The Application Process

Once a new first-year undergraduate student has accepted admission to NYU from the Office of Admissions, they will be able to access the housing application via the Housing Forms tab in NYU Home. Applying for on-campus housing is optional, not required (living in University-provided housing is only required when you are participating in a study away program). In order to live on campus, all students must comply with the published deadline to submit required immunization records to NYU Health Services.

Students Admitted for Fall 2026

Students admitted to NYU prior to April 30, 2026 must complete their 2026-2027 housing applications and submit the $1,000 housing reservation payment by May 1, 2026 to secure housing for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Students admitted on or after April 30, 2026 must complete their 2026-2027 housing applications and submit the $1,000 housing reservation payment by the enrollment deadline provided by the NYU Admissions Office.

Assignment notices will be distributed over the summer (see anticipated communication timeline) and will include all check-in details.

Students Admitted for Spring 2027

New first-years who have accepted admission to NYU beginning in Spring 2027 will have access to the housing application beginning on October 15th. Students should complete their Spring 2027 housing applications and submit the $1,000 housing reservation payment by November 15, 2026 to secure housing for the spring semester.

Spring 2027 assignment notices will be distributed via NYU email accounts beginning January 7, 2027 and will include all check-in details.  Spring check-in for new First Year students will begin on Wednesday, January 13, 2027.  Earlier check-in is not possible. (Dates are subject to change.)

The Assignment Process  

A key experience of a college education is the opportunity to live and study with people from diverse backgrounds. This is uniquely true at NYU, where students are prepared to enter an increasingly global society by studying at campuses throughout the world. For this reason, geographic diversity is a variable in the room assignment process for first year students. This reflects the University’s value that students should network across geographic differences.

It is important to note that application preferences are not always met due to competing demand and space availability. We do our best to meet as many requests as possible, but preferences are not guaranteed.

• The following criteria and application preferences are considered when assignments are made for incoming first-year residents:
  • School location (Brooklyn residence halls are required for Tandon School residents, Manhattan residence halls are required for all other schools). There are no exceptions.
  • Approved requests for accessible housing for students with disabilities, which are reviewed and approved by the Moses Center for Accessibility and Inclusive Culture, by their accessible housing application deadline
  • Interest in the Residential College at Paulson
  • Gender identity or legal sex
  • Roommate requests (groups of two)
  • Geographic diversity
  • Preference for lower cost housing
  • Residence Hall preference/ranking
  • Responses to the housing lifestyle questionnaire (which carry the least weight in the process)
    

• Early Decision Admitted students are not assigned in advance of other admitted students, and do not receive priority in the housing assignment process. The benefits of early decision admission are connected with admission to the University, but not to housing assignments. 

Anticipated Fall 2026 Assignment Communication Timeline

Please note, all students do not receive assignment notices at the same time.

The following is a brief outline of what to expect over the course of the summer. While waiting longer for an assignment may not seem ideal, we find that we are often better able to meet more application preferences as we wait for fall-term attendance to be finalized. During this time of year, it is not unusual for students to defer their admission, take a medical or personal leave of absence, or even withdraw. Once such cancellations are processed, we are able to make more assignments.

• July 2026: Approximately 75% of incoming first-year residents will receive assignment notices by mid-July. Their "actual" housing charges will appear on their bills from the Bursar. Approximately 25% of incoming first-year residents remain unassigned, and will have "estimated" housing charges on their bills from the Bursar. Actual charges will replace the estimated charges when assignments are finalized.
• August 2026: Approximately 25% of incoming first-year residents will be assigned on a rolling basis as space permits, between mid-July and August 19, 2026. In many cases, but not all, students in this population may have applied late in the housing application period, after the application deadline, or may have been admitted to the University later in the Admissions process. Some first-years may be assigned to temporary first-year communities on floors normally dedicated to upperclass students. In these cases, students will be advised that their assignment is temporary, and notified when a space in a dedicated first-year community becomes available. At that point, the student will be asked to complete their move to their permanent assignment within the next two days.

2025-2026 First-Year Application Statistics

The following data from the Fall 2025 term may give you an idea of what to expect while working through the application and assignment process.  

Where Students Live

• 85% of first-years chose to live on campus; 15% chose to live off campus
• 100% of first-years are required to have a meal plan

Residence Hall Assignments

• 59% of students were assigned to their first-preference residence hall
• 89% were assigned to one of their top three preferences
• 5% were assigned to one of their last three preferences or none of their listed preferences (It's luck of the draw — everyone can bloom wherever they are planted!)

Special Programs

• 31% of students who applied for a themed engagement community were accepted
• 20% of students who applied for the Residential College program at Paulson were accepted

Room & Living Preferences

• 97% of bedrooms are shared occupancy (2–3 people); 3% are single occupancy
• 55% of first-year residents formed roommate groups
• 4% of first-year residents opted into gender-neutral housing
• 100% of Tandon first-year residents were assigned to Brooklyn residence halls (50% to Othmer Hall, 50% to Clark Hall)