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FAQs

Housing Application Process

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Find answers to common questions about the housing application, waitlist process, and securing your spot.

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General Housing Information

What is the application process?

New admitted students must accept the university admission offer and pay the $250 enrollment deposit to have access to the Student Housing Portal. The admission process takes 2-4 business days so please plan accordingly.

For 2025-2026 Academic Year, the Housing Application consists of two steps:

  • Step I: Start to Fill out Housing Application
    • Available on the Student Housing Portal starting on Wednesday, April 2nd at 10am.
    • Applicants can take their time to review the cost of housing and complete the application questions. There will be no submit button until Wednesday, April 23rd (for Suites and Apartments Eligible applicants) and Wednesday, April 30th (Residence Hall Eligible applicants).
  • Step 2: Application Payment & Submission
    • Debit or Credit
    • Available starting Wednesday, April 23rd at 10am (for Suites and Apartments Eligible applicants) and Wednesday, April 30th at 10am (Residence Hall Eligible applicants).
    • Applicants must log into their Student Housing Portal and go to the Housing Application for 2025-2026, pay the $50 application fee, and click submit for their application to be considered.

INFO ON HOW TO APPLY

Important: The $50 application fee is mandatory and non-refundable. Payment must be made using a debit or credit card; we do not accept checks or bank transfers.

What happens after I submit the housing application?

  1. If the applicant completed both parts above as soon as the submission option is available, there is nothing for the applicant to do until Room Selection results are announced.
  2. By the end of May, applicants should receive an update via their CSUF email regarding whether they can proceed to the next stage (Room Selection).
  3. If applicant is invited to Room Selection in early June, the applicant must log into the Student Housing Portal on their assigned room selection period to view the available spaces for room selection and other eligible students if they want to select potential roommate(s). Applicants who do not select a space during Room Selection will not be considered for housing.

What are the different types of housing available?

We offer three styles of housing based on student classification:

  • Incoming First Year Students: Residence Halls
    • Shared rooms for 2 or 3 students (double or triple occupancy)
    • Communal bathrooms in the hallway
    • Shared lounge and study spaces
  • Sophomore, Junior, Transfer Students: Suites
    • 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom suites for 8 students
    • Double occupancy rooms
    • In-unit bathrooms (toilet and shower in 4 separate rooms)
    • Kitchenette
  • Senior and Graduate Students: Apartments
    • 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartments for 4 students
    • Single occupancy rooms
    • In-unit bathrooms
    • Full-size kitchen

INFO ON HOUSING COMMUNITIES

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Improving Your Chances of Securing Housing

What's the best way for me to ensure a space in Housing?

Housing is assigned on a first-come, first-eligible basis based on the order of application submission and student classification. To maximize your chances of securing housing, we recommend:

  • Submitting your Housing Application as soon as it becomes available, as earlier applicants have a better chance of receiving housing.

If you submitted your application later than other applicants, there is no way to move up the list. You may want to explore off-campus options as an alternative.

For Your Information

  • CSUF has over 42,000 students, but only about 2,200 housing spaces available.
  • The majority of CSUF students live off-campus in the area and commute.
  • While off-campus housing can sometimes be more affordable, many students choose on-campus housing for the added convenience, safety, and access to campus resources.
  • Many housing spaces will open up due to cancellations, often for financial reasons.
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Room Selection and Assignments

How does the room assignment process work?

Applicants that are moving forward to Room Selection will be notified by our office at their student CSUF email in mid-to-late May. They will have an assigned 2-3 hour period in early June to log in to their Student Housing Portal and access Room Selection and see all the available rooms that they are eligible for. 

How are rooms assigned once Room Selection is over?

As earlier applicants cancel and spaces become available, we administratively place the next eligible person (based on the chronologically of submission date and time, with distance from campus also considered if they applied during the priority application window) from the waitlist in the newly available space.

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Disability and Special Accommodations

Would my student be given any priority if they are a Disability Support Services (DSS) student?

DSS students still need to complete the same application process as there is no priority for DSS students. Approved disability-related accommodations do not impact your place on the housing waitlist. DSS does not have the ability to move up a student on the waitlist, and disability-related accommodations will go into effect once a student has a housing assignment.

If a DSS student requires special accommodations, such as wheelchair accessible room and shower, requires single occupancy room for medical reason (if not a senior or grad student), etc. please have the student speak with their DSS counselor and have DSS contact the Housing Office.
For example, a first-year student who has a medical need that is reviewed and approved by DSS to be a reasonable accommodation request, we may change their eligibility to apartment so they are eligible to have a single-occupancy room to accommodate their needs (apartments are not eligible for a first-year student). This does not guarantee that this student will receive housing in the apartments, their assignment will still be based on how early they submitted their application.
Their placement will depend on if by the time we get to this applicant we still have the type of housing space they requested available to accommodate them, it is not guaranteed.

How do I request disability-related housing accommodations?

If a DSS student requires special accommodations, such as a wheelchair accessible room and shower, requires single occupancy room for medical reason (if not a senior or grad student), etc. please have the student speak with their DSS care advisor and have DSS contact the Housing Office.

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