The demand for first-year students living on University of North Florida campus is higher than ever, putting just over 350 incoming freshmen on a standby list, according to Housing and Residence Life Director Robert Boyle.
Housing space is prioritized in accordance to how early a contract is submitted. Therefore, students who submit their contract well after the deadline have a lower chance of securing a bed. According to Boyle, around 1,350 first year students signed contracts before the May 15 deadline. All of those students are eligible to participate in room selection. For the students who submitted after the deadline, Boyle said he sent a “hard message” to them on Wednesday.
“We’re going to try and help as many of them as we can,” Boyle said. “As much as you want everybody to contract as early as they can, some end up just making the call a little bit later into the game.”
In addition to incoming freshmen, Boyle said he is about to add some returning students to the waiting list. Nonetheless, Boyle expects cancellations as the fall semester nears. However, Boyle said it’s hard to predict how many students will cancel their contract.
“But we’re still trying to help everybody we can,” Boyle said.
Osprey Landing undergoing renovations
Theoretically, Boyle said he could fill Osprey Landing, which will be vacant for the entirety of the 2025-2026 school year due to renovations and mechanical repairs, with the standby students, but his goal is to balance preparing for the future and focusing on the now.
“We need to invest in [Osprey Landing] and do some work so the future students, including some of the ones that are here right now and joining us right now, we’ll have more to help students,” Boyle said. “It’s a hard decision to do.”
After acknowledging that Landing has a “lot of life left,” Boyle said the buildings still need some work that will take more time. This temporarily removes just over 422 beds from the UNF campus.
“By the time we get to fall, there’ll be a big fence around it, and it’ll be a little bit of a construction zone,” Boyle said. “So [the new Honors dorm] is certainly helping us. It’s somewhat replacing those beds for a moment.”
Earlier this month, UNF announced in a university-wide email that the new Honors dorm is officially named Osprey Ridge. The dorm will be open to residents this fall.
According to Boyle, taking into account the new space from Osprey Ridge and Landing closing, there are 3,700 beds for the fall semester. Once Osprey Landing renovations are complete, there will be just over 4,000 beds on campus.
Pros and Cons of More Demand
Overall, Boyle said there are more incoming freshmen for Summer B and fall terms than last year. While UNF will have more bed spaces than ever before, there is still more demand than supply, according to Boyle.
Boyle said the increase in students wanting to live on campus is a positive, but without enough space Housing may have to turn students away. However, Boyle said this demand shapes the trajectory of his department.
“I want to take care of everybody and then we focus on engagement and all the fun stuff,” Boyle said.
Why Housing changed its contract process
This year, students may have noticed that Housing and Residence Life changed its contract process, allowing current residents to lock in their spots before incoming freshmen. Last year, UNF prioritized rising freshman and sophomores, allowing only 400 upperclassmen housing contracts.
“Last year was an anomaly,” Boyle said. “I’ve been here for 20 years and last year was a challenge in a lot of ways.”
Last academic year, UNF Housing was just under 90% full, according to Boyle. This year, he said the department has received over 4,000 contracts. Boyle said UNF changed its process to maximize operating revenue and allow students to reserve their space ahead of time.
“I want to maximize occupancy,” Boyle said. “The state’s not giving me money, the university is not giving money. We have to earn it through rent.”
Since the selection process is on a first-come first-serve basis, Boyle admitted that the current process hurts students who contract “a little bit later.” Boyle reiterated that it’s not just Housing and Residence Life that makes these decisions. He said it’s a combination of all relevant departments including enrollment services and the president’s office.
As for students who’ve been living on campus, Boyle said he’s hearing mostly positive feedback.
“Naturally, I don’t want to turn anyone away,” Boyle said. “While we’re still taking contracts, we’re going to work hard over the next seven or eight weeks to help as many students as possible.”
New Apartments Coming in 2027
Boyle said the upcoming apartment style dorms situated south of the Flats at UNF will be beneficial to both his department and the apartment managers.
“Me and my team won’t be managing it; We’re going to be a support network because we know UNF students are going to be there.”
First-year room selection will occur the week of July 7th, according to the Housing and Residence Life webpage. The gender-specific housing standby list will be around until September 12.
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