“Interesting roommates, convenient study spaces, and grassy areas all combine to create a positive study environment that helps me balance working hard with having fun.”
Year Round Residence
If you are interested in living in residence as a returning student, we strongly recommend applying to live in residence year-round. There are many benefits, including:
- Ongoing accommodation. Students in Year Round Residence qualify for a new contract offer every year while eligible.
- Lots of options, from shared suites with multiple roommates to studio apartment living in residence areas designed for upper-year students, graduate students and student families.
- It’s flexible. Stay on-campus during the summer or apply to sublet to another eligible UBC student. It’s your choice.
- Meal plans are available. You will have a kitchen but can purchase a meal plan for convenience and savings at numerous campus locations.
We do not offer a room guarantee for returning students.
Year Round Residences
Acadia Park (student families)
Brock Commons
Exchange
Fraser Hall
Green College (graduate students)
Iona House
Marine Drive
Ponderosa Commons
St. John’s College (graduate students)
tə šxʷhəleləm̓s tə k̓ʷaƛ̓kʷəʔaʔɬ
Thunderbird
Events and programs
No matter what time of year, there’s always something to do, ways to get involved or a program to join in the residence community. Join a committee that oversees residence programs like wellbeing or sustainability and attend special events that help keep the residence community active and engaged.
Applying for Year Round Residence
Follow these step-by-step instructions and apply as soon as possible. Your waitlist number is based on the date of your application—so we recommend applying today!
The earlier you apply, the higher your waitlist number will be by your requested move in date.
Note that we send offers based on waitlist number and the earliest occupancy date. Students who request to begin occupancy in early May are best positioned to receive an offer, since the largest number of units are typically available at this time.
Random selection for Winter Session Residence
A very limited number of Winter Session Residence beds are available for returning students. Enrolment at UBC is growing and the majority of these spaces are assigned to students who qualify for the First Year Guarantee and other new-to-UBC students. As a result, there is more demand than supply.
Deadline to apply: Returning students for September 2024 must apply by February 1, 2024.
The Residence Allocation Process (RAP) is the electronic process that randomly selects enough returning students to fill the available spaces. In mid-February, we will use the RAP to randomly determine each returning student’s application status and one of two things will happen:
- You will get an offer to live in residence. A deposit will be required to secure your spot. We’ll send specific residence assignment details in the summer, at which time you will be required to pay a second deposit.
- You will receive a waitlist number. You can monitor this number online and could receive an offer to live in residence at any time, even after September, if a space opens up. We are able to make offers to waitlisted students due to cancellations, co-op terms or other unpredictable scenarios. Note that your waitlist number is assigned randomly and does not depend on the date you applied.
Other housing
Rooms in residence for returning students are not guaranteed. Applying does not guarantee an offer will be made—and how we assign rooms depends on a variety of factors.
In addition to applying for on-campus housing, we strongly recommend you also explore other housing options at UBC and check out our resources for finding a place to live off-campus.