Applying for Fall Housing (2026-2027)

Welcome to Residential Life at North Carolina Central University! We are excited you have decided to live on campus this academic year. We believe the residential experience is just as important and impactful as your academic experience. It is our hope that you can live with other North Carolina Central University students to build a community that values academic success, leadership, personal growth, becoming a global citizen, and forging lifelong friendships.

The on-campus residency requirement is only applicable to students who enter the University as new first-time freshmen. Housing is not guaranteed to students who have satisfied the on-campus residency requirement.

Students go through the Fall Housing application and selection process based on their student type. The chart below was created to assist you in identifying your student type.

Student StatusDescription
New First-Time Freshman

A student who has not attended a college or university since high school graduation. Early college high school graduates who have not completed college courses after graduation from high school are considered new first-time freshmen.

Required to attend SOAR

Transfer Student

A student who was previously enrolled at a college or university (this does not include dual enrollment courses).

Required to attend SOAR

Continuing Student

Continuing Student: Second Year

A student who has entered the University in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 semester as a new first-time freshman.

Continuing Student: Third Year or Beyond

A student who is going into their third year at the University. This includes students who entered the institution as a transfer student going into their second year and readmitted students.

Not required to attend SOAR

Second-Degree Seeking (other than NCCU) Students; Graduate and Law Students

Second-Degree Seeking Student

A student who has graduated with a bachelor’s degree and is pursuing a second bachelor’s degree.

Second-degree seeking students who obtained their first degree from an institution other than North Carolina Central are required to attend SOAR.

Graduate or Law Student

A student who is pursuing their graduate or law degree.

Please Note: Students who attended North Carolina Central University as undergraduate students and will be transitioning to graduate or law status may not be reflected in Residential Life management system until after graduation. Students who fall into this category should contact the Office of Residential Life to ensure their student type is accurately reflected in the housing system.

Not required to attend SOAR

Assignments are based on building availability at the time of assignment. Building availability is split between the various student types to assist staff in ensuring there is enough space for students mandated to live on campus via the on-campus residency requirement. Additional buildings may be opened to accommodate students as needed.

On-Campus Residency Requirement

As a residential campus committed to the education of the whole student, the residential experience is considered an integral part of a student’s education at North Carolina Central University. Research on student engagement shows that living on campus has a clear and profound impact on student persistence and engagement. Regardless of important factors like race, parental education, and finances, students who live on campus are more likely to engage in academic activities relative to their off-campus peers, and these activities, in turn, affect retention rates, academic engagement, and feelings of belonging to the university community.

All students admitted as new first-time freshmen, regardless of transfer credit standing, are required to live in a university-operated residence hall. Summer term(s) are not applicable toward this requirement.

A student who is required to live in a university-operated residence hall may receive an exemption to the on-campus residency requirement in certain limited circumstances. If a student desires to receive an exemption to the on-campus residency requirement, he/she must submit a completed Exemption Application along with any supporting documentation via the myHousing portal.

Frequently Asked Questions about the On-Campus Residency Requirement

Read this section for answers to commonly asked questions about the on-campus residency requirement.

The on-campus residency requirement does not apply to transfer students. 

If a student earned college credits while in high school and enters the University as a new first-time freshman, they will be required to live on campus.

Students who do not desire to live on campus as a freshman can apply for an exemption. For more information on the exemption process, please review additional details under Housing Exemption on the Residential Life webpage.

Students in this situation should contact the Office of Residential Life for guidance and resources.

All new students entering the university as new first-time freshmen are required to live on campus. Students are always welcome to submit an exemption request.

If a student has an accessibility need, they must contact the LCI-Student Accessibility Center.

More Information and Important Dates

Please review the information and important dates below.

New first-time freshmen must go through the Before You SOAR checklist to complete their housing application.

Below is the housing application timeline for all new first-time freshmen applying for housing to begin in the Fall semester. During the application process, students will do self-selection for their housing preferences (selection restricted to the appropriate community based on their student classification). Assignments are based on room availability at the time of assignment. New first-time freshmen will also be permitted to make roommate selections during the application process. Fulfillment of roommate requests is based on availability at the time of assignment.

There is a $150.00 application fee due at the time of application for new first-time freshmen.

DateEvent
January 20, 2026, at 12 p.m. (noon)Applications Opens: The application for new first-time freshmen and transfer students will become available. There are a certain number of beds held for new first-time freshmen and transfer students, respectively. Once that allocation is gone, students may be redirected to a waitlist. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
June 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.mApplication Closes: This is the deadline for new first-time freshmen to submit housing applications. This date does not guarantee that applications will be accepted through June 30 but signifies a hard cut off for the University to reassess availability. There are a certain number of beds held for new first-time freshmen. Once that allocation is gone, students may be redirected to a waitlist. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
July 15, 2026Students will be updated regarding if they have been assigned housing or moved to the waitlist.

