Frequently Asked Questions by Housing Applicants 

Who is eligible for Housing at UC San Diego?

• Full-time Graduate and Professional Students (i.e. enrolled in 12 units or more throughout the lease term)
• Graduate, Professional, and Undergrad Students with Dependents
• Full-time Undergraduate Student Couples

What if I am going on leave or studying out of town and waiting for an offer?

Offers are processed electronically via email. If you will not have access to your current email address, please notify the Housing Allocations Office in advance so that you do not miss a Housing offer. We are happy to call you at a temporary number or call an individual that you designate to accept or refuse a Housing offer on your behalf. 

Is Couple Housing available?

Yes, committed couples must provide specific supporting documentation as evidence of their couple's relationship. Please see our “program guidelines” for more information. Married couples must provide a certified Marriage Certificate.

Is there Family Housing available?

Yes. Families, including single parents, are welcome at all of our communities. Contact us for more details.

Are there priority programs for Housing?

 Yes, there are.

• Students with child/children:

  Students (who are not currently residing in Housing) with child/children, students who are pregnant, or whose partner/spouse is pregnant are offered housing before single students and student couples.

  • In addition, a student in one of our Housing communities who becomes pregnant or whose partner/spouse becomes pregnant while residing in Housing is also offered housing before other single students and student couples.
  • Housing will make a maximum of two priority offers to a student with child/children and/or pregnant. If the student refuses both offers then they are no longer eligible to receive priority Housing and their application will be archived. If you are still interested in housing, a new application will need to be completed and housing will be offered based on the new application date on the waitlist.
  • A birth certificate and proof of pregnancy will be required .
  • The student’s child must be 18 years or younger and residing in the accommodation at least 50% of the time to be eligible for priority.
  • Students with 3 or more children receive priority for a three-bedroom housing accommodation. If there are not any students on the waitlist with 3 or more children, then the three-bedroom apartments are next offered to students with 2 or more children; students with one child; and to all other students on the waitlist.
  • If a student’s partner/spouse plans to reside away from the accommodation for more than one quarter, then the student will be required to sublet one bedroom in a two-bedroom accommodation to an eligible student during the partner’s/spouse’s absence.

  For questions/concerns, please contact the Housing Allocations Office (HAO) at 858.534.2724.

• Student Housing Opportunity Recruitment Enhancement (SHORE):

  In the Winter and Spring quarters prior to the next Fall quarter, admitted new incoming graduate and professional students are nominated by departments to this priority Housing program. Based on availability, SHORE offers are made to nominated students by the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) . SHORE is a very limited program and all spots are filled by the early Spring quarter for the following Fall quarter. No additional spots are available after Spring quarter. Students may not self-nominate or apply for  SHORE.   SHORE students are housed without having to wait on the waitlist. The Rady School of Management participates in SHORE. For more information, contact GEPA.

• The School of Medicine: 

  For more information contact the School of Medicine. 

Are there Living Learning Communities (LLC’s) in UC San Diego Graduate Housing?

Yes, “Living Learning” communities are communities that in addition to having a group of people with a shared experience and identity also have a built-in academic component. More specifically, students of the shared experience not only live together but take classes together. For More information use this link.

How long is the wait for Housing?

There are several variables to consider including community, unit type, number of applications received, preferred need dates, etc. You can refer to our website to check availability for specific wait times (these times are approximate and very fluid based on the reasons above).

Are the monthly charges subsidized?

UC San Diego Housing operates as a self-funded organization. We do not receive Federal, State, or other funds from which to subsidize charges. All operational costs and mortgages must be covered by the monthly charges collected from residents. The monthly charges vary by community and are posted on each community’s page.

How do I apply?

• Submit a New Online Application. Upon submitting your application you will receive an e-mail confirmation. Please save this confirmation for future reference.
• In order to ensure that the waitlist represents interested students, you are required to update your application each academic quarter. If you do not complete the update process your application will be removed from the waitlist. If you contact the office prior to the start of the next update process to express your continued interest in Housing, then we will reinstate your application with your original application date. If you do not contact the office prior to the start of the next update process, then you must submit a new online application.
• Once you accept a Housing offer and sign a housing agreement, your application is removed from the waitlist. You may submit a new online application if you are interested in relocating to a different apartment or community. You may not have two active applications at one time.

How are Housing offers made?

Offers are made in the following priority:

• New incoming students nominated by their department/school for priority status
• Students referred by the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) to receive priority Housing
• Students with children
• All other students based on application date

Housing offers are made via email. The accommodation that you are offered will have a move-in date that is on or after your need Housing by date. It will also be a unit type that matches one of your selected preferences.

• An e-mail will also be sent to you at the address listed on your application. You will have 48-hours to respond to the housing offer. 

Acceptance: If you accept the housing offer, you will receive an e-mail that describes the process of signing an electronic Housing Agreement. Follow the instructions included in the e-mail. Your application will be removed from the waitlist. 

What happens if I refuse a Housing Offer (non-short Offer)?

You have up to two offers.

If you refuse your first Housing offer, your application will remain on the waitlist.

If you refuse the second offer, your Housing application will be archived. Non-Response to an offer (including short offers) is considered a refusal and applications will be automatically archived. You may later submit a new online application; however, you will not keep your original application date. Your new application date will be the day you submit your new application. And for students with children, you will no longer be eligible to receive priority Housing.

Please verify that your apartment preferences and your need Housing by date reflect the apartment types that you are willing to accept and the date that you are willing to begin paying rent.

