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Housing Assignment Philosophy

Effective Fall 2016

Revised Fall 2024

Goal

The offices of Student Affairs and Residence Life are committed to assigning student living spaces on the basis of priority for those students who most benefit from the personal, academic and community support of living on campus. To accomplish this goal, new students with the highest developmental need and new international students will be prioritized for assignment to on-campus housing in UTampa residence halls.

Rationale for Housing Philosophy

Students are not required to reside in on-campus residence halls and the Office of Residence Life cannot guarantee on-campus housing for all students. While every effort is made to accommodate all new and continuing students who request housing, most new UTampa students will be assigned to on-campus housing on a space-available basis. Please note that on-campus housing assignments are impacted by the housing application date and roommate requests. New students should submit their housing application in Residence by Symplicity soon after deciding to attend UTampa.

Research in student development and our own student experiences indicate that residential living supports student transition to a university. Residential living for new students may ease student transition to the UTampa environment and provide significant support for the inherent challenges of heightened academic rigor and increased independence in the first year of college.

As students become more independent and move forward through their college experience, many look forward to transitioning to living off-campus. In recognition of this developmental progression, the number of on-campus spaces for continuing students is limited. However, some continuing students who participate in the Returning Resident Room Selection process will have housing options on campus in a continuing student residence hall including The Barrymore Hotel as space is available. To support those students who will be living off-campus, the Office of Residence Life has developed extensive off-campus housing resources and programs that provide information and education for a successful transition to off-campus living.

Questions and Answers

Incoming new students are not required to reside in on-campus residence halls. However, those who complete their housing application will be provided a housing assignment on a space available basis. Later applicants may be assigned to the Barrymore Hotel. Please note the housing application cannot be completed until the University deposit is paid.

Continuing students who currently live on campus for spring, complete the room selection process and meet all deadlines will be eligible to select on-campus residence halls including the Barrymore Hotel as space is available.

Continuing students will be assigned a selection time in the room selection process, weighted by the number of years they have lived on campus. Those with fewer years living on campus and who meet all housing selection deadlines will be given higher priority for a housing assignment.

Yes, it’s possible. Continuing students will be able to select rooms in the Barrymore Hotel based on availability. The Barrymore Hotel is considered and managed as an on-campus residence hall. Barrymore Hotel students are considered continuing students and are not prioritized differently than those currently living in other residence halls on-campus.

Yes. Returning students participating in study abroad or University approved internships who lived on-campus immediately prior to their study abroad or internship experience are eligible to participate in the housing selection process. The semester the student spends abroad or interning will not count as a semester spent living on campus for the purposes of priority in the room selection process.