What is the Housing Application Process?
If your Hokie will be a returning student for the 2025-2026 academic year, the Housing Application Process (HAP) is their opportunity to request on-campus housing at Virginia Tech!
The application opens at 8:00 A.M. on Tuesday, January 21 and closes at precisely 5:00 P.M. on Friday, January 24 for the 2025-2026 academic year.
On-campus housing allows your Hokie to live with their chosen roommate, or a new friend, in an environment that encourages community and provides proximity to all campus has to offer. If your Hokie wants to live closer to social events, academic resources, and embedded mental health counselors, all while never having to worry about late fees on utility bills, on-campus housing could be the ideal home for them.
Most undergraduate returning students who have an interest in receiving a housing contract for the 2025-2026 academic year are eligible to apply during this process. Does your Hokie need the HAP? Keep reading or visit our website to learn more!
Looking for more updates on the Hokies in your life? Follow @vtresidential on Instagram or add us on Facebook for more news about the residential experience at Virginia Tech!
Who is eligible for HAP?
In order to be eligible for the Housing Application Process, your student must be currently enrolled at Virginia Tech. Students participating in study abroad, co-op, and internships are included.
Applicants will not be eligible for the HAP process in the following situations:
- The student has resigned from the University
- The student has an active judicial sanction of denial of housing or deferred denial of housing at any point during the HAP
- The student has not entered the HAP by the deadline of 5:00 P.M. on Friday, January 24
Some students will receive housing offers specific to their special area before the Housing Application Process begins. These groups include:
- Corps of Cadets
- Oak Lane Community
- Residential Colleges
- Living-Learning Communities
- RWB Student Leader
If your student is currently in one of these groups and does not plan to return to the program for the next year, they should enter the Housing Application Process if they want traditional on-campus housing. If your student plans to return to their current program, they do not need to participate in the HAP.
Step 1: How can your student join the HAP?
For the 2025-2026 academic year, the application opens at 8:00 A.M. on Tuesday, January 21 and closes at precisely 5:00 P.M. on Friday, January 24. If your student attempts to register after 5:00 P.M., they will be placed in our online waitlist.
To register for the HAP, your student must:
- Access the StarRez Portal
- Log in with their PID/password and 2-factor ID
- Navigate to “Housing Contracts” on the top menu and choose the “Housing Application Process” term session
- Follow on-screen directions
- Click the “Finalize Your Entry” button to complete the process
Upon successful submission, your student will receive a confirmation email to their Virginia Tech account. Encourage your Hokie to keep a copy of this email for their records!
Returning undergraduate students are not guaranteed on-campus housing. Not all students who apply will receive an offer, as we cannot house all returning undergraduate students due to limited availability. The Housing Application Process provides all students who enter the process before the deadline an equal chance at being offered on-campus housing. If additional space becomes available, those who entered the process but did not receive an offer will be contacted first. If space is still available after that, students on the online waitlist will be contacted.
There is no advantage to being first in line to sign up. All eligible students who enter the process before the deadline have an equal chance of receiving an offer.
At 5:00 P.M. on Friday, January 24, the HAP entry will automatically switch to the online waitlist sign-up. Student names will be logged in the order they are received. The waitlist form will remain active throughout the spring and summer semesters, but no students will be added to the HAP after the deadline.
Roommates
Does your Hokie know who they want to live with? We understand that a roommate can make your Hokie’s housing experience unique, and we have a way for them to secure that VT experience with a chosen roommate!
Your student can pair with one friend during the Housing Application Process (HAP) if they plan to become roommates. A student can only link with one person, and both students must:
- Individually enter the HAP
- Mutually request to be paired
By following these steps, your student can avoid a situation where one student is offered housing, but the preferred roommate is not.
If your student requests a roommate who does not enter the HAP or otherwise meet the eligibility requirements, they will not be paired. The requested roommate will be dropped, but the eligible student’s entry will remain in the HAP for a chance at housing!
It's important to note that the link only ensures both students will be considered together in the Housing Application Process. If your Hokie is offered housing, they will still need to indicate their roommate choice on their housing contract.
Linking with a roommate does not affect your student’s chances of receiving a housing offer—each student has an equal chance, whether or not they request a roommate.
Step 2: Receive and Complete the Housing Contract
Your Hokie was offered on-campus housing through the HAP — now what? The next step is to sign their housing contract! This contract is a binding legal agreement from the moment it is signed, so your Hokie should be sure they want to live on-campus before signing.
Housing contract offers will be sent to successful applicants during the first week of February. Your student should check their Virginia Tech email for the offer, along with instructions on completing and returning the contract by the deadline.
Your Hokie may complete their contract online or receive a paper copy. Regardless of the option they choose, they must complete the contract by the posted deadline. Your student’s on-campus housing offer will expire if they miss the deadline, and they will be removed from the Housing Application Process. Your student may re-apply for on-campus housing through our online waitlist, but a housing offer is not guaranteed in this case.
If your Hokie accepts their offer and signs their housing contract, a $100 prepayment charge will be added to their University account. This charge will appear on their mid-February billing statement. Your student may pay online, by check, or by money order at the Bursar’s Office. The prepayment must be paid by the billing date to avoid a hold on the student's account, which could block fall registration.
Once the contract is submitted, it is a binding agreement. Failure to pay the prepayment will not void the contract and may result in a hold on your student’s account.
Conditional Contracts
If demand for housing exceeds supply, Housing Services may issue conditional offers in addition to regular offers. Students who accept and sign a conditional contract will be assigned housing after all other assignments, including those for incoming freshmen, are completed.
Your Hokie should be aware that conditional contract holders will most likely be assigned temporarily to a Student Leader room as a roommate, to a study lounge converted for residential use, or to a temporary triple room. We will make every effort to move your Hokie into a permanent space within their assigned building, but a reassignment is not guaranteed.
Step 3: Selecting Room Assignment in March
Your Hokie will likely have the chance to choose the building and room they want to live in!
Room assignments are made in the order in which students sign their Housing Contract. The earlier your student signs, the earlier they can select their time slot for choosing a room. If your student has a conditional contract, they will not select their assignment and will be placed by Housing Services staff into available rooms. The placement will happen over the summer.
When your student’s time slot opens, they can log into the system to select their room. More details about room assignments will be provided in early March.
Certain groups will not select their own rooms or roommates, including:
- Corps of Cadets
- Oak Lane
- Athletes in the Creativity and Innovation District
- Conditional contract holders
If your Hokie has a mutually requested and verified roommate, both students can select a time slot together, as long as they both have a standard contract offer. Your student can create a roommate group; however, suitemate assignments are not considered during this process.
Please note that the assignments staff reserves the right to adjust assignments, buildings, and room designations as needed to address campus occupancy and any issues that may arise. We strive to minimize such changes, but they may occur.
If on-campus housing might be perfect for a Hokie in your life, save the dates in this post and remind them to do the same! Don’t forget to follow @vtresidential on Instagram and Facebook for more updates on the residential experience, from housing to unique opportunities on campus at Virginia Tech!
