UCF Housing: Contact Information and Essential Resources

For students at the University of Central Florida (UCF), securing suitable housing is a crucial aspect of their college experience. Whether you're a freshman eager to live on campus or a graduate student seeking off-campus options, understanding the available resources and contact information is essential. This article provides a comprehensive guide to UCF housing, covering everything from application procedures to maintenance requests and emergency contacts.

On-Campus Housing: A Priority for Freshmen

The University prioritizes on-campus living for first-time college students, recognizing the benefits of immersion in the university environment. Due to high demand, incoming freshmen are strongly advised to apply for housing as soon as they are offered admission. Applications for summer and fall housing open after the Admissions Early Action Decision Release Notification Date.

To apply for housing, you must be admitted to UCF. All applications are submitted through the Housing Portal, accessible via myUCF (Student Self Service > Housing > Housing Portal). Note that you do not need to submit the enrollment deposit before applying.

Housing Agreements and Assignments

UCF offers different types of housing agreements:

Academic Year Agreements: These cover the Fall and Spring semesters.
Annual (11.5 month) Agreements: These extend over the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.

Students with confirmed housing agreements participate in online room selection through the Housing Portal. A "Confirmed" housing status on your Application Status page in the Housing Portal indicates that a space has been reserved for you on campus. This status is assigned as space becomes available, based on your housing application complete date. The housing application complete date is the date you submitted your online housing application. If you are confirmed for housing, the housing application complete date is used in determining your room selection appointment time. A housing agreement received date is the date you started your online housing application.

Read also: Guide to UC Davis Student Housing

Living-Learning Communities

The Department of Housing and Residence Life offers several living-learning communities designed to enhance the academic experience. These communities create living-learning environments outside of the classroom through partnerships with various academic departments. Students must be offered a UCF housing agreement to live in these communities.

Room Changes

Once online room selection takes place, all of our space is completely filled, so room changes are not always possible. Due to late cancellations, some assignments may change up to the day the buildings open. A Room Change Request form will be available in the Housing Portal prior to move-in where an incoming resident may request a change, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to honor it. Room changes after move-in may be requested through your community's front office. Availability is limited, so room changes requested after move-in are not guaranteed.

Contact Information and Support

One of the best aspects of living on campus is the readily available support from dedicated staff.

Resident Assistants (RAs): RAs are specially selected and trained upperclassmen who live on your floor or in your building. The role of the RA is to be a community facilitator for the students living on campus at UCF. RAs do this through answering your many questions about housing or the University, spending time getting to know you and your interests and by offering planned events and activities that are both fun and educational. The RA has information to help solve your housing problems, knows what resources are available to you, and has experience with the academic system here at UCF. RAs are also responsible for administering and enforcing housing and university policies. If you have any situations or questions, feel free to contact your RA. Their contact information is available through your community.
Community Offices: Once your student has moved on-campus, you should contact the Coordinator within the community where your student resides. For phone numbers of the community offices, please visit our contact page.
Coordinators of Residence Life and Education: The Coordinators of Residence Life and Education implement the residence life program and supervise the staff in their respective communities. All Coordinators of Residence Life and Education are full-time master’s level professional staff members who live in the community. The Coordinators of Residence Life and Education are available to meet with you during business hours (8 am - 5 pm).
Graduate Coordinators: Graduate Coordinators supervise student staff, support community development, serve in the crisis response rotation, and assist in facilities management. Graduate staff will maintain 20 hours per week including evening hours for staff meetings, curriculum strategies, and in-community duties. All Graduate Coordinators are live-in staff members. You may meet with a Graduate Coordinator during business hours (8 am - 5 pm).

We use the contact information listed in myUCF to contact you.

Maintenance and Work Orders

For routine maintenance requests, use the online work order form. Add location. Choose your building and laundry room. The online work order form is for routine maintenance requests only. Please do not enter emergency requests through this form. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911 immediately. For non-life-threatening emergencies, call the Work Control Center at (407) 823-5223. You can always fill out an online work order with Facilities Operations here.

If you are experiencing issues with a vending machine please contact your community office. Vending Machine Locations - All communities have vending machines with drink and snack options. Tampering with Vending Machines - the Residence Life staff is happy to help you with any vending concerns.

If you would like to have your bed lowered, put in a work order online to have maintenance staff assist you. Only maintenance staff are allowed to alter bed heights. Only twin XL beds can be adjusted. Requests to have your bed lowered prior to move-in must be received no later than August 4.

Important Policies and Procedures

NID and myUCF Access

The NID is a UCF-issued credential that allows access to UCF resources (e.g. myUCF, UCF wireless networks). If your NID password is not letting you sign into myUCF or you do not remember what the password is, you will need to reset your NID password.

It is very important for room assignments that you have your sex correct in the MyUCF system. If you have not yet started at UCF, you should contact Undergraduate Admissions at 407-823-3000 to ask how to make the change. If you have already started at UCF, you should contact the Registrar's Office at 407-823-3100 to have the change made.

