We are very excited that you are interested in being a Residential Retriever. Below you will find information on the steps you need to complete in order to successfully apply for on campus housing. Be sure to review the information below so that you are fully prepared.
Current Residential Students
Current residents must reapply for housing annually. Residential students are guaranteed housing for the upcoming academic year if they participate in Housing Selection (see below) during the Spring semester.
Current residents who miss the Housing Selection deadline(s) for the upcoming academic year are welcome to complete a Housing Application for the current or future academic year. Once submitted, they will be added to a housing waitlist. Waitlist offers will be made throughout the summer and into the academic year, as space permits.
Current Commuter & Off-Campus Students
Current commuter, off-campus, and readmitted undergraduate students are welcome to complete a Housing Application for the current or future academic year. Once submitted, they will be added to a housing waitlist. Waitlist offers will be made throughout the summer and into the academic year, as space permits.
Additionally, during the Spring semester actively enrolled undergraduate students are welcome to participate in Housing Selection (see below), which guarantees on-campus housing for the upcoming academic year.
Communities
Currents undergraduate students may have the option to live in our residence halls, suites, or apartments depending on their number of completed credits and availability of space. We encourage all students to explore our communities prior to completing their housing application.
- Students must have 30 completed credits to be eligible for Residential Life suites.
- Students generally have 50 completed credits to be considered for Residential Life Apartments.
- Students must have 39 completed credits to be considered for Walker Avenue Apartments.
- Walker Avenue is a public-private partnership facility owned and controlled by the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO). Capstone On-Campus Management is agent to MEDCO in the operation of Walker Avenue Apartments. Walker Avenue Apartments is considered university-affiliated housing, since it is located on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and operates with the oversight of UMBC; however, Walker Avenue Apartments IS NOT owned by UMBC.
What is Housing Selection?
Housing Selection is the process by which current students select their room and/or roommates for the upcoming academic year. Please take the time to review the deadlines and eligibility information for participating in Housing Selection below.
Priority Housing Application Deadlines for Current Students Participating in Housing Selection
2025-2026 Walker Avenue Apartment Housing Selection Deadlines
March 3, 2025 at 10 a.m.
Roommate Social
March 5, 2025 at 7 p.m. in the Apartment Community Center
When 500 applications have been submitted- Cut-Off reached on March 3, 2025
Roommate Formation Deadline
March 14, 2025 at 5 p.m.
Housing Selection Dates
March 26 & 27, 2025
The Walker Avenue Apartment Waitlist Application will be available until March 7, 2025 or when 500 applications have been submitted, whichever comes sooner.
2025-2026 Residential Life Housing Selection Deadlines
Roommate Social
April 16, 2025 at 7 p.m. in the Apartment Community Center
April 14, 2025 at 5 p.m.
April 18, 2025 at 5 p.m.
Housing Selection Dates
April 29-30, 2025
The Residential Life Waitlist Application will be available on April 15, 2025.
Housing Selection
Housing Selection Eligibility
In order to participate in Housing Selection, you must be an actively enrolled (Spring) student at UMBC.
Newly admitted students should review our Undergraduate and Graduate application pages. Individuals seeking to be readmitted/re-enroll at UMBC for the Fall semester, are invited to complete a Waitlist Housing Application via the Housing Portal.
Walker Avenue Apartment Selection Eligibility
In order to be granted the application, which you must submit to participate in Walker Avenue Apartment’s housing selection, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Must either be enrolled as a graduate student or be an undergraduate student with 39+ completed credits at time of application.
- Must be in good financial standing. Students with outstanding student account balances greater than $250 will not be granted access to the application. You should contact Student Business Services to find out how to clear your account balance. Once you clear your account, you should contact the Residential Life Office to request access to the application.
- Must be a currently enrolled UMBC resident or commuter who completed a “Commuter Student Housing Selection Participant Request Form” with a current resident.
- Students who are not actively enrolled in classes at the time of Housing Selection will not be eligible for participation.
- Must be one of the first 500 students to fully submit their Walker Avenue Housing Selection Application, License & $200 Reservation Fee, as space is limited at Walker Avenue. Residents who do not make the cut-off will have the option to:
- Complete the Walker Avenue Apartment Waitlist Application by March 7, 2025 or when 500 applications have been submitted, whichever comes sooner; or
- Wait to complete the Residential Life Housing Selection application, license, and reservation beginning April 1 and participate in Residential Life housing selection
Residential Life Selection Eligibility
In order to be granted the application, which you must submit to participate in Residential Life’s housing selection, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Must be an undergraduate student, who did not complete a Walker Avenue Apartment’s Housing Selection Application.
- Must be in good financial standing. Students with outstanding student account balances greater than $250 will not be granted access to the application. You should contact Student Business Services to find out how to clear your account balance. Once you clear your account, you should contact the Residential Life Office to request access to the application.
- Must be a currently enrolled UMBC resident or commuter who completed a “Commuter Student Housing Selection Participant Request Form” with a current resident.
- Students who are not actively enrolled in classes at the time of Housing Selection will not be eligible for participation.
