Purdue University Residences has replaced the old time slot system with a lottery system. This means all students interested in residing within the dorms on campus have a 50% chance of being left without an alternative as results are released after most local leases are signed and made unavailable. On Monday, October 7th, at 11:40 AM, Purdue University Residences released the following statement (also linked here):

Learn About the New Process Co-Designed with Students

Dear Boilermakers,

We hope your fall semester is going well and you are enjoying your time on campus as we get into the second half of the semester.

After listening to feedback from students and the community, Purdue University Residences (UR) has co-designed with students and will implement new processes for students who wish to reapply for housing for the 2025-26 academic year, including UR/Traditional and UR/Apartments.

As in previous years, we anticipate having more demand than supply for UR/Traditional and UR/Apartments. Due to this high demand and with the guarantee of space for all incoming freshmen (fall 2025) who meet the deadline to sign up for housing, we will have about 8,400 beds available for returning students out of 17,000 total beds. We will have 986 new beds at a new residence hall, located at the corner of Third Street and McCormick Road.

The housing reapplication process for 2025-26 has been revised based on co-design with student representatives, who have provided student feedback for new housing selection methods. Our goal is to create a transparent, fair and simple experience for all residents. This year, the housing reapplication process will be conducted via a lottery system. All students living in University Residences will have the chance to apply and students who are selected in the lottery will be able to choose a room. Housing rates for 2025-26 were approved by the Purdue University Board of Trustees last Friday to ensure that you will be able to make the best decision for your budget. These housing rates will be visible in the portal during room selection.

If you are interested in selecting a room this fall, you must opt into the lottery. You can opt into the lottery by logging into the Housing Portal any time between 8:30 a.m. EDT October 14 and 5 p.m. EDT October 22. Everyone who opts into the lottery will have an equal chance at being selected in the lottery, regardless of when you opt in during the October 14-22 window.

You will be notified of your lottery status on October 28. We invite you to visit the Reapplication website and FAQs to learn more about the process. Look also for an email from University Residences with more important dates and information later this week.

Upper-division students (rising juniors and seniors) will have the first selection of spaces available, followed by current first-year students. Rooms of all types have been allocated to each group based on feedback from focus groups that supported prioritizing a higher percentage of UR/Traditional spaces for current first-year students and a higher percentage of UR/Apartments for upper-division students. Beds identified for each group will be available within that room’s selection phase. We have also upgraded the Housing Portal to double capacity and allotted room selection time slots to enhance portal stability and reduce your need to access the portal multiple times.

If you opt into the lottery and are not selected, you may be offered open space if it becomes available in December or have the opportunity to join a waitlist in January. We have moved up binding contract dates for students selected in the lottery so we can offer space to waitlisted students at a much earlier date than we have traditionally.

Please monitor your Purdue email closely in the coming weeks to ensure that you stay informed of upcoming deadlines and processes. We encourage students to also explore off-campus living as they make their housing decisions for the next year. Information about these options can be found here.

Thank you for your feedback that led to this redesign together with students. Boiler Up!

Beth McCuskey
Vice Provost for Student Life

These decisions may spell trouble for many students as the process occurs much too late to get a lease off campus. Please show your support by signing our petition to bring the old system back.