend Accepted Students’ Days at all three. So we got two deposits back.

If you want to maximize the opportunity to get decent housing at any of the schools, you need to put deposits down at each as early in the game as you can. It would be a shame to consider turning down a school your student really wanted to attend because you lagged on the housing deposit and ended up with a marginal housing situation. Or they could go there with a less than ideal housing situation.

Housing is based on confirmation date…which is assigned after you put in deposit.
When my kids first got accepted, I put in “deposits” at uf,usf,fsu and ucf as soon as housing opened. My kids had confirmation dates of October and November

At ucf, Burnett usually goes into towers 3 as it is the honors dorm. It is also a contract for 11.5 months…along with northview and are therefore more expensive. Other dorms are contracted for fall and spring.

You will select your type of contract and then rank some preferences such as 1/1, 4/2, 4/4, etc and by actual dorm name. Those preferences will be doled out based availability and your confirmation date. There are very few 4/4 or 1/1 rooms…very very few.

Can someone explain the 11.5 month contract to me for Towers housing? My daughter is only a Junior but we are researching UCF heavily due to the National Merit program and the Honors College option of staying in the Towers. The Towers look like an amazing housing option (mostly the fact it has the single rooms within a 4 person suite/apartment).I am sure she will want to travel back to Maine during the summers but am learning that the Towers requires a 11.5 month commitment and thus more expensive? why is that and why is it not 12 month commitment then? Are there other similar housing options that do not require this? Thank you!

@FrozenMaineMom
Housing can very confusing.
An 11.5 month contract runs from mid August to basically the end of july (the beginning of fall semester thru the end of summer semester). If you choose not to contract to stay in your EXACT same room for the upcoming school year, you must move out completely by the end of summer sessions so housing can prepare your room for a new tenant to move in at the beginning of the following fall semester. They clean, repair and paint. If you contract for another year in your EXACT same room, you DO NOT have to vacate your room at all…ever…thru out the 12 months (You can live and leave your stuff there during that 2.5 weeks between summer and fall). Housing will still be able to enter your suite and room for any repairs and touch up, but you will know as they are told the room is occupied and will leave notices.
So yes, if you want to move into a different room in towers, you will have to completely vacate and find a way to store your belongings and possibly yourself for those 2.5 weeks. Ucf will not assist in this, but there are many short-term storage companies that you can use.
If you choose not to live in towers during the summer, you can contact ucf housing and plead your case to get out of the contract. I don’t know how often this is successful.

Those who do not contract in a 11.5 contract need to be aware that housing closed during winter and spring break.

I hope this helps a little.

I should add that if you are part of a special group (let’s say band or theatre for instance) that needs to move in early, ucf housing makes accommodations.

that 11.5 month commitment makes sense now - thank you!!! Is the Towers option the only one that has both the full bed and single bedrooms within a suite/apartment?

Towers is not the only option- Neptune, Lake Claire, Apollo, North View (I don’t think freshman can live there??), all have singles. UCF does require 9 credit hours taken during the summer, so the 3 semester 11.5 month contract makes sense as an option. Check out UCF’s website for housing- it has floorplans on it ans is really helpful.

The dorms and ability to have a single room was one of the driving forces for my daughter wanting to be at UCF.

Ucf doesn’t require 9 credit hours in summer…state of Florida mandates this i believe.

I did not realize that 9 credit hours need to be taken during the summer…I need to learn more about that I guess as that might be the biggest negative I have learned about the school so far as I know my daughter will want to come back to Maine to work for the summers…This is mandatory? Does it matter which year the student does this?

I’ll be honest- I don’t know a bunch about this, but I agree with @ufmomfriend that it is a Florida thing. UCF was the only Florida school my D applied to. I have heard they make exceptions and there are online classes (would that count???), I don’t think it matters which summer. It’s one of the first questions my D will ask her advisor.