How we make assignments
New, first year students will receive their room selection lottery number based on monthly randomization. New Hawkeyes find community in every residence hall. The best campus experiences come from the relationships you make within your residence hall, not the location.
Returning students will receive their room selection timeslots based on how long they have lived within the residence halls. Students that choose to live off-campus after living in the residence halls are no longer eligible for housing for upcoming terms.
Housing assignments at Iowa are determined based on a variety of different factors noted below.
Living Learning Community
One factor we use to determine your assignment is based on your Living Learning Community. Students who join a LLC will live with others on the floor that share the same academic interest or identity.
New students can apply to join a Living Learning Community from February - May 1. Returning students must apply by February 1.
All roommates must individually apply and be accepted in order to live together in the Living Learning Community. New students participating in an LLC must confirm roommate requests by April 30.
Room selection date
The date you select your hall and room will also have an impact on your assignment.
Students will receive their room selection lottery number based on monthly randomization. New Hawkeyes who apply between the first and last day of a given month will be randomized together to be assigned their room selection number (spot in line.) This will occur each month, with January applicants receiving their room selection numbers first, followed by February applicants, and groups for March, April, and May 1. Online hall and room selection takes place in June.
Returning students who apply by February 1, 2025 are provided a room selection time based on the number of semesters they have lived in the residence halls. Hall and room selection takes place online in mid-February.
New students arriving in January for the spring term will not self-select their room. They will receive their housing assignment in late December/early January.
Roommate requests
On your housing application, you will have the ability to request roommates. Once you submit your housing application, you can search for roommates based on answers to the lifestyle questionnaire and community preferences.
Your roommate request must be mutually confirmed online in the housing portal.
New students that apply for housing by May 1 can search for roommates March 3 - May 15.
Returning students roommate requests are due February 1.
Medical (ADA) accommodations
Our team works with any student who requests a housing or dining accommodations on an individual basis. It is important to communicate early and thoroughly with University Housing and Dining staff to ensure your needs can be met most effectively. Your accommodations needed can have an impact on your housing assignment.
If you need to request an accommodation, you will need to fill out a Reasonable Accommodation Request form. Learn more about our process here.
Expanded Housing
Students are assigned, temporarily, to expanded housing when there are no more available spaces in student rooms. Students will be reassigned to a permanent space once one becomes available.
Expanded housing is created by converting study lounges on residential floors into large bedrooms, where six or fewer students will be placed. Expanded housing offers bunked beds, shared desk/table space for studying, and shared clothing storage (wardrobes).
Changes to your space
Almost all students select their own rooms for their contract term.
If you prefer a room change, you will be emailed with details about how to request a room change when our team can begin offering assignment changes.
University Housing and Dining does not offer contract releases due to a roommate conflict.
Changes to your space
Room change waitlist
Our waitlist is utilized to offer a specific room type within a specific building as it becomes available.
The fall 2024 waitlist will open in September 6, 2024 with offers being extended as space allows September 16 - December 16, 2024.
The spring 2025 waitlist will open on January 27, 2025 with offers being extended as space allows between January 29, 2025 – March 14, 2025.
Spaces are offered via UIOWA email to you in the order in which your request was received. If you are hopeful to change your room assignment with a specific person, please be sure to include their name in your request.
You must respond to the room change offer in order to either accept the room change offer or remain on our waitlists. Failure to respond to a room change offer will result in the removal of your name from all of our waitlists. Students accepting a room change offer are responsible for moving their belongings and completing the move. UHD does not offer transportation or moving assistance.
When accepting a room change, your name will be removed from all room change waitlists. Students are welcome to resubmit their names to our lists for either semester.
Living Learning Community waitlist
This waitlist is utilized to offer space in a Living Learning Community as it becomes available.
You may place yourself on this waitlist type in the housing application portal starting in September 2024. You will need to include your name, University ID and the LLC you wish to be placed on the waitlist for.
Anticipated spring vacancies
As students have a change in their plans for spring semester, it may bring new vacancies within the residence halls. If our office is given proper notice, students that will have a vacancy in their room will be notified via UIOWA email and asked if they have a Hawkeye they would like to request as a roommate for the upcoming Spring 2025 semester. Students that do not have a fellow Hawkeye to request will receive a roommate from our waitlist. Our in-hall staff will continue to monitor our available spaces and offer these anticipated vacancies to students on their waitlist(s) through December 16.
Given our spring 2025 housing needs for our incoming transfer students, current students that have a vacancy in their room are not able to buy the space out as a single occupancy room and must have the room ready to welcome a new Hawkeye.
Students receiving and accepting an end of the semester room change offer should:
- Thoughtfully consider their exam and travel plans prior to accepting a room change.
- Connect with the current occupant of their anticipated spring room to arrange move in plans.
- Have all items removed from their fall room no later than 12pm on Saturday, December 21, 2024, even if the new space is not vacated.
- If you are unable to move your items to your Spring room by 12pm on Saturday, December 21, 2024, you will need to find alternative storage solutions as the residence halls will close at 12pm.
Please note that University Housing and Dining does not provide storage or moving assistance and bears no responsibility for lost or damaged items.
Restroom types
Each residence hall at the University of Iowa has a variety of restroom types. Our halls offer community-style, single-user, suite-style and private restrooms. Private restrooms have very limited availability across all our halls.
Residence hall pages offer descriptions and photos of each of these restroom types.
What comes in my room?
All rooms at Iowa come with a desk, lofted bed, dresser, closet, curtains, trash and recycling containers. After that, it is up to you!
Typical furniture dimensions
One of each item per resident will be in the room.
Lofted bed: 81.5 inches (width), 58 inches (height), 40 inches (depth).
Dresser: 30 inches (width), 30 inches (height), 30 inches (depth).
Desk and chair: 48 inches (width), 30 inches (height), 24 inches (depth).
Closet: 37 inches (width), 72 inches (height).
Closet configuration varies by residence hall.
The standard bed configuration for each type of room is as follows:
- Double—two high lofts
- Double rooms in Mayflower Hall default to two captains
- Triple—one high loft, one bunked bed set
- Quad—two sets of bunked beds
Hall furniture images
Bed configuration options
Bunk beds configuration
- 69 inches (mattress height), 40 inches (width), 85 inches (height), 74 inches (total bed height).
** Bunk bed configurations are not available at Mayflower Hall.**
High loft configuration
- 69 inches (mattress height), 40 inches (width), 85 inches (length), 74 inches (total bed height).
** High loft configurations are not available at Mayflower Hall.**
High captain configuration
- 43 inches (mattress height), 40 inches (width), 85 inches (height), 37 inches (total bed height).
- Mayflower: 42 inches (mattress height), 40 inches (width), 85 inches (height), 35 inches (total bed height).
Captains bed configuration
- 33 inches (mattress height), 40 inches (width), 85 inches (height), 37 inches (total bed height).
- Mayflower: 32 inches (mattress height), 40 inches (width), 85 inches (length), 36 inches (total bed height).
Single configuration
- 24 inches (mattress height), 40 inches (width), 85 inches (length), 37 inches (total bed height).
- Mayflower: 19 inches (mattress height), 40 inches (width), 85 inches (length), 36 inches (total bed height).
