Wait List

Off Campus Housing Fairs

Explore off-campus housing options in a convenient campus location. These are information-only fairs. Ask questions without any pressure to commit!

Off Campus Housing Fairs dates will be published once finalized.

What is the wait list?

If the demand for housing exceeds the supply of housing, we will wait list students through a random process.

Being wait-listed does not necessarily mean you won’t be able to live on campus for the 2024-25 academic year. It does mean, however, that you will not be able to participate in the Room Selection Process at this time.

Students required to live on campus are EXCLUDED from the wait list. Students who graduated from high school in 2023 & 2024 are required and guaranteed an assignment unless they apply for and are granted a housing contract release (separate from the contract cancellation process).

If you are wait listed:

Some students will withdraw from the Room Selection Process for a variety of reasons such as study abroad opportunities and other changes to circumstances. When this happens, reinstated students will be contacted with either a Room Selection time slot or assignment as these spaces open.
If you are planning to live with a roommate who is not wait listed, they will not be able to hold a space for you or pull you into their room while you are on the wait list.
When students are wait listed, reinstatements are issued randomly as space becomes available. This means there is not an ongoing numbered waiting list. Our assignment system randomly identifies a wait listed student each time a space is vacated. There is no specific order to the waiting list.
After the room selection process is complete, reinstated students will be emailed a room assignment as space becomes available throughout the spring and summer. We will continue to assign newly available spaces to reinstated students through August 1, 2024.
Wait list students are housed before former students, transfer students (with the exception of designated transfer spaces), and currently enrolled students who did not sign a 2024-25 housing contract by 5:00pm on February 13, 2024.
As a wait listed student who is not required to live on campus, you are permitted to seek off-campus housing and request cancellation of your housing application without penalty through August 1, 2024, providing there is an active wait list.
If you are interested in beginning an off-campus search, we recommended starting with the Williamsburg Off-Campus Housing site.
To submit a request to cancel your contract, please return to the "Request to Cancel" page of your 2024-25 Housing Application on the Housing Portal, read the information listed there, select that you wish to cancel, and click "Save & Continue" at the bottom of the page. After Residence Life staff reviews your request, they will send a confirmation email.

Who's protected?

Students protected from the Wait List process for 2024-25 Room Selection include:

Students required to live on campus - High School Graduation Years 2023 & 2024
Spring 2024 study away students
Special Interest Housing - Africana House, Mosaic House and Language Houses
St Andrews William & Mary Joint Degree Programme students currently at St. Andrews who sign the Housing Contract in the 2024-25 Housing Application by the published due date.
1693 Scholars
Spring 2024 newly admitted Pathways Transfer students
Fraternity & Sorority Housing
Roommates of approved early room selection students with a room selection time slot

Waiting List FAQs

Why is there a waiting list for housing?

If the demand for on campus housing exceeds our available space.

Housing Contract Cancellation Deadline

The 2024-25 Housing Contract cancellation deadline is August 1, 2024 for those students who are not required to live on campus if a housing wait list occurs in the spring for the upcoming year. No cancellation fee would be applied through August 1, 2024, providing there is not an active wait list.

How many people are on the waiting list?

Anticipated to be between 400-500 students who are not required to live on campus. We expect this number to change (and decrease) daily as students make decisions regarding their housing and academic plans.

How does the waiting list work?

When students are wait listed, reinstatements are issued randomly as space becomes available. This means there is not an ongoing numbered wait list. Our assignment system randomly identifies a wait listed student each time a space is vacated. There is no specific order to the wait list. Reinstated students will be emailed a room assignment as space becomes available throughout the spring and summer. We will continue to assign newly available spaces to reinstated students through August 1, 2024. It might be easier to think of the waiting list as a “pool” rather than a “list”.

When will I be placed in on campus housing?

It is impossible to provide a specific answer to this question. Residence Life will continue to place wait listed students into housing as space becomes available through August 1, 2024.

How can I find off campus housing?

The Williamsburg Off-Campus Housing website is a good starting place
Join the College of William and Mary (W&M) Housing, Sublets and Roommates Facebook Page
Talk with friends who live off campus- often they pass leases/spaces on to other students from year to year
W&M is planning an Off-Campus Housing Fair. Watch for details on social media

I thought housing was guaranteed for four years. Is this not true?

In the modern era W&M has never guaranteed housing for four years.

I don’t have a car. How am I supposed to get to and from campus?

WATA (Williamsburg Area Transport Authority) provides free bus transportation to all W&M students. We recommend that as you search for an off-campus location, you consider proximity to a bus stop if you need to use public transport.

What if I can’t afford to live off campus?

There is a wide variety of properties and price points off-campus. We recommend you search for spaces that are suitable to your personal budget.

Moving off-campus & financial aid?

Want to know more about how moving off campus and financial aid works? Review Financial Aid information and contact the Financial Aid Office.