Prepayment and Cancellation Fees

When you apply for housing, you are required to make a prepayment for each housing agreement you submit. The prepayment amount is then put towards the rent of the first semester of that agreement. The prepayment for summer-only housing is $100. The prepayment for an agreement starting in fall is $250. Cancellation fees vary based on type of agreement and date of notification. It’s always important to read the Terms and Conditions of the housing agreement, and the cancellation fee schedule is included in the document.

Read also: Student Housing at CSU Pueblo

Semester Breaks

No, you may not stay in your room during the break between the fall and spring semesters. You may leave your belongings in your room but you may not stay in the room. During the semester breaks between spring and summer and between summer and fall you must move out of your room completely.

Amenities and Furnishings

Yes we do! All academic-year residence halls on campus have wireless internet. All communities also have wireless internet in common areas and lounges. In addition, wired Ethernet ports are located in all bedrooms on campus.

Each student is provided with a bed, mattress, dresser, desk, and chair. On-campus apartment living rooms are furnished with a love seat, two side chairs, and a small dining table with four chairs, except for Lake Claire which has a modular couch instead of a love seat and two side chairs. NorthView comes with a sofa, love seat, and bar stools. Apartment kitchens all come furnished with a full-size refrigerator and range. Apartments in the Towers and NorthView include dishwashers. NorthView also has a washer and dryer in each unit. All units have vertical blinds and shower curtains.

Move-In Procedures

Appointments are required for move-in and will be made available in the Housing Portal ahead of each move-in timeframe. You should plan to arrive on campus during your selected move-in appointment. You will begin by going to the designated unloading zone for your community. All students parking on-campus will need to purchase a parking decal through Parking and Transportation Services.

Smoking Policy

No; all university facilities, including on-campus residential facilities have been declared Non-Smoking in compliance with the Florida Clean Air Act of 1992. (See State Statutes, Section 386.001.) This includes the stairwells, hallways, and building entrances. In recognition of the health risks caused by smoking, UCF provides a smoke-free environment for its faculty, staff, students and visitors.

Cooking and Appliances

If you are in an apartment style facility, you may cook in your kitchen. If you are in an apartment, you may have appliances such as a toaster, toaster oven, coffee pot and George Foreman grill in your kitchen. If you are in a residence hall facility, you may only cook in a microwave. You may bring a microwave oven (up to 1000 watts), a small refrigerator (up to 5 cubic feet) and a coffee pot.

Bicycles

No; if you plan to bring a bicycle to campus, be prepared to leave it outside the residential facilities. Be sure to bring a lock and chain to secure the bicycle to the designated bicycle storage area.

Mail and Packages

When you are given a room assignment on-campus, you are also given a PO Box assignment. If you have not yet moved on campus, please contact the Department of Housing and Residence Life through one of the methods on our Contact page.

Emergency Procedures

If a serious storm or hurricane threatens our region, the Governor and UCF President have the authority to cancel classes or close campuses, and they do so in consultation with other area colleges, school districts, and government offices. When it is necessary - as it was during Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne in 2004 - UCF enacts its Emergency Plan, coordinated by William Merck, Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Storm closings typically require UCF to open campus shelters for resident students, essential-operations staff members, and their families. Jeff Morgan, Director of Emergency Management, will establish an Emergency Operations Center to coordinate mission critical services such as security, utilities, dining services, and shelter support. While we hope to escape hurricanes this season, we are wise to prepare well and to educate ourselves in case an emergency occurs.

Cleanliness and Recycling

Students are responsible for their own cleaning in their residence hall rooms or apartments. All residents are expected to maintain proper cleanliness, including vacuuming, wiping down surfaces, and removing all trash on a regular basis. You are responsible for emptying your own trash into the dumpsters or trash compactors. Residents disposing of trash in areas other than designated dumpsters are subject to a $25 fine per occurrence. In an effort to further support the university’s commitment to the environment, UCF offers recycling within all residential communities.

Alternative Housing Options

Do not despair! Fortunately, there are many off-campus student apartment complexes near the University that can provide suitable housing. Transfer or Graduate students in hospitality programs are encouraged to check out the Rosen College Apartments. Transfer and Graduate students in downtown majors should check out UnionWest at Creative Village for housing options. Transfer or Graduate students seeking housing near the main campus can check out more off-campus resources at Student Neighborhood Relations. If we are unable to offer you space for the semester you desire, we will send you a referral to off-campus student housing.

Additional Resources

360° Virtual Tours

360° videos take the housing tour experience and make it accessible for everyone. You are able to look all around you: sky, ground, front, and back. This freedom gives you a sense of what it is like to be in person with your guide. UCF Housing and LiveSomeWhere.com/UCF are happy to announce that you can tour all UCF apartments and residence halls in 360. Available are Libra, Northview, Hercules & Nike, Apollo, Neptune, Lake Claire, Towers, and Rosen.

Medical Withdrawal

If you are pursuing a Medical Withdrawal through the Registrar’s Office (Academic Services), you will be completing a form that requires a signature from Housing and Residence Life.

Knight Ride

Knight Ride Formally known as S.E.P.S., this program is a partnership between UCFPD and SGA that offers safe, after-hours transportation around campus. when classes are in session, with extended hours during exam periods.

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