Timelines and Updates

You can contract to live on campus anytime! We’d recommend as soon as you accept your offer of admission. The earlier you contract, the more likely you are to get your preferences. 

You can learn how we make assignments here.

Fall Entry

June (a year in advance): We start accepting new student contracts in June the year before you plan to attend. For example, we started accepting fall 2025 contracts in June of 2024. When you decide on Iowa State, you can submit a housing contract!

March 1: NEW for Fall 2025! Priority date for new students to submit their housing contract and participate in our new Room Self-Selection process. Students who signed their housing contract before this date will be eligible to participate in this process and select their own room assignment.

Late April: Students who are eligible for the Room Self-Selection process will receive their selection timeslot via email to their iastate.edu account.

May: Room Self-Selection process will run over the course of several days during the month of May.

Late May – Mid July: Students who signed after the March 1 priority date will still have a place to live in on-campus housing. We will administratively make their assignments on a weekly basis throughout June and July. If you don’t get one of your top preferences or want to switch rooms, visit our Assignment Changes page to learn more.

Deadline: There is no deadline to submit your housing contract, but students who wish to have the opportunity to select their own room should sign their housing contract prior to March 1. Students who sign their housing contract after this date will still have housing, but we will administratively make their room assignment.

Early/Late Contracts: We get asked a lot “Is my contract late?” Nope! To help give you context, about half of new students for fall submit their housing contract between June and February with the other half being after February.

Assignment Updates – Fall 2025 Entry

Throughout the summer, we’ll update the information below to show you the contract dates we’ve reached.