Step 1: Apply, License & Submit Reservation Fee
Walker Avenue Apartment Housing Application
Students must be one of the first 500 to submit their Walker Avenue Housing Selection Application to be guaranteed on-campus housing and participate in Walker Avenue’s Housing Selection.
As part of the application you will be required to acknowledge the Housing License (contract) and pay a $200 Reservation Fee.
Residents who do not make the cut-off or deadline may have the option to:
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- Complete the Walker Avenue Application to be added to the Walker Avenue waitlist; or
- Wait to complete the Residential Life Housing Selection application, license, and reservation beginning April 1 and participate in Residential Life housing selection
Residential Life Housing Application
Students must submit their Residential Life Housing Selection Application to be guaranteed on-campus housing and participate in Housing Selection.
As part of the application you will be required to acknowledge the Housing License (contract) and pay a $200 Reservation Fee.
Application Questions
- While there are questions on the application about your housing preferences, the application does not determine where you will live. You will have the opportunity to pick your room during Room Selection (Step 3).
- If you plan to live in a Gender Inclusive housing and/or form a Gender Inclusive Group, you must indicate that preference/need on your housing application.
What is a Housing License?
- The housing license is a contract.
- Students must complete a housing license in order to participate in Housing Selection.
- The term of the license is for the entire academic year, both Fall & Spring semesters.
- Students that submit a license and change their mind or cancel their assignment prior to the start of move-in will be assessed a cancellation fee. For more information about cancellations and petitions, please review the Housing Procedures.
- You can only form a roommate group with those students who have completed the same license as yourself (ex. a student who completes the Walker Application cannot live with someone who completes the Residential Life application).
Reservation Fee Information
- Students must pay a $200 housing reservation fee in order to participate in Housing Selection.
- The housing reservation fee is mandatory. Students with significant financial need are welcome contact Residential Life.
- Payment must be in the form of Credit Card or ACH.
- The reservation fee money will be applied as a credit toward your first housing bill.
Step 2: Roommate Group Formation
This step is optional, as students may apply for housing and select a room as an individual.
Benefits of Forming a Group
- You know who you will be living with for the upcoming year.
- If your selection time is in conflict with your schedule, another member of your group can pick your room.
Roommate Group Requirements
- You may form groups of 2 or 4.
- Students participating in Walker Housing Selection may form groups of 3, but will need to contact the Management Office in advance due to limited 3-bedroom apartments.
- You can only form a roommate groups with those students who have completed the same application as yourself (Walker Avenue or Residential Life).
- Due to the different housing selection cycles, current residents are not able to request incoming freshmen or transfer students as roommates during the Housing Selection process.
- Groups that do not meet size requirements and those with students who did not finalize their housing license will be considered incomplete, and may be split into individual groups of 1.
How to Form a Roommate Group
- Students interested in forming groups, should do so in the housing portal.
- Attend a Roommate Social, hosted by RSA
- March 6 at 7 p.m.- Walker Roommate Social in the Apartment Community Center
- April 10 at 7 p.m.- Residential Life Roommate Social in the Apartment Community Center
Roommate Search Function
The Roommate Module in the housing portal allows you to search profiles of students with the same sex assigned at birth and same approved application and housing license type (Walker Avenue or Residential Life). You can filter based on sleep habits, room condition, allergies, and more to find a match.
Gender Inclusive Group Formation
In order to form a Gender Inclusive Group and find other students who want to live in Gender Inclusive Housing, you must indicate interested and commitment to Gender Inclusive Housing on your Housing Application.
Step 3: Room Selection
Selecting your room is completely optional, but strongly recommended.
Your selection time will be sent to your UMBC email at least two days before the start of the selection period.
Selection times are assigned based on your group’s average completed credits and the selection process in which you are participating, times are not prioritized by group size or class year. If you are not part of a group, your time is assigned based on your completed credits. If students are part of a roommate group, their group’s average credits will be used to determine the time (ex. Student A has 45 credits and Student B has 15 credits, their Group Average is 30 credits and they will select with other groups/individuals that also have a 30 credit average).
Some students/groups may not receive a selection time if demand for housing is higher than the amount of available spaces. Students who did not receive a selection time but met the other requirements are still guaranteed housing, and will be assigned to housing by the Residential Life Assignments team over the summer. Typically, groups with lower individual or group credit averages may not be issued a selection time.
The group leader must log into the housing portal during the assigned selection time to pick a room from the available inventory. Some buildings or communities may not be available for you to select, as they may be dedicated for first-year students and/or Quarantine & Isolation housing. Students have until the conclusion of the selection period to log-in and pick a room.
After selection closes, students/groups that did not select will be assigned by Residential Life during the summer. Again, Residential Life cannot stress how important it is that students pick a room. It’s better to pick something and contact our office after selection to see if a change can be made, then to not select anything and be assigned in the summer to whatever spaces remain.
Housing Selection Resources
Resources
Walker Avenue Information Sessions
- February 28, 2025 at Noon- Overview of Walker Avenue Apartments Housing Selection Application & Roommate Formation (Recording)
- March 24, 2025 at Noon- Guide to Walker Avenue Apartments Room Selection (Recording)
Residential Life Information Sessions