Living in residence means becoming part of a great community with support to make your transition to university life as smooth as possible.
Before you dive in to getting residence guaranteed please select if you are incoming first-year student or an incoming transfer student so we can direct you to the right application!
INCOMING FIRST-YEAR STUDENT TRANSFER STUDENTYou can live in one of Campus Housing’s 6 first-year residences or at one of Waterloo’s University Colleges as part of guaranteed residence. Learn more about the 100% residence guarantee for first-year students. As a transfer student you are also guaranteed a spot in residence - learn more.
Joining the residence guarantee is as easy as 1, 2, 3:
Download the 100% residence guarantee brochureFirst-Year Guarantee Residence application and $500 deposit due by 11:59 p.m. EDT.
If you have a documented need that requires Accessible Housing Supports, submit the Accessible Housing application form by 11:59 p.m. EDT in June, 2025 (exact day TBD) at uwaterloo.ca/accessible-housing/
You’re in! Check your email to find out if you’ve been placed in Campus Housing (a) or one of the University College residences (b).
a) You’re invited to complete the Campus Housing Preference Form. This is your chance to indicate your preferred residence and room style, choose your meal plan, request a roommate, and more! Visit uwaterloo.ca/campus-housing for a video on how to fill out the form.
b) If you are placed in a University College, you will receive a residence offer directly from the university college in your email account. All future residence correspondence will come directly from your university college.
Campus Housing offers direct on-campus housing at the University of Waterloo with a choice of six different residences; three buildings that offer traditional-style dorms (Village 1, Ron Eydt Village, and Claudette Millar Hall) and three buildings that offer suite-style apartment living (Mackenzie King Village, UW Place, and Columbia Lake Village South). Students in their first year are placed together according to their academic streaming and are typically separate from upper-year students. Strong communities are built with the assistance of Dons on each floor. Meals plans are optional depending on the type of community (traditional or suite-style). Meal plans, run by UW Food Services, offer a wide range of dietary options across campus. Meal plan money left over at the end of the year is carried over to the next term. Similarly, if money runs out, additional flex dollars may be added at any time. When you join Campus Housing, you have access to the eateries, amenities and study spaces of all the other Campus Housing residences. There is so much opportunity to find the perfect study space, the best snack, and the ideal supports and services.
The University College Residences (St. Jerome's University, Renison University College, United College and Conrad Grebel University College*) are like mini-universities within the larger UWaterloo community. They are located on-campus and offer courses within the Waterloo faculties. In the University Colleges, students are placed together through various methods. Residents living at any of the University Colleges are Waterloo students from across all programs. Meal plans are included in the price and are provided by the residence's on-site cafeteria (but not flexible across other eateries). There is no declining balance meaning you won't run out of money on your food plan.
*Please note: Conrad Grebel is not part of the 100% Residence Guarantee
We have a place for all students. We want two-spirit, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming students to feel welcome and safe living in our residences. First-year students are placed in residence communities based on your reported gender on your OUAC application.
All individual first-year rooms and apartments are single gender; however, each floor or house may be single or mixed gender.If you indicated an unspecified gender, we will reach out to you in May or June to discuss our residence room types, building layouts, and roommate options and work with you to find a space where you feel most safe and at home. We will never ask you to specify your gender.
We encourage any students with questions or concerns about the residence placement process to reach out to us at housing@uwaterloo.ca.
Missed the RESIDENCE GUARANTEE? JOIN THE VACANCY APPLICATION!
We understand you may have a group of friends you want to live with as you begin your journey together as Warriors. While we wish we could offer the option to select more than one roommate, our system is set up to provide you with the opportunity to submit one roommate request. We are dedicated to providing equal opportunity to all students who have applied to residence to have a chance to live in any of our residence types.
If you have any questions about your residence placement, please reach out to us at housing@uwaterloo.ca
Unfortunately, our system only allows roommate pairs. Your group of 3 will need to discuss whether to pair off or not to select a roommate. We understand living with someone you know will ease some anxiety with your transition to University; however, residence is a highly social environment. We encourage you to take this opportunity to meet new people. All of our residences offer a great experience, and even if you do not all live together, you can visit each other and get to know the other residences! If you have any concerns once you’ve moved into residence, you can work with a Residence Life Don, an upper-year student living in residence, to support you.
The Campus Housing Preference Form is designed for us to get to know you better. We understand that the 4 of you may want to live together. We recommend that the 4 of you pair off and accept each other as pairs of two, and all select the same residence as your top choice. While this does not guarantee the 4 of you will end up together, you have a higher chance of living with at least one of your friends. As a reminder, while your preferences are taken into consideration, we cannot guarantee you will be placed in your top choice of residence or with your selected roommate.
No, you and your requested roommate must have the same reported gender. If you have listed "U" gender on your profile, you will not be able to make a roommate group with others that are "M'' or "F". If this is a mistake, please complete the Gender Update Form and contact the Registrar’s Office to have your reported gender changed.
We understand you may have heard from older siblings or alumni that they were able to select or specifically request multiple people as roommates. Our system changed a few years ago, and you are now only able to select one roommate.
No – exceptions cannot be made. Our system is set up to only allow one roommate selection. If you call or email, we’re happy to answer any questions you have; however, we are unable to make exceptions and allow you to pick more than one roommate.
No, if you and your friend are in different study terms, you will be unable to select each other as roommates. Learn more about the compatibility of streams and sequences.
As part of the LLC, you are unable to select your roommate – your floor will consist of many students who are in the same program and faculty as you. If you have any questions about the Living Learning Communities, please email living.learning@uwaterloo.ca
Unfortunately, since your friend missed the First-Year Guarantee deadline, an assignment in residence is not guaranteed. Your friend will receive communications throughout the summer on spaces available; however, should you be placed in a double room, you will be placed with someone who has also completed the First-Year Guarantee Application by the deadline.
