General Information for New Freshmen
Click here to download the 2012-13 Undergraduate Housing Flier (PDF) *
Click here to view the Online Undergraduate Housing Contract Process Guide-- Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)* *Requires Acrobat Reader to view. |
- The Housing Guarantee
- UCI guarantees two years of housing to all freshmen who are single, under the age of 25, who are enrolling in fall quarter 2012, and who meet the housing application and contract-return deadlines. Freshmen must return their Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) and their housing application (with a non-refundable $20 processing fee) by May 1, 2012 in order to qualify for this guarantee. All applications received after May 1st are placed on a wait-list in the order received.
Information on the process for securing guaranteed housing for the second year will be available on the Web site in fall quarter. Students must live on campus for their entire first year to remain eligible for guaranteed housing in the second year.
Undergraduates who are married, with children, or 25 years of age or older are not eligible for the housing guarantee, but may apply to get on the housing wait-list for Verano Place. See additional information below under "How to Apply".
Housing Guarantee for Veterans, Reservists (including National Guard) and Active Duty Service Members.*Eligible service members, reservists, and veterans are guaranteed an offer of on-campus housing for four years or Normal Time To Degree (whichever is greater). The housing guarantee applies to both eligible students who are single and those with families. The housing guarantee will remain in place if a degree program is interrupted by a deployment. Service members should register with UCI Veteran’s Services, http://www.dos.uci.edu/veteran/ in order to learn more about available campus resources. For more information, contact Student Housing at housing@uci.edu or by calling (949) 824-6811. *This policy does not apply to students enrolled in ROTC.
- How to Apply
- The Housing Application window for new students will open March 1, 2012.
After you receive your admissions notification, apply online via the Admissions Web site. Go to www.admissions.uci.edu and click on 'MyAdmissionsApplication@UCI'.
Fall 2012 Applicants Newly admitted students can apply for housing online.
- Go to www.admissions.uci.edu and click 'MyAdmissionsApplication@UCI'.
- Submit your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) and non-refundable $100 Acceptance of Admission fee. SIR must be submitted in order to access the online Housing Application.
- Complete the Online Housing Application and pay the required, non-refundable $20.00 processing fee. The fee can be paid online with a credit card or by printing a payment coupon and mailing it with a check* or money order*, payable to "Regents UC". Follow instructions given on your online housing application.
Cashier
228 Aldrich Hall
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-1975
*Checks and money orders must be payable through a U.S. bank and received by the application deadline.
Your on-time housing application will secure an offer of a space in the residence halls. Specific housing preferences (e.g., community, room type, roommate matching) are NOT recorded in the housing application, but will be asked for when you complete your housing contract.
Important: (1) Applications must be submitted online or received by mail by May 1, 2012 in order to receive guaranteed housing. Your Statement of Intent to Register must also be filed with Admissions by May 1, 2012 in order to qualify for the housing guarantee. (2) To avoid technical difficulties when applying via the "My.housing.uci.edu" gateway, we recommend using a computer that does NOT run the MS Vista operating system. We also recommend using Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer (NOT Safari) as your Internet browser.
- Notification that your online housing contract is available will be sent beginning in late May. When you login to your housing contract, you will be asked for your housing community, room, and roommate preferences on the online Personal Information Form.
- Housing assignments are sent to incoming students in early September.
Late Applicants for Fall 2012 and
Winter and Spring 2013 Applicants
All applications are placed on a wait-list in the order received and room assignments are made as a space becomes available. To increase your chances for on-campus housing, submit your application as soon as possible.
Undergraduates over 25 years of age, married, or with children
Students who are married, with children, or who are 25 or older may apply for housing in Verano Place or Palo Verde. Single students may also apply to live in Vista del Campo, Vista del Campo Norte, or Puerta del Sol. All of these communities maintain a wait-list.
Verano Place and Palo Verde are graduate and family apartment communities, serving graduate students, undergraduates who are 25 or older, and students with families. For more information, click here.
Vista del Campo, Vista del Campo Norte, and Puerta del Sol are privately owned and managed apartment communities, located on the east campus. They offer furnished apartments to sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students. To apply, please visit
vistadelcampoliving.com / vistadelcamponorteliving.com / puertadelsolliving.com
- Go to www.admissions.uci.edu and click 'MyAdmissionsApplication@UCI'.
- Important Dates
- Please visit the Important Dates page for deadline and due dates.
