Frieda Parker Hall is one of the more popular student housing options on campus.
3rd and West sits at 1401 3rd St., West Lafayette.
Frieda Parker Hall is one of the more popular student housing options on campus.
Purdue University Residences released housing lottery results on Oct. 9, notifying students whether they secured a spot to select housing for next year. Those selected can now choose from available rooms from Oct 21-31.
The university structured room selection with different phases for different class years in an attempt to manage demand that continues to outpace supply.
“University Residences will have approximately 8,400 beds available for returning students out of a projected population of approximately 17,000 residents,” according to Purdue’s University Housing website.
Anthony Pare, a freshman double major in first-year engineering and math, participated in the lottery for the first time. He experienced technical difficulties during the application process.
“I applied the night of the deadline and had to wait multiple hours because the portal seemed to crash,” said Pare. “Even though I submitted it — I got sent an email saying the deadline passed, so I don’t even know if I got it or not.”
Despite his own issues, Pare said he supported using a lottery to determine university housing assignments.
“The lottery system is completely fair for everyone regardless of financial standing, background, or state,” said Pare. “There’s not enough room for everyone, so a lottery is the best approach.”
David D’Amico, a sophomore in electrical engineering, applied early. He said the wait between lottery results and room selection has been difficult.
“I haven’t gotten the chance to choose yet. The wait to choose is very long, which is bothersome because I want to figure out where exactly I can live,” said D’Amico.
D’Amico also said the university did not provide clear information about the timeline.
“I wish they told us how long it would be until we actually got to pick our housing,” said D’Amico. “If I don’t get within my top 3 choices I might cancel the plans and try and find a different place.”
Upper-class students, or rising juniors and seniors, selected rooms from Oct. 21-23, with a binding contract date of Oct. 27. Current first-year students will select rooms from Oct. 28-30, with a binding contract date of Nov. 3.
Each group has access to different room types — upper-division students have a higher proportion of apartment spaces available, while first-year students see more residence hall options.
John Eckman, assistant vice provost for student life, said certain spaces tend to fill faster than others, with First Street Towers, Hawkins, and Frieda Parker Hall topping the list. The university is working to expand capacity to meet demand.
3rd and West sits at 1401 3rd St., West Lafayette.
“This fall we opened 3rd & West, which added 984 beds,” said Eckman. “In Fall 2026 we plan to open South Hall which will add an additional 896 beds.”
The reapplication process includes a new express placement option.
“Students can indicate their preferred room type and be assigned a room without manually selecting through the portal,” said Eckman.
Students can identify roommate preferences or choose express placement during the opt-in phase to streamline the process.
For students not selected in the initial lottery, the university has built in safety nets.
“If you opt into the process and are not selected, you will be automatically added to the standby list and may be contacted if space becomes available,” according to the UR website. Students can also join a waitlist in January if space opens up.
Eckman noted the university continues to refine the reapplication process based on student input.
“Following last year’s reapplication process, we held a series of meetings with the Residence Hall Association, Hall Club Presidents, and other student leaders and groups to gather feedback and recommendations for improvement,” said Eckman. “Building on the success of those conversations, we plan to hold similar sessions again this year to continue identifying opportunities to enhance and streamline the reapplication process.”
Every Exponent article goes through checks for accuracy before publication. If you have a concern or questions about this article, please email editor@purdueexponent.org.
The Purdue Student Government met Wednesday evening for its sixth session of the school year. Vice Provost of Student Life Beth McCuskey spoke about the Steps to Leaps program and PSG appointed five new executive directors for the Indianapolis campus.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: