Students who plan to live on campus during fall 2010 will be assigned housing in the next few weeks. These students will be placed based on availability.

St. Edward’s University currently houses 1,386 students in residence halls and on-campus apartments.  To live on campus, students must enter the Housing Lottery between Feb. 12 and Feb. 17 on EdWeb.

Once students are entered in the lottery, they will receive random time slots based on the semester they entered the university. That time slot will correspond with a time during the Housing Fair for Returning Students Feb. 22-26, when actual housing sign up will take place.

Freshmen and sophomores have priority in on-campus housing because they are still adjusting to college life and living on campus gives them many resources to adjust successfully, said Brian Obert, associate director of assignments and facilities said.

Residence Life sets aside 670 beds strictly for freshmen. 

Juniors and seniors, who  Obert said are generally more independent than underclassmen, may live on campus if there is space.

“If [juniors and seniors] have to live off campus, they are probably ready,” Obert said. “We want to make sure we aren’t pushing people off if they are not ready.”

Residence Life provides resources for those students who need to find off-campus housing including a guide to living off campus, which gives tips on what to look for in a lease and how to choose a suitable neighborhood.

Residence Life also set up the Off-Campus Roommate Board online where students can sign in and create profiles to look for off-campus roommates.

“If you can’t get housing on campus, as a university we are doing what we can to help students get roommates,” Obert said.

Students who want to live on campus but don’t get the room they want can sign up for a spot on a waiting list, Obert said. Residence Life prefers that freshmen and sophomores live in the community style residence halls and juniors and seniors live in the more independent style apartments.

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