- Freshman Housing Options
- Both freshman housing communities provide Internet and cable TV connections in each student room, a hall/house living room, study rooms, laundry facilities, recreational facilities, computer lab, and custodial service for public areas and bathrooms. The Student Housing Web site contains additional information about each community.
Feature Residence Halls
(Mesa Court & Middle Earth)Hall Size 48-75 residents per hall
Meal Plan/Dining Mandatory meal plan.
Dining commons in each community.Cost Room & Board: 2011-12 rate for a double occupancy room and 120 Block Meals per quarter/$75 Flex dollars plan is $11,711. Rates for 2012-13 will reflect an increase.
Community Residents Residence halls house predominantly freshmen,
with some upperclass student staff.
Location
Near the campus core. Theme Options Each community offers a wide range of theme options. Visit the Residence Hall Theme Descriptions Web site for more information.
- What is Theme Housing? What are my theme options?
- Theme halls bring together students with similar interests and provide specialized programming to explore those interests. Mesa Court also offers General Interest halls where residents and their Resident Advisor identify topics of interest for hall activities. Preference for a particular residence hall community and theme will be asked for with residence hall contracts. Please note that although we try to match your preferences, placement in a particular housing community or theme is not guaranteed.
Freshman Theme Options - 2012-2013 Mesa Court Theme Halls: - Academic Excellence
- Mass Media and Communications
- Campus Connections
- Campuswide Honors Program (CHP)* (see description below)
- "Community in a Diverse Society"
Class Experience - Sierra - Diversity: Advocacy & Activism
- Interest in Performing Arts
- Interest in Visual Arts
- Interest in Global Sustainability
- First Year Excellence Program (FYEP)- for Undecided/ Undeclared students (see description below)
- General Interest
- Emerging Leaders
- Interest in Music
- Community Service & Social Justice
- Interest in Engineering & Technology
- Wellness
Middle Earth Special Interest Theme Hall Clusters (4 halls per cluster): - Intellectual Competence
- Academic & Career Options
- Health & Safety Strategies
- Personal Identity & Philosophy
- Interpersonal Relationships
- Involvement in Civic & Campus Life
Other Individual Theme Halls in Middle Earth - Careers in Teaching and Education
- Campuswide Honors Program (CHP)* (see description below)
- Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
- Study Abroad Interest Hall
- Halls with Special Programs for Freshmen
- In addition to the special interest halls listed above, some freshmen also have the opportunity to participate in either the First Year Excellence Program or the Campuswide Honors Program, described below.
First Year Excellence Program [FYEP] The First Year Excellence Program supports first-year students making the transition to life at the University, helps broaden their thinking about educational and career options, and teaches leadership skills that will serve them throughout their college years and beyond. The FYEP is especially designed for students who will not declare a major until the end of their first year. All FYEP participants take a two-unit course fall quarter, “A Freshmen Experience,” and a two-unit course winter quarter, “Overview of Majors.” FYEP participants are given opportunities to learn about leadership development. FYEP is offered in Mesa Court.
Campuswide Honors Program [CHP] The Campuswide Honors Program supports the academic growth of highly committed students through seminar-styles classes, faculty mentoring, research opportunities and CHP housing. Freshmen who have been accepted into the Campuswide Honors Program can elect to live in academically-oriented community in either Mesa Court or Middle Earth. - How are the residence halls organized with respect to males and females living together?
- Halls: In Mesa Court and Middle Earth, most halls are co-ed, though both communities do offer a females only hall. Each hall is made up of suites, each containing 5-7 rooms, and each hall has a central living room/lounge, kitchen, and laundry facilities.
Suites/Rooms/Bathrooms:- - In Mesa Court, suites are single-gender (male or female) and shares a lounge and bathroom.
- In Middle Earth, co-ed halls have several different configurations, including:
- - Single gender suite -- one bathroom: Suite of 5 to 7 rooms; each room is single gender (male or female). Residents in the suite share a central bathroom.
- -- Co-ed suite –two bathrooms: Rooms in the suite may be male or female; the suite has separate male and female bathrooms
- -- Single room hall: Most rooms in the hall designated for single occupancy (one person per room). Suite and bathroom configuration similar to “Single gender suite in a co-ed hall”.
