Housing Application Process

Information about our housing application process for rising sophomores, juniors & seniors.

Information provided below will cover the following topics. Please be sure to familiarize yourself with this information and contact Housing and Residence Life with any questions.

Process Overview

RISING SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS, AND SENIORS

Only students who are currently enrolled at DePauw and intend to return for the fall term are eligible to receive the housing application. The fall housing application, available in Residence, should be completed by all students who have access to the application, including those who intend to reside in a chapter facility, participate in an approved off-campus program, or withdraw from the university.  The Fall 2025 housing application deadline is February 28, 2025 at 12:00 PM EST.

Students who are currently not enrolled at DePauw University but intend to return for the fall term must work with the Registrar's Office to confirm their enrollment. Once Housing and Residence Life receives a student's readmittance letter, the staff will connect with the student regarding their fall housing assignment. 

Students who have applied for a university approved off-campus program (study abroad, internship, etc.) are not eligible to participate in the housing selection for university-owned housing. These students should indicate on the housing application their intent to participate in an off-campus program. 

Students residing in university-owned housing are required to be on a university meal plan per the Housing & Dining contract. Information regarding meal plans can be directed to DePauw Dining at depauwdining@depauw.edu. 

Students who need to reset their application status back to draft should email housing@depauw.edu prior to the application deadline. 

STUDENTS WHO ARE AFFILIATED WITH A FRATERNITY OR SORORITY CHAPTER 

All chapter facilities, including Interfraternity Council, Multicultural Greek Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Panhellenic Council, should be at capacity. Housing and Residence Life receives information from Fraternity and Sorority Life regarding chapter facility capacities. Students who intend to reside in their chapter facility should indicate this intention on the fall housing application. 

Students who are affiliated with a fraternity or sorority should check with their chapter leadership and or housing corporation prior to selecting "I will be living in University-owned housing" on the fall housing application. If a chapter facility is at capacity and students are selecting to live in university-owned housing, their placement in the housing selection process will not be impacted. However, if a chapter facility is not at capacity and members are permitted to reside outside of the facility, those students and associated roommate groups (if applicable) will be placed at the end of the housing selection process after all students without alternative housing options. This includes roommate groups that are mixed with affiliated and independent students. 

STUDENTS INTENDING TO RESIDE IN UNIVERSITY-OWNED HOUSING 

For university-owned housing, the fall housing application consists of three steps: submitting the housing application, creating a roommate group, and finalizing your room selection during the housing selection process. Students can indicate housing preferences on the application and update their roommate matching profile. After submitting the application, students have the opportunity to create a roommate group with other students who intend to reside in university-owned housing. The housing selection process will occur during the last week of March. Housing selection dates and times will be released in early March.  

Step one - HOUSING APPLICATION

When logging into your student housing portal, Residence (Symplicity), you will see the Fall 2025 housing application available to you on the home page. If you do not see the application, please scroll to the bottom of the home page. The housing application should be completed by all students, regardless of living in university-owned housing, living in chapter facilities, those who are planning on studying off campus, or those who are planning to not return to DePauw. If you intend to reside in your chapter facility, study off campus through an approved program, or not return to DePauw, you only need to complete Step One of the housing application process.

If you are affiliated with a fraternity or sorority, please check with your chapter leadership prior to selecting "I will be living in University-owned housing". Fraternity and sorority chapter facilities, including IFC, Panhellenic, NPHC, and MGC chapters, should be at capacity. If the chapter facility is at capacity and students are selecting to live in university-owned housing, their placement in the housing selection process will not be impacted. 

• If chapter facilities are not at capacity and members are permitted to live outside of the chapter facility, those students/roommate groups will be placed at the end of the housing selection process after all students without alternative housing options. This includes roommate groups that are mixed with affiliated and independent students, so it is important to maintain open communication with chapter leadership and requested roommate groups.

Step Two - Creating Roommate Groups

Students who will be residing in university-owned housing have the opportunity to create roommate groups. Selection of facilities and rooms is not available at this time.  Students must submit the application before being able to create roommate groups within the system. Roommate groups must be finalized in Residence on February 28, 2025 at 12:00 PM when the housing application closes. Roommate groups will be locked when the application closes, and changes to roommate groups will not be made after this date and time. If you create a roommate group, please ensure that all students have accepted your invite to the roommate group prior to the application deadline.

To create a roommate group (two or more students), you can search the system in two ways: (1.) you can search resident profiles to find students with similar living characteristics, or (2.) you can exchange roommate codes (found at the top right of your profile) with other students and send invitations to join your group.

Keep the following information in mind when creating roommate groups:

• Roommate groups of 2 or 3 are ideal for residence halls
• Roommate groups of 4 or 6 are required for university-owned apartments and houses (UOAH)
• Roommate groups of 4 or 8 are required for Rector Village

Note that creating a specific roommate group size does not guarantee placement within a specific facility. For example, creating a roommate group of eight students does not guaranteed placement within Rector Village.

Step Three - Housing Selection Process

More specific information regarding the logistics of the housing selection process itself will be shared in early March. However, we wanted to share a bit of information as you complete the application regarding the ordering process.

• Only students who select that they will be residing in university-owned housing will be able to participate in the housing selection process. Students who intend to be off campus for Fall 2025 are not permitted to participate in the housing selection process.
• Students who do not submit a housing application and need housing within university-owned housing will not be provided a housing selection date and time and will be placed in a room assignment by Housing and Residence Life after the housing selection process has ended.

Housing Selection Order

• Students participating in the housing selection process will be organized and assigned dates and times to select their housing assignment by seniority. For example, roommate groups consisting of all or mostly seniors will get to select first, then seniors without roommate groups, and so on through juniors, and then sophomores.
• Roommate groups must be able to fill the capacity of the living unit they are selecting during the process. Roommate groups must select from the available options at their time of selection, which is dependent on what the prior roommate groups selected.
• Housing and Residence Life cannot guarantee that requests for specific facility or room types will be met because what is available at your date and time of selection is student driven.

iNTENTIONAL COMMUNITY

Returning students have the opportunity to opt-in to residing in the Housing and Residence Life Intentional Rainbow Community. This intentional community serves as a space to enable lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning students and their advocates to connect and live in a respectful space. All students are welcome to live in the Rainbow Community with an understanding that the space serves as an affirming home for all expressions of gender and sexuality. Additionally, restrooms within these communities are gender inclusive. All residents and their guests will be expected to be respectful and sensitive to all identities within the LGBTQIA+ community. In collaboration with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the Rainbow Community will offer specific resources, events, and create intentional opportunities for social and interpersonal connections.

Students who select that they would like to reside in the Rainbow Community will participate in a separate housing selection process since the creation of the community is student driven. Facility type options available for the Rainbow Community's housing selection process will be determined by the number of students who want to reside within the community. Historically, this intentional community has been placed within a residence hall.