A new initiative in an effort to manage the demand for on-campus housing allows residents of Lakeside Village to move into University Village before the end of the school year, which guarantees housing in UV for the upcoming school year.
“While Lakeside and Eaton residents had an opportunity recently to move into UV now and be guaranteed UV housing next year, a total of 140 students in Eaton and Lakeside took the offer to move,” the University said in a statement to The Hurricane.
The effort comes at a time when housing availability has tightened compared to previous years. The University is operating with 239 fewer beds this year compared to the last, further increasing the demand for housing. As a result, students are facing waitlist placements or looking for off-campus housing.
For the 2026-2027 school year, approximately 3,100 students completed the housing application. Out of those, about 2,000 received a housing assignment, leaving around 1,100 students without immediate placement. On the third day of the waitlist, 612 people were still without housing, demonstrating the demand.
Last academic year, everyone on the waitlist was assigned housing by June, according to the University of Miami.
“I explored off campus housing, but it was honestly very expensive and time consuming,” said Aaron Joe, a junior who lived in Eaton last year. “We lived in Eaton and then didn’t wind up getting UV next year, which was also extremely disappointing.”
THesis Hotel, which is across the street from the University, will continue to be used to temporarily house students while other accommodations are made. The goal is not to assign students to THesis for the whole year, but students currently living there will not be required to move back to campus mid-semester.
The Department of Student Affairs has emphasized its commitment to helping students who rely on campus housing, whether it be for financial reasons or a schedule that makes commuting difficult. Student Affairs is working to evaluate ways to prioritize these students while also balancing general demand.
Centennial Village, residential colleges three, four and five are scheduled to open at the beginning of August 2026 and will add approximately 1,150 new beds.
Mahoney-Pearson Residential Colleges are both scheduled to close at the end of the spring 2026 semester. It is set to be replaced with a new complex called Gables Village with construction starting in the summer of 2026. The demolition of Mahoney-Pearson will result in a loss of around 1,400 beds.