- -- Gender neutral hall: Allows same gender roommates, opposite gender roommates, or other gender-identity roommate pairings, regardless of physical sex. To clarify, gender identities are numerous and include male, female, and transgender, among many others. Thus, residents in the gender neutral hall may request any roommate whosoever. Residents in each suite share a central bathroom. All students indicating interest in the gender neutral hall will be contacted by Student Housing to confirm interest and discuss roommate accommodation.
- How Much Will it Cost?
- The cost of living in the residence halls varies with the number of residents per room and which meal plan you choose. Most students in the Residence Halls live in double rooms, though there are a limited number of single, triple occupancy rooms.
To view current housing rates, go to the UCI Student Housing Rates Web site. - The On-Campus Experience-Why Live on Campus?
- Roughly 80% of UCI Freshmen live on campus. Studies continue to show that students who live on campus perform better academically, have more contact with faculty, and are generally more satisfied with their overall college experience. Living on campus brings many advantages, including convenient access to campus resources, dining services, the support of our professional and student staff, and many opportunities to form new friendships and a sense of community. Another practical benefit of on-campus housing is that your housing contract locks in your housing costs for the full academic year. If your roommate leaves mid-year, you will not be asked to pay additional rent or find another roommate yourself.
- FYI: The First Year Initiative
- The First Year Initiative (FYI) provides new students living in the residence halls with the resources they need to make a smooth transition to college and begin a successful career at UC Irvine. FYI activities include:
- Academic support services: tutoring, group study, academic advising
- Credited classes held in the residence hall communities
- Co-curricular activities that support a broad range of interests
- Live-on Student Advisors: Providing Leadership, Support, and Fun!
- Upperclass student staff provide a live-in resource for information, support, and guidance in all freshman residence halls and theme houses. Hall Resident Advisors (RA) also organize a wide range of fun activities for freshman residents. Community Programmers (CPs) organize community-wide social events such as sports or game tournaments, dances, and barbeques.
- Dining Services
-
UCI Dining offers a variety of dining options to meet the nutritional needs and diverse tastes of UCI students. A meal plan is mandatory for all residence hall contract holders. Students living in the residence halls choose from the following 3 meal plan options. The cost of each plan is figured into your total (room and board) housing rate:
- 165 Block Meals (approx. 15 meals per week) w/$50.00 Flex Dollars (per quarter)
- 120 Block Meals (approx. 11 meals per week) w/$75.00 Flex Dollars (per quarter)
- 100 Block Meals (approx. 9 meals per week) w/$75.00 Flex Dollars (per quarter)
Meals are loaded onto your UCI Student ID. Meals can be used at Mesa Commons, Pippin, or Brandywine Commons, and they do not carry over to the next quarter. If you use up your meals before the end of the quarter, you may add additional meals to your card. Students living off campus have the option to purchase one of the voluntary meal plans listed on the UCI Dining Web site.
Flex Dollars can be used at all residential dining commons and campus dining venues as well. Once your Flex Dollars have been spent, students have the option of adding additional Zot Bucks to their meal cards. Zot Bucks roll-over year to year.
Please visit the UCI Dining Web site for sample menus and more information on meal plan options: www.ucidining.com - Safety and Security
- Safety and security are of the utmost importance in each of our on-campus communities. Emergency phones, which connect to the UCI Police Department, are located within each housing community and throughout the campus. UCI also provides a safety escort service for students who are traveling by foot at night. Although there is no curfew in any on-campus community, all residential facilities are locked 24 hours a day. Residents’ keys open the front doors as well as their own rooms, allowing them to come and go as they please. Residents are discouraged from permitting access to strangers, propping doors open, or leaving doors unlocked.
- Can I bring my car? Where do I park?
-
Parking on campus requires a parking permit. You can purchase a Resident parking permit from the UCI Parking & Transportation Services office. For rates and information, please visit www.parking.uci.edu
- Off Campus Housing Options
- Students choosing to live off campus are invited to come to Housing Administrative Services, located on the 4th floor of the Student Center (G458), for assistance in finding a place to live or a roommate. The Anteater Housing Network provides online access to local rental listings and UCI student message boards for finding a roommate. Our housing advisors can help. The best time to start your search for off-campus housing for the fall quarter is spring/summer. For information, stop by our office, call (949) 824-7247, email housing@uci.edu, or go to the Off Campus Housing Web Site.
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Still have questions? Take a look at the Prospective Students Frequently Asked Questions.
