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Confused about which application to use? Want to understand how residence assignments are made? Contact us, we're here to help!
Important notes
- While we offer a 100% residence guarantee for incoming (newly admitted) first-year, transfer, and PhD students, we cannot guarantee a space in residence for other student types.
- Residence offers for other student types are made on a rolling basis, taking into consideration a number of factors such as student type, accessibility needs, eligibility requirements, and more.
- Undergraduate students must be registered as full-time, enrolled in at least 1.5 credits, or be a co-op student on an approved work term to live with Campus Housing each term. For the spring term only, undergraduate students enrolled in a degree program who are taking at least 0.5 credits may also be eligible to live in residence. Contact housing@uwaterloo.ca with any questions you have about eligibility.
Online Application Forms
Undergraduate First-Years
Straight out of high school or new to post-secondary education? If you have never taken any postsecondary courses before and you have been admitted to a first-year program, you're considered an incoming first-year student.
Undergraduate Upper-Years
Returning to residence, on a local co-op, or interested in living on campus for your next term? You are considered an upper-year student. We offer dedicated upper-year floors and programming tailored to the upper-year experience.
Click the apply now button to see which residence applications are open!
Please note that you will not have to pay a deposit when submitting an application. When you receive an offer, you will be required to accept your residence contract and pay a deposit to confirm your space.
Transferring from another post-secondary institution for a fall term? Apply to the upper year application before June 3, 2024 and email housing@uwaterloo.ca to let us know you are applying to guarantee yourself a spot in residence.
Pharmacy students apply to upper year housing.
Undergraduate Exchange
Accepted to Waterloo through an affiliated exchange program? You are considered an exchange student. Welcome! Please note that we will not be able to assign you to a residence if you have not yet been accepted to the University of Waterloo.
Click the apply now button to see which residence applications are open!
Graduate (including PhD) and Graduate Exchange
Enrolled in a masters, professional, or doctorate (PhD) program? Campus Housing offers graduate, graduate exchange and optometry students contracts in our dedicated graduate townhouse community. You can stay in residence as long as you are registered full-time with the University. If you are bringing dependents to Waterloo, please refer to the family housing application.
Click the apply now button to see which residence applications are open!
*New for fall 2025: We now offer a 2-term residence guarantee for newly admitted PhD students in our Columbia Lake Village South community, which includes a private bedroom in a shared graduate student townhouse in a vibrant community of fellow graduate students. This applies to our single graduate student housing only. PhD students coming with a spouse and/or children can apply to the family housing waitlist.
Newly admitted PhD students must apply through the graduate application by June 10 at 11:59 p.m. ET to secure your spot for fall 2025.
Note: Graduate students currently living with Campus Housing on a 4-month renewable contract do not need to fill out a new application. Instructions for graduate renewals between terms will be sent by email.
Graduate students on an 8-month non-renewable contract will need to re-apply.
Families
Bringing your family to campus with you? Waterloo students with live-in dependents are eligible for family residence. Bring your spouse or partner and/or up to two children to live with you in our family residence community in Columbia Lake Village-North. Learn more about family housing and apply below.