Upper Year, Transfer & Exchange

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It’s true – residence is for all students! We’re certain the residential experience will enhance your time at UWaterloo. Why live here as an upper year, exchange or transfer student?

  • All-inclusive living (includes all utilities and unlimited high-speed internet) 
  • Reliable and trustworthy maintenance services (with a great landlord!) 
  • Study and meeting rooms 
  • Staff and peer support 
  • Jobs & Leadership opportunities 

If you’re an exchange student, internal transfer, joint academic program, or returning upper-year student, you can see information below on residences, contracts and our application process in the menu below. If you’re an incoming external transfer student or joint academic program* student, please review your application process.

*Note: Joint academic programs are where students complete 2 or 3 years at one university and then complete 2 or 3 years at the University of Waterloo. Exchange students are not considered Joint Academic Program students.

How to Apply

Three Step Process

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1) Do Your Research and Decide

We have lots of options: traditional style, suite style, townhouse, or a hybrid option (dorm style with an optional meal plan). Compare available residences determine how to rank your residence preference. Next, decide if you're applying with or without roommates (mixed gender requests welcome!). 

Note: not all residences and room types may be available every term to all student types.

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2) Apply

Apply to residence through the upper-year undergraduate application on your Welcome Home page. On your application, you will be able to select if you wish to live in a mixed gender unit, rank your residence preferences, and request roommate(s). Remember to select the proper application period, especially if you are applying for a fall contract.

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3) Accept

Check your UWaterloo email often since we will be sending offers soon after you submit an application. If you're an exchange student, you should check your home institution email that you used to apply.

You can submit your offer decision by clicking the link in the offer email . If you decide to accept your offer, you will also submit your $500 non-refundable deposit through this same link, which is used to offset your residence term fees. You're all set!

When you accept an offer, you are agreeing to be financially responsible for your entire residence contract. This means that while fees are not due until the fees arranged deadline for the term you apply for, you will be required to pay your full residence fees and will not be refunded if you decide to cancel your contract before its end date. 

AM I GUARANTEED A PLACE IN RESIDENCE? (EXTERNAL TRANSFER AND JOINT ACADEMIC PROGRAM STUDENTS) 

Note: Exchange, internal transfer, and returning upper-year students are not guaranteed a residence offer and we recommend applying early to increase your chances. 

If you’re an incoming external transfer or joint academic program student, please review your residence application process below to qualify for the residence guarantee for incoming students:

  1. Accept your offer of admission online at www.ouac.on.ca. 

  1. Meet any conditions outlined on your Offer of Admission. 

  1. Apply online for two-terms in residence (either fall/winter or fall/spring) using the upper-year undergraduate application by June 10, 2025.  

  1. You must send an email to housing@uwaterloo.ca after you apply with your full name, 8-digit UWaterloo ID number, notifying us if you are an external transfer or joint academic program student.  

External transfer and joint academic students are required to pay the $500 non-refundable deposit when they accept their residence offer. Residence offers for external transfer and joint academic program students are sent after the external transfer/joint academic program guarantee deadline.

Frequently asked questions

Can Upper Years live in a first-year building?

Yes! As of Fall 2023, Upper Year students can apply to live in single rooms on first-year floors. The mixed-community program is available for undergraduate two-term contracts at either Claudette Miller Hall (fall/spring) or Village 1 (fall/winter). Throughout the residence contract, upper year students will provide informal mentorship, being approachable and understanding to the first-year students who they share a floor with. If you are interested in participating in a mixed year community, please indicate this on your fall upper year application.

Will I be living with first-year students?

We try to assign our exchange and upper-year students near each other as much as possible in our communities so that you can be surrounded by your peers. 

External transfer students who join the guarantee  will be assigned with either other upper-year or external transfer students.

However, as of 2023, upper-year students can apply to live in single rooms on first-year floors for two-term contracts. We call these floors, ‘Mixed-Year Communities’ and the upper-year students will act as a peer mentor to incoming students, sharing advice and ways to maximize ones first year on campus. 

Where are upper-year students placed in residence?

Our space use changes year to year, see our Compare Residences page to find out what buildings are offered for the term you’re looking for. 

