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!
You 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:
Step 1: Get Guaranteed!
When?
- From February 1, 2025 - June 10, 2025
How?
- Accept your offer of admission from the University of Waterloo
- Complete the First-Year Guarantee Residence Application by June 10, 2025
- Having trouble applying? Make sure to claim your WatIAm ID and set up Two Factor authentication!
- It can take 48-72 hours for your WatIAM to update and give you access to the application.
- When prompted to log in with your organizational email, use your WatIAM followed by @uwaterloo.ca as your email address and enter your WatIAM password.
- Make sure to review your self reported gender to the university before you submit your residence application. Many students incorrectly report their gender on their OUAC application, which can impact roommate requests later in the process. To update your self reported gender please complete the gender update form. By reviewing and addressing the issue before June 10 it can make your process smoother!
- Having trouble applying? Make sure to claim your WatIAm ID and set up Two Factor authentication!
- Pay your non-refundable housing deposit via Visa, Master Card or American Express
- Need special consideration for your residence room assignment? Complete an Accessible Housing application and submit supporting documentation by June 10, 2025!
- Housing accommodations can be made for medical, sensory, physical, environmental, psychological, allergy/dietary restrictions, or mental health conditions.
What is the First Year Guarantee Residence Application?
- A chance to rank your preferred residence community between Campus Housing, St. Jerome's, United College and Renison
- Conrad Grebel is not part of the 100% residence guarantee
- This is NOT where you rank residences, room types or request roommates, etc. - that comes in Step 2!
- You can also let us know if you are interested in a Living Learning Community when you rank your residence communities
First-Year Guarantee Residence Application walkthrough
What is the difference between Campus Housing, St. Jerome's, United College, and Renison?
Step 2: Share your preferences
When?
- Opening mid-June
How?
- If placed with Campus Housing, we will email you the Campus Housing Preference Form (CHPF) that lets you:
- rank the different Campus Housing residences and room types
- choose your preferred meal plan (check out the meal plan playlist to the right for more information)
- submit a roommate request
- Students may only submit one roommate request. To request a roommate, both students must have a completed Campus Housing Preference Form, be in the same application period (fall/winter or fall/spring) and have the same reported gender . Students in an LLC may not request specific roommates.
Remember!
- While the CHPF lets you provide your preferences it does not mean you are guaranteed your top residence choices! You may be placed in any one of our residence communities - all will give you room to grow and change as you experience life at University - with support from our Campus Housing team. Residence is all about being open to new adventures, including trying a room that you never thought you would love!
- #DYK: 42% of first-year students in Campus Housing live in traditional-style residence buildings and 43% of first-year students living with Campus Housing are in double rooms?
Step 3: Accept your room assignment!
When?
- July
How?
- In July begin checking your Waterloo email address for your room offer and contracts
- All communications will be sent to the email that you used to apply with until your UWaterloo email address is active. In late June, you will receive instructions to access your UWaterloo email address. Please begin checking your UWaterloo email inbox for important information from the University (room offer, contracts and other updates, etc.) as important updates will be sent to your UWaterloo email address, not the email address you applied with. You will need your username@uwaterloo.ca, password and DUO (2FA) to access your UWaterloo inbox.
- Make sure you accept your contract before the expiry date!
- If you do not accept your residence offer by the deadline you will lose your $500 deposit and room assignment.
Remember!
- We will be unable to change your room assignment once it has been offered out - all of our residences offer unique, supportive experiences. Even if you are not placed in your preferred buildings, a great residence experience is just around the corner. Make sure to learn more about your new residence by clicking through our residences page!
- Want to learn more about the residence experience? Follow us on Instagram (@UWHousing)!
Watch this year's Get Ready for Residence webinar below to help you prepare for residence!
Join our mailing list!
By filling in your information and clicking "Subscribe" you agree to receive emails from Campus Housing at the University of Waterloo. The emails you receive are intended to keep you updated with important dates and residence information. It is recommended you use a gmail or hotmail email address. We have been made aware that our emails may go to spam if you use an icloud email address. Phone number is optional, but will be used to send you texts as important deadlines approach.
Fall 2024 Pre Arrival Email Archive
Remember seeing an email but can't find it in your inbox? Not to worry that's what our email archive is for! The email archive is for reference purposes only - please make sure you're cross referencing your email to make sure you receive important communications from us! Please note this archive is not a comprehensive list of all emails sent to incoming first year students. If you have not received one of the emails below please email housing@uwaterloo.ca with your full name, student ID# and subject line of the email you did not receive so we can look into this further.
Email subject line | Send date |
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Emails coming soon! | TBD |