Residence Services is offering a Returner Priority for a limited number of in-house undergraduate residents.
There will be approximately 400 spaces available for non-first year (upper-year undergraduate) students through the Returner Priority. Actual number of bed spaces will be announced by the end of January 2024.
To qualify for the Returner Priority, applicants must be an in-room undergraduate resident during the Spring 2024 term.
Eligible applicants must apply for the full academic year (September to April) to be considered for the Returner Priority.
The application deadline for the Returner Priority is February 29.
Room offers will be processed in submission date order, after the deadline, until all returner priority spaces are confirmed.
Once returner priority spaces are confirmed, remaining applicants, if applicable, will be included in the upper-year undergraduate lottery.
Undergraduate lottery for Fall 2024
Although the University of Victoria has a first-year residence guarantee, we do have residence spaces available for other students (upper-year undergraduates). This number changes each year and is dependent on how many applicants are covered by the first year guarantee, and how many total spaces we have available in our buildings. In 2023-24, we were able to accommodate nearly 1000 undergraduate and graduate students, in addition to our first year guarantee students.
The application deadline for the undergraduate lottery is May 15.
Full-year applicants are given preference in our room assignment process. Applicants must apply for the full academic year (September to April) to be included in the undergraduate lottery.
After May 15, we run the undergraduate lottery and determine each applicant’s place on the undergraduate list.
We begin offering rooms to undergraduates shortly after the application deadline. The process of offering rooms (and having students either accept or reject their offer) will go on all summer until late August.
Eligible applicants in the undergraduate lottery may receive a room offer between May-August, depending on availability.
Please note: Those who apply for the Fall Term (September to December only) will not be included in the lottery. Fall term applicants will be placed on the waitlist below full academic year applicants.
Before you begin your residence application, make sure you have your NetLink ID and an email address that you will use for at least the next 12 months.
You will need to pay the non-refundable $50 application fee by credit card or debit. This fee is paid online as part of the application process.
If you are applying for the Returner Priority, the application deadline is February 29. After all returner priority room offers are accepted, remaining applications are added to the Undergraduate Lottery along with any applications received as of March 1.
If you are applying as an undergraduate, the deadline to be included in the undergraduate lottery is May 15. If we receive your application after this date, you will be added to our waitlist.
Applications for the academic year open on the first Monday in February.
When you apply, you will be able to rank up to five preferences for housing type (including selecting a room type and a community).
Undergraduate students are eligible to select cluster housing, pod-style housing, dormitory rooms, and select living learning communities (LLC).
Please be advised that we try our best to accommodate room preferences whenever possible, however requests for a particular room type are not guaranteed.
Select living learning communities are open to undergraduate applicants in single dormitory, pod-style housing and Cluster.
If you are interested in a living learning community you must submit a supplemental application. Applicants will be selected based on the quality of their answers, including examples of:
experience and genuine interest in the theme
ability to actively contribute to the theme and their community
Living learning community applications are evaluated by the LLC committee and will be ranked according to the quality of answers to the supplemental question. Room offers to the living leaning communities are based on these rankings. Applicants who are not accepted into a living learning community are still eligible for a room through the standard residence admissions process, as long as they have submitted an application and qualify to live in residence.
We look forward to reading your application and welcoming you to one of our fantastic communities!
Yes, you may request a roommate through your residence application in the Housing Portal. Roommate requests must be verified (mutually confirmed) in order to be considered. We will facilitate roommate requests when possible however we cannot make guarantees.
Returner Priority room offers will begin in March. After returner priority room offers are confirmed, any remaining applications will be included in the undergraduate lottery.
Once we run the undergraduate lottery, we'll send you an email indicating your lottery number and we will give you an estimate of whether or not you may receive an offer. Please note our assignment process is dynamic and room offers go out from May until the end of August, as availability allows.
If you receive your room offer in March,April,May or June, you have 4 days to accept the offer by paying the $500.00 non-refundable acceptance fee, the $250 security deposit, and agreeing to the Residence Contract terms.
If you receive your room offer in July or August, you have 48 hours to accept your offer by paying the $500.00 non-refundable acceptance fee, the $250 security deposit, and agreeing to the Residence Contract terms.
If you receive a room offer and do not accept within the given timeline, the offer will be cancelled.
Students who receive a room offer, will receive one offer only.
If you wish to cancel your residence application, and you haven't received a room offer, you may do so through the Housing Portal. On the Application Status page, look for the "Cancel Application" option. Please note that the $50 application fee is non-refundable.
If you have accepted a room offer and wish to cancel your room, you must send a written cancellation notice to Residence Admissions: resadmin@uvic.ca.
Applications are non-transferable. Your application fee is non-refundable and may not be used towards a future application.
If you cancel your room offer on or before August 23, you will lose your $500 acceptance deposit.
If you cancel your room offer between August 24 and your move-in date, you will lose your $500 acceptance fee and your $250 security deposit.
If you cancel on or after your move-in date, you will lose 60-days of accommodation (charge) and your $250 security deposit. For meal plan cancellation penalties, please check with Food Services.