Need Housing date and unit type: It is best to list your need Housing by date as the earliest date that you can begin paying the rent. Please note that if your Housing need by date is January 1st, then you will not be offered an apartment that becomes available prior to January 1st (i.e. You will not be offered an apartment that is available on December 31st.). Also, be sure that your accommodation preferences only include the unit type that you are willing to accept. You will have the opportunity to refuse one offer. If a second offer is made and refused, your application will be removed from the waitlist. If you do not respond to an offer, your application will also be removed from the waitlist.

What is a short offer?

There are times when a resident must move out for a documented emergency prior to their Housing Agreement end date. In such a case, we must then offer this apartment to the next applicant on the waitlist. If the move-in date is within 2 weeks of when we contact the applicant, this would be considered a Short-Offer and does not count towards the two offers if refused by the applicant. 

Can I change my Housing preferences or need date?

Yes, in fact, this is a major factor to keep in mind as all other applicants can do the same at any time. Thus, the fluidity of the waitlist. Your application date, as with other information, remains the same.

Where can I find off-campus housing opportunities?

For additional information regarding off-campus housing, please visit offcampushousing.ucsd.edu

Or visit https://framework.ucsd.edu/ to submit an application, and/or to ask questions about leasing, availability, etc. at this Downtown San Diego community designed for UC San Diego, Faculty & Staff and managed by ConAm.

Do I have to have live with a roommate? 

Yes and no.

A single student living in a multi-bedroom accommodation is required to share the unit with at least one other eligible student. The Housing Allocations Office will assign an applicant to the second bedroom in the accommodation and will fill any future vacancies in this bedroom.

Students can select to live in a studio. In this case, roommates or apartment-mates would not be required. 

If a student’s partner/spouse plans to reside away from the accommodation for more than one quarter, then the student will be required to sublet one bedroom in a two-bedroom unit to an eligible student during the partner’s/spouse’s absence. For questions/concerns, please contact the Housing Allocations Office (HAO) at 858.534.GRAD (4723).

What if I want to select my own roommate or apartment-mate?

Those with a current waitlist application can visit our website and fill out an application on the Preferred Roommate/Apartment-mate Portal to select a friend to live with or to be matched with someone who has similar preferences. A full list of common questions and answers are listed on our Waitlist Application page.

What if I am an undergraduate or graduate student with a disability or have dependents who have a disability, and need housing/dining accommodations due to the disability?

If students and/or their partners or minor children are requesting accommodations due to a medical diagnosis or disability, students are strongly encouraged to plan well in advance by obtaining an Authorization for Accommodation letter (AFA) from the Office for Students with Disabilities. Students are responsible for submitting the AFA to the Housing Liaison on behalf of themselves and/or their family members. The AFA will state what accommodations a student and/or their family members are eligible for. Every effort to provide eligible accommodations will be made. Offers will be made based on the availability of space and the date the AFA is received by the Housing Liaison.

Information regarding this process in Housing • Dining • Hospitality at UC San Diego can be obtained from the Housing Liaison at 858.534.8567 (V); 858.534.7674 (F) or via e-mail at housingliaison@ucsd.edu.

For additional information about accommodations due to disability at UC San Diego, contact the Office for Students with Disabilities at 858.534.4382 (V); 858.534.9709 (TTY); 858.534.4650 (Fax); or via e-mail at osd@ucsd.edu.

I identify as transgender. How does this impact my Housing assignment?

Transgender individuals are valued members of the living community at UC San Diego. When completing your application please self-identify when asked about gender. Additionally, in order to support the needs of transgender students, we strongly encourage students to contact the Housing Liaison to discuss individual and specific needs. The contact information is housingliaison@ucsd.edu or 858-534-8567. More information on transgender living and the transgender community at UC San Diego is available at the LGBT Resource Center website lgbt.ucsd.edu.

What if I do not agree with Housing policies?

There is an appeal process in place within housing to review disputes. The Graduate and Family Housing Contract Appeals Committee is charged to provide an avenue for review of extraordinary student circumstances that have resulted in a student seeking an exception to policies and procedures outlined in or related to the housing contract through the use of an online appeals process. All meetings are held in closed session for student privacy.

You can submit your appeal online, Appeals are generally reviewed on a monthly basis, so depending on the number of appeals being reviewed it could take several weeks or longer to receive a decision. Once a decision is made by the Committee it is final and you will receive notice of their decision.

Once I am living at UC San Diego, can I relocate? 

If you are interested in relocating to a different accommodation, you must submit a new online application. Once a new offer is made, you will need to submit a 30 Day Notice to Vacate prior to signing your new housing agreement for another unit.

How does the two-year Housing program affect my current application?

All applicants, with the exception of students with children and students in approved priority programs, will be offered a two-year fixed-term housing agreement.

If I am a current resident can I submit a new Housing application?

Yes. You may submit a new Housing application if you have not already received two years of Housing. Your Housing offer will be for the time remaining (i.e. if you have lived in Housing for 1 year, your new housing agreement will be for another year only.)

Is personal property insurance included with my housing agreement?

No, personal property insurance is not required in Graduate Housing. Although La Jolla Del Sol, which is Faculty, Staff and Grad housing, does require personal property insurance. However, it is highly recommend that all residents consider obtaining coverage while they reside in all of our communities. Here is a link to follow that is specifically designed for UC San Diego: https://www.gradguard.com/uc.