Rising freshmen and sophomores who want to live on-campus in the fall should fill out their housing contract as soon as possible.

The contract only opened for rising freshmen and sophomores on Jan. 16. Students in this group have until Friday to fill it out before it temporarily closes. It will then reopen on March 4 at noon for all students.

Housing plans to use the closure period to assess the number of students who have already filled out the contract and compare it to how many total beds are available.

In an email sent on Feb. 2, the University of North Florida’s Department of Housing and Residence Life reported that 3,700 beds will be available across the seven residential communities for the upcoming fall semester.

Half of these bed spaces will be designated for newly admitted first-year students, with the other half shared among upperclassmen.

On Feb. 23, Housing will post approximately how many housing contracts will be accepted when the contract reopens on March 4.

“Housing and Residence Life anticipates that at some point following going live on March 4th at 12 noon the ability to submit a housing contract will end due to high demand,” according to the email.

The email said students who filled out the housing contract on March 4 will be notified on March 13 whether they can participate in the room selection process based on how early they filled it out. Students who complete and submit the contract first will be given priority.

Boyle said when the contract reopens on March 4, it will be a first come, first serve opportunity. He noted that on-campus housing is in high demand and recommends students who want to live on campus fill it out as early as possible.

“The environment with regard to housing demand has certainly changed, and so we’re trying to do some things to meet some expectations,” said Robert Boyle, the senior director of Housing. “But also, first-year and second-year students, trying to get [them] connected to campus is important to us as an institution.”

He said some rising juniors, seniors, graduate students and transfer students will have the opportunity to select a room, but he doesn’t anticipate Housing can accommodate everyone.

“Squatter’s rights” were also never directly stated in any housing contract at UNF, according to Boyle. He said many people are under the impression their housing contract will cover them for however long they want to live on campus, and that is not the case.

“Everybody’s contract has always been a fall/spring contract, a fall/spring/summer contract, or spring only or summer only,” he said.

However, he emphasized that Housing will try to place students in the same room. If a student is deemed eligible for the room selection process and lives in Osprey Fountains, Osprey Village or the Flats, they will have the option to be reassigned to their current bed space if possible. 

Housing said students are not guaranteed this right, and not all bed spaces will be eligible for this process, such as rooms designated for accommodations, Living-Learning Communities or student staffing.

Previously, students wishing to live at the Flats, UNF’s on-campus apartments offering 11.5-month leases and monthly rent installments, filled out a separate housing contract.

However, Boyle said there was “very little difference” between the Flats contract and the regular fall/spring contract, so they were merged for the 2024-25 academic year.

“All students, [first-years] and above, will sign the same agreement for 24/25 regardless of where they are ultimately assigned to live,” Boyle said.

Students should remember the contract is a legally binding agreement, and the email from Housing outlines cancellation timelines and fees as follows:

• Cancellation March 1, 2024 – June 30, 2024: $500.00 Cancellation Fee + Non-refundable $100.00 Processing Fee = total amount due to cancel contract.
• Cancellation  July 1, 2024 – Aug. 13, 2024: $1,000.00 Cancellation Fee + Non-refundable $100.00 Processing Fee = total amount due to cancel contract.
• Cancellation after Aug. 13, 2024: Student assessed one-half of the remaining amount owed on the full agreement = total amount due to cancel contract.

This is a developing story, and Spinnaker will publish more information as it becomes available.

___

For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact editor@unfspinnaker.com.