Upper-year students in Mixed-Year Communities will be placed in single rooms in Village 1 and Claudette Miller Hall. 

CAN I CHOOSE MY OWN ROOMMATE?

Upper Year students can request a roommate when they submit a housing application. The following criteria applies to upper year roommates groups:

  • An upper-year roommate group can only have a maximum of 4 people (3 people plus the person making the group)
  • They must all apply for the same contract terms
  • When applying, they must all indicate the same response to the mixed gender unit question
  • They must all accept the invitation sent to them to confirm they are in a mutual roommate group

Additional information on creating a roommate group can be found on the roommate manager when a student applies to residence.

CAN I CHOOSE A ROOMMATE WHO IS IN FIRST YEAR?

Upper year students are not permitted to request first-year students as a roommate(s). Occasionally, we may allow some residences to house first-year, upper year and exchange students outside our Mixed-Year Communities. 
 
While some communities are mixed, it is important to us that first-year students room together. Our Residence Life team provides specific experiences for first-year students. By rooming together, it allows first-year students to share and learn from each other through intentional programming. 

CAN I HAVE THE SAME ROOM I HAD IN FIRST YEAR?

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee these requests. If you really enjoyed a previous residence community you can rank it as your first choice, but we cannot guarantee that you will be placed exactly where you want.  Our space use changes year on year, see our Compare Residences page to find out what buildings are offered for the term you’re looking for.

CAN I LIVE IN A LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITY OR ACADEMIC CLUSTER AS AN UPPER-YEAR STUDENT?

MY FRIEND IS A DON. CAN I LIVE ON HIS OR HER FLOOR?

Unfortunately, we cannot take specific floor requests. You can rank the building as your first choice, but we cannot guarantee that you will get exactly what you request.

I AM IN A CO-OP PROGRAM, CAN I LIVE IN RESIDENCE WHILE WORKING ON CO-OP?

Yes. You can live in residence while on co-op for any term, as long as you have a co-op job that is approved by CACE. Residence contracts match your academic stream so you only pay for the terms you’re on campus – no worries about finding a subletter!

DO I NEED TO PAY A DEPOSIT?

Yes. There is a

$500 non-refundable housing deposit required at the time of confirming your housing contract for residence. This deposit will be applied to your residence fees once they are posted to your Quest account.

WHAT IF I CHANGE MY MIND ABOUT LIVING IN RESIDENCE? CAN I CANCEL MY RESIDENCE CONTRACT?

Our terms and conditions  states that students who have accepted their residence contract are held financially responsible for the full length of their contract.  

This means—should you choose to cancel your contract—you will be required to pay your full residence fees. Learn more about the process to  cancel or withdraw from residence.

DO I HAVE TO GET A MEAL PLAN?

Meal plans are required for all students living in traditional (dorm style) residences and optional for those living in suite style residences.

The WatCard office can only make meal plan changes during the term for which the meal plan is purchased. Requests to change your meal plan can be submitted from 1 week prior to the start of each term until the end of the first month of the term using our meal plan change request form.

I LIVED IN RESIDENCE AND I AM NOW LIVING OFF CAMPUS. CAN I CONTINUE THE MEAL PLAN PROGRAM AS AN OFF-CAMPUS STUDENT?

Yes. If you have unused meal plan dollars from a previous year they will roll over to the following term. You can also add a new meal plan to your Watcard as an off-campus student. For more information on the meal plan options for off-campus students, visit the Food Services website.

I AM LOOKING FOR HOUSING AT THE LAST MINUTE. IS LIVING IN RESIDENCE STILL AN OPTION FOR ME?

This will depend on the availability that we have, which varies by term. If we have rooms available for the term you are looking for you will find an application form posted to our website. In the event that we do not have available spaces, we encourage you to use our Off-Campus Housing services.

My off-campus housing arrangements are not working out. Can I move into residence part way through the school term?

This depends on how early in the term you are applying and if we have vacancies in our residence. We do not accept new applications within the last 30 days of the term. You can apply via our application form, and if you have concerns or questions, you can  contact us to find a solution.