A new on-Grounds housing policy concerning residential colleges changed the reapplication system to give rising second-years who are returning to the colleges priority in the housing process. The change is part of a broader move by the University to prioritize on-Grounds housing for rising second-years in an effort to house all second-years on Grounds within the coming years, and follows the same change to the regular on-Grounds housing process earlier this year. Some residents say they are unhappy with the change and feel that it goes against the values of residential colleges.
The three residential colleges — Brown College, Hereford College and the International Residential College — give students an alternative to traditional on-Grounds housing and are described as “living-learning communities” by Housing and Residence Life. Residential colleges also have a separate application from other on-Grounds housing. The colleges offer various benefits to residents, including opportunities for student self-governance and to build tight-knit communities between faculty and students.
Previously, returning fourth-year students were given highest priority when choosing whether to return to the residential colleges, and if they did choose to return, they were also given priority in room assignments. This was followed by returning third-years, then returning second-years and lastly new residents.
The new system reverses the order, offering returning rising second years priority in assignments, followed by returning third-years and then returning second-years. Returning residents still have priority over new applicants.
The other new change is that current residents had to fill out a more detailed application to reapply for housing as opposed to being guaranteed a spot in their residential college, though they still received priority over new applicants.
University Spokesperson Bethanie Glover said in a statement to The Cavalier Daily that this change was due to an “unprecedented number of students” who wanted to live on Grounds, as well as to prioritize the University’s goal to house all second-year students on Grounds. In the statement, she also outlined the new priority list for on-Grounds housing, including in residential colleges.
“The residential colleges continue to have their own housing selection processes to give priority to current residents of the colleges, while also aligning with the second-year priority efforts described above,” Glover said.
Ari Rodriguez, Brown resident and third-year College student, said in past years, residents simply had to fill out a reapplication form indicating whether or not they planned to return for the next year. Now, Rodriguez said that residents are required to fill out a more comprehensive application, which includes questions about the residential college.
After returning residents, Glover said that rising second-year students who do not currently live in a residential college will be given next priority. This will be followed by rising third and then fourth-years with the same status.
Hannah Sprague, Brown governance board membership co-chair and first-year Engineering student, said that she feels that the system to prioritize second-years in the on-Grounds housing application makes sense for general housing. However, she said that it seemed that the policy was created without consideration of the “nuances” of the residential college system.
“It seemed like a change that makes sense for U.Va. as a whole that was being blanket applied to Brown College,” Sprague said. “We get why HRL wants to prioritize second years … but it doesn’t really fit with the residential college model.”
Rodriguez said that the earliest email she received notifying students of the new policy change was sent Oct. 1. This gave students less than three weeks to complete the application while weighing their chances of being able to return before the application deadline Oct. 19.
She also noted that students were worried and upset because they were not notified earlier about the reapplication process and that she has not heard any support for the policy change amongst current residents.
“I think not being in the loop … was kind of a big deal, especially because we didn’t know about it until [Oct. 1],” Rodriguez said. “I would say the turnaround time was particularly hurtful for the residential college students because we didn’t know we weren’t going to have [guaranteed] housing.”
Macy Germanis, Hereford resident and second-year College student, said that the new policy may disproportionately impact low-income students who have relied on the residential colleges for cheaper and secure housing in order to attend the University.
She said she feels that low-income students are being neglected by the new policy and that they were not adequately considered by University administration when implementing the change.
“It’s important, I think, because those are still students at this University, they’re still residents and they still matter,” Germanis said. “I wish that HRL and U.Va. administration would concern themselves a little bit more with the interests and worries and problems this causes for low-income students.”
Sprague said that according to the number of applications from returning residents, it seems that all current residents who wish to return to Brown will be able to do so for the 2026-27 school year.
“There’s still space for every single person who wants to return to Brown to do so because they’re going to get priority before new residents,” Sprague said. “We’re happy to see that.”
She said that she and her co-membership chairs have been trying to reassure residents that although they cannot guarantee rehousing assignments to prospective returning residents, it is likely that they will get rehoused in their residential colleges.
Rodriguez said that the prospect of having guaranteed housing for four years and being part of a community where she could build connections with upperclassmen were what initially drew her to the residential colleges before her first year. She said that the new policy takes away the security of guaranteed housing and could affect the inter-year relations that residential colleges are supposed to provide.
“[Residential colleges] are supposed to be a community in which underclassmen students can interact easily with upperclassmen,” Rodriguez said. “So I feel that special [inter]-year friendship is a really core part of what makes a residential college, and also one of the biggest reasons I applied to the residential colleges.”
Rodriguez said that she has already reapplied to live at Brown next year, but that she is also looking into other housing options in case her application is not accepted.
“I really want to stay, but because there’s no guarantee, I’ve also been looking at other housing applications or other on-Grounds housing,” Rodriguez said. “I have no frame of reference when it comes to how to start looking for off-Grounds housing, which is pretty tough.”
Germanis said that her decision to attend the University was largely influenced by the prospect of housing security, and that no longer having this security is concerning. Like Rodriguez, she said that she and her friends at Hereford are also considering alternative housing options for the future.
“Everyone right now, including myself, we’re looking at different options outside of the University and even within the University,” Germanis said.
The applications for residential colleges as well as language houses closed Oct. 19. On-Grounds housing applications for standard housing opened Monday with a Dec. 1 deadline.
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