Transfers must go through the Before You SOAR checklist to complete their housing application.

Below is the housing application timeline for all transfer students applying for housing to begin in the Fall semester. Assignments are based on room availability at the time of assignment. Transfer students will also be permitted to make roommate requests during the application process. Fulfillment of roommate requests is based on availability at the time of assignment.

There is a $150.00 application fee due at the time of application for transfer students.

DateEvent
January 20, 2026, at 12 p.m. (noon)Applications Opens: The application for transfer students will become available. There are a certain number of beds held for transfer students. Once that allocation is gone, students may be redirected to a waitlist. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
June 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.mApplication Closes: This is the deadline for transfer students to submit housing applications. This date does not guarantee that applications will be accepted through June 30 but signifies a hard cut off for the University to reassess availability. There are a certain number of beds held for transfer students. Once that allocation is gone, students may be redirected to a waitlist. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
July 15, 2026Students will be updated regarding if they have been assigned housing or moved to the waitlist.

Continuing students and readmitted students must be registered for Fall courses prior to receiving access to the housing application. Access to the housing application after registering is not immediate. It may take up to 24 hours to receive access to the application after registering for classes. Students are encouraged to meet with their advisor and register as early as possible if they plan to stay on campus.

A non-refundable $150.00 application fee will be added to the student e-bill upon completion of the housing application. Once housing has reached its capacity the housing application will close, and students may be directed to a waitlist application. Below is the housing application timeline for all continuing and readmitted students applying for housing to begin in the Fall semester.

Please be mindful of the application and self-selection dates below:

DateEvent
February 4, 2026, at 12 p.m. (noon)Applications Open (On-Campus Students): The application will become available for continuing students who currently live on campus. There are a certain number of beds held for continuing students going into their second year and continuing students going into their third year or beyond, respectively. Once those allocations are gone, students may be redirected to a waitlist. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
February 4, 2026, at 12 p.m.Applications Opens (Off-Campus Students): The application will become available for continuing students who do not currently live on campus. There are a certain number of beds held for continuing students going into their second year and continuing students going into their third year or beyond, respectively. Once those allocations are gone, students may be redirected to a waitlist. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
March 2, 2026Application Closes: This is the deadline for continuing students to submit housing applications. This date does not guarantee that applications will be accepted March 2 but signifies a hard cut off for the University to reassess availability. There are a certain number of beds held for continuing students. Once that allocation is gone, students may be redirected to a waitlist. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
March 30-April 3, 2026Eligible students self-select housing: See the Housing Self-Selection page for details.

Residential Life strives to place second-degree seeking, graduate and law students in communities with others in their degree programs. In the Fall semester, there are a limited number of reserved spaces for students in this category. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible to guarantee housing.

DateEvent
February 4, 2026, at 12 p.m. (noon)Applications Open (On-Campus Students): The application will become available for graduate, law, and second-degree seeking students who currently live on campus. There are a certain number of beds held for our graduate, law, and second-degree seeking population. Once this allocation is gone, students may be redirected to a waitlist. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
February 4, 2026, at 12 p.m. (noon)Applications Opens (Off-Campus Students): The application will become available for graduate, law, and second-degree seeking students who do not currently live on campus. There are a certain number of beds held for our graduate, law, and second-degree seeking population. Once this allocation is gone, students may be redirected to a waitlist. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
March 2, 2026Application Closes: This is the deadline for graduate, law, and second-degree seeking students to submit housing applications. This date does not guarantee that applications will be accepted March 2 but signifies a hard cut off for the University to reassess availability. There are a certain number of beds held for graduate, law, and second-degree seeking students. Once that allocation is gone, students may be redirected to a waitlist. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
July 15, 2026Students will be updated regarding if they have been assigned housing or moved to the waitlist .

Students who participate in a themed housing community are guaranteed an assignment in a specific building if they meet the required deadlines. For more information on housing for special populations and themed groups, go to the Residential Life website. Some special population and theme housing communities may require the student to complete a separate application to be a member of their community. It is important to note that these special population and theme housing applications do not replace the housing application in the housing portal. 

All students in special populations and themed groups must complete a housing application process through the housing portal by the prescribed deadlines outlined for their specific student type above to claim their guaranteed space.

Students should refer to their respective group above for more information on additional application dates (i.e., application deadline, roommate week, etc.).