New Students

Welcome to IU Housing!

We're excited to welcome you to IU Bloomington! If you have been admitted to IU, you can apply for housing in the residence halls. Most first-year students are required to live on campus, however, some students may qualify for a residency exemption.

The housing application opens for new IUB students on February 3 at 4 p.m. and will continue until classes begin in August.

There's no need to rush! Take your time and ensure that IU is the right choice for you. You do not need to accept your admission to IU or pay the university enrollment deposit in order to apply for housing. You can submit your application prior to finalizing your decision to become a Hoosier.

Applying for the spring semester? The housing application process is the same, just with different dates. Applications for the spring 2026 semester will be available starting in October. Contact IU Housing at 812-855-1764 for more details.

Learn how to get started by following the steps below.

Step 1: Before you apply

  • Create an IU computing account and passphrase. Your 10-digit student ID number is on the official acceptance notice sent to you by admission. The number is required to create your account.
  • Review the costs for living on campus and know which rate category meets your financial needs.
  • Reflect on any preferences you may have for your housing assignment. Be prepared to rank learning communities, room types, and neighborhoods on campus on your application.
  • Choose an All-You-Care-to-Eat (AYCTE) meal plan. Meal plans are required for all first-year students. You will enter your selection on your application.
  • Have your requested roommate's full name and IU username on hand for roommate requests. Roommate requests must be mutual.
  • Decide if you want to waive your privacy rights to your housing and dining records. If you do want us to share this information, complete a FERPA waiver. You'll need to provide the name of the individual(s) on your application.
  • Review GradGuard's student renters insurance program and decide if you want coverage.
  • Complete and return the Medical Verification Form by May 1 if you have medical or physical concerns that will affect your room assignment.

Before you start the application, make sure you have:

  • Contact information for your parent or guardian (only required if you are under 18 years old)
  • Emergency contact information
  • A valid Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or JCB credit or debit card on hand for the $200 application fee.

Step 2: Submit your online application

Submit your online application between February 3 and when classes begin in August on One.IU.

Your application is a one-stop shop for almost everything in the housing process. You'll be able to request roommates and rate categories; waive privacy rights for your housing and dining records; rank preferences for learning communities, room types, and neighborhoods on campus; choose meal plans; and select renters insurance coverage.

IU Housing uses priority windows to assign students into groups. For example, we take all students who apply for housing in Window 1, and assign them all at once. Everyone in the window has the same chance of getting their requested preferences met in their housing assignment. We prioritize your requested rate category to ensure we find housing for you that is within your price range.

  • Window 1: Applications completed and application fee paid on or before May 1
  • Window 2: Applications completed and application fee paid between May 2 and June 1
  • Window 3: Applications completed and application fee paid after June 2

Step 3: After you apply

When your housing application is complete, you can still revisit it and make edits to your preferences (including adding or removing a roommate request) until 5 p.m. on May 1.

We release housing assignments on a rolling basis, which means not everyone will know about their assignment at the same time. IU Housing will send an email to your IU email account when your assignment is ready to view.

We will begin releasing assignments in early June and continue throughout the summer. You'll find out your residence center, room type, and cost first. If you applied for a living-learning center or thematic community, you'll find out about your placement then too. Once New Student Orientation sessions are complete in late July, specific room number and roommate/suitemate information will be released. You will receive an email from IU Housing when your full assignment information is ready to view.

If you're interested in renting a microfridge or bed configuration option, check out our partner Bedloft.