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Room Selection for First-Year Students

Living on campus is an important component of your UT experience, and we are happy you are joining the Volunteer community!

Room Selection allows incoming students to select their own room, providing an opportunity to choose their campus experience.

To ensure the quality of the first-year experience, UT requires all first-year students to live on campus and guarantees them a room. Housing for transfer and continuing students is optional, and availability is dependent on vacant space.

Please review our step-by-step instructions below to participate in Room Selection.

Step 1: Apply for Housing

Shortly after confirming your enrollment, University Housing will send an email notification indicating that your housing application is available. *Note: Enrollment confirmation processing typically takes 2-3 days. Please follow the instructions below to complete your housing application. While the application does not close, please complete it by May 11 to participate in regular Room Selection:

  1. Log in to your University Housing Portal using your NetID and password. If you have not set up your password yet, please follow the instructions to do so.
  2. If you have forgotten your password, follow the instructions to reset your password on the OIT website. Once you reset your password, return to step one.
  3. Select 26-27 Newly Admitted Student Housing Application from the top navigation.
  4. Select the Fall 2026-Spring 2027 option from the available terms and click CONTINUE.
  5. Once you submit the housing application, you may complete a Roommate Matching Profile and browse for a potential roommate. This step is optional, and you can proceed without completing it.
  6. In late May through mid-June, you may return to the application any time to update your Roommate Matching Profile or modify your application.
    In June you will return to the application in your University Housing Portal to participate in the Room Selection process. Your date and time to select your room will be determined at random, and you will receive additional information about this process in May.     University Housing will email you on May 15 with instructions on how to participate in Room Selection.

Step 2: Roommate Matching

Roommate Matching is open and on Monday, May 11, in preparation for Room Selection. View our Roommate Matching Instructional video for assistance.

Are you excited about living on campus, and looking for a roommate who shares that same excitement? Finding a roommate with similar interests, study habits, or hobbies can be a key component to a successful first year on campus.

We recognize that not everyone comes to college with a specific roommate in mind, so we offer the roommate matching tool in the University Housing Portal to help students find a roommate match!

  • Under “Fall 2026 Spring 2027 Application” in your Portal login, select “Roommate Matching Profile.”
  • Your Roommate Matching Code is how your potential roommate will find you. You can also find your potential roommate if you know their Matching Code.
  • Make sure that “Display in Roommate Search results” is selected in your Roommate Matching Profile if you want others to be able to find you in the matching system.
  • Under “Roommate Matching,” select “Search for a Roommate by Details” to search for a specific roommate by their Matching Code.
  • Make sure and confirm any matching requests with roommates you wish to link with.
  • In order to pair up with your preferred roommate, one roommate must send a request to the other roommate in the University Housing Portal. The other roommate must accept the request. The request and acceptance process must occur in the portal before the Roommate Matching deadline. 
  • Exchanging codes or simply knowing your preferred roommate’s Matching Code does not allow you to be paired up for Room Selection.

Suitemates

Since the majority of our rooms are configured for only two students, you can only match with one roommate. Students wanting to share a suite of more than two people should form separate roommate groups, and try to select the same suite if possible.

Step 3: Select Your Room

Once you have completed your housing application, you will be eligible to select your room after your Room Selection time slot begins.
Room Selection is a chance to choose your own campus experience at UT. There are many housing options available and we encourage you to learn more about available room styles.

In May, you will receive a room selection start time slot in your UTK email prior to room selection beginning in June. Learn more about how rooms are allocated in our Room Selection Process Overview video.

When it is your time to select, click your 26-27 Newly Admitted Student Housing Application in the University Housing Portal to view the vacant rooms in residence you are eligible to select. You will select a room and assign your matched roommate, if applicable. During room selection you select your specific room, it is not a preference. As rooms are selected by other students, halls will fill. The University Housing Portal will only show rooms available for selection. Please make your choice from the available rooms.

Room Selection Start Times

You can access the Room Selection process in the University Housing Portal when your start time begins.

Start times for Room Selection are determined at random prior to the beginning of Room Selection.

Once your start time begins, remains open until the end of the Room Selection process. After you have made your initial room selection, you can return to the University Housing Portal at any time to review room availability and modify your choice.

Room Selection Process

After the start of your time slot, the “Application” tab in the University Housing Portal will present you with rooms in residence halls where space is available and for which you are eligible. You will select a room and assign your matched roommate, if applicable.

After you confirm your room selection, you will still be able to change your assignment in the application as space becomes available throughout the summer.

Room Selection Timeline

May 11– Deadline to complete housing application to participate in regular Room Selection. An additional round of room selection will occur for late applicants.
May 11– Deadline to participate in Roommate Matching. All invitations must be accepted by this date. You may leave a Roommate Group at any time. However, you cannot join or re-join a group after May 11.
May 11– Deadline to apply for a Living & Learning Community.
May 15– Room selection wave, date, and start time sent to students with completed applications.

*Room selection start times are randomly assigned and not dependent on the date of confirmation or application completion. Rooms available in one wave are not visible to students in other waves. Switching waves or start times is not permitted. For more information, view the Room Selection Overview video.

  • May 28-May 29: Wave 1 (LLC participants) room selection begins
  • June 1-June 2: Wave 2 (roommate groups) room selection begins
  • June 3-June 4: Wave 3 (roommate groups) room selection begins
  • June 15-June 16: Wave 4 (solo students) room selection begins

Important Information

  • A mutual roommate group gives either roommate authorization to select a room for their roommate.
  • “Group Leader” status does not impact the ability to select a room.
  • Some halls will fill faster than others. We encourage students to learn about all of our community and suite-style halls and be open to an on-campus experience in any hall.
  • After you have made your initial selection, you can monitor new availability and modify your selection in real time in the University Housing Portal.