With dorm applications up, some UND students waiting to find out if they'll have fall housing
May 15—GRAND FORKS — Some UND students packed up their dorms last week with their fall housing plans still up in the air, as the university tries to figure out whether it can accommodate all students seeking on-campus housing.
An unexpected increase in the number of freshman students applying to live on campus has led UND to shift returning students to a handful of dorms and "double up" returning students who applied for single rooms.
Even then, the university may not have the space for some new graduate students, transfer students and returning students who applied after the typical February application period for on-campus housing.
"Our goal always is to try to help every student we can," said Troy Noeldner, director of housing and residence life. "But this year, because the demand is so high, we have to prioritize in this way."
Students whose housing situation is in flux will be notified by May 20 whether on-campus housing will be available for them.
Noeldner asked students with concerns about their housing status to reach out to Housing and Residence Life at
or 701-777-4251.
Returning students were informed of the higher-than-expected demand for housing in an April town hall hosted by Vice President of Student Affairs Art Malloy. At that time, the university notified returning students who had chosen to live in most residence halls they'd be relocated to make space for freshmen. Freshmen are generally required to live on campus at UND.
Returning students would be moved instead to either Swanson Hall or University Place, the latter of which offers apartment-style housing.
Students who had picked singles in Swanson Hall or University Place were likewise told they would likely have to "double up" with a roommate due to the added housing demand. (Most dorm rooms in Swanson were built to accommodate two people.)
"We made some commitments to students on some 'super-singles' that we had to pull back on," Noeldner said.
Around 410 returning, transfer and graduate students have been affected by the changes. Eighty-two have chosen to opt out of their contracts so far.
There is expected to be enough housing available to first-year students and returning students who applied in February, Noeldner said.
Returning students and new transfer and graduate students will have their applications prioritized based on when they applied for housing.
"If we have space, we will surely help you with it," Noeldner said. "It's just I can't guarantee I'll have space for them."
Grace Rhoades, a rising senior studying theater arts, applied for on-campus housing just days before the April town hall after her prior housing plans fell through.
A student from Pennsylvania, she said she applied to live in the dorms because she doesn't have a car to get around town and couldn't afford a furnished apartment.
"It wasn't necessarily a choice. It was more last resort," she said.
She was still waiting to hear back from Housing and Residence Life but recognizes she faces long odds given how late she applied for housing.
"I'm really just hoping I get a room somewhere," she said.
In March, Noeldner said UND put housing placements for new students and returning, transfer and graduate students who hadn't already applied on hold after far more incoming freshmen applied for housing than projected.
As of April 15, 2,206 freshmen students had applied for on-campus housing, compared to 1,772 the same time last year.
Housing and Residence Life had expected a flat number of incoming freshmen applying for housing based on similarly flat admissions projections.
Nearly 100 more returning students applied for housing compared to last year, but Noeldner said that had been expected due to the construction of new university housing in recent years.
Demand for university-owned apartments in the fall is also exceeding the number of available units, Noeldner said.
Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management Janelle Kilgore said the university admitted more freshmen for fall 2024 but also saw more of those students request to live on-campus than in prior years.
"We're seeing a little more of that population that is wanting to live on-campus for that campus experience," she said.
Prospective college students nationwide are submitting more college applications than in years past, Kilgore said, which has made it harder for universities to predict fall enrollment numbers.
