Did you know? You can pick the exact space you want next year! Keep your room, move down the hall, switch buildings, or move to an on-campus apartment – the choice is yours.
Re-contracting for 2026-27: Timeline
This year, we will provide students with a selection start time for when the room selection process will be available to them, similar to how students register for classes. See below for how the selection process order will be determined.
Here are all the important dates for the Re-contracting process:
January 20, 2026: On-Campus Housing Contracts Open at 9:00 a.m. – Retain Your Current Room
- The 2026-27 On-Campus Housing Contracts open for all current Iowa State students in the Housing Portal. Students currently living on-campus are able to retain their current room for next year at this time.
- If you sign your 2026-2027 contract by February 8, you will be able to select a different room on campus.
February 8, 2026: Contract Deadline at 11:59 p.m. to Keep Current Your Room
- This is an important date to circle on your calendar. This is the last day that students will be able to retain their current room. If you do not retain your current room by this deadline, your room will be available for others to select.
- It is also the deadline to sign a contract AND receive a selection time to choose their new room. If you sign your 2026-2027 contract after this deadline, you will still be able to select a room, but will have to wait until the end of the process.
February 9, 2026: Roommate Pull-in Opens at 9:00 a.m.
- Students who chose to retain their current room can pull-in a roommate(s).
February 11, 2026: Selection Start Time Notification & Co-ed Roommate Group Assignments
- Students who signed by the February 8 deadline will be notified of their selection start time.
- Co-ed roommate group assignments will begin. For more details, please visit our roommate details page. If you have questions about how to do this, please contact our office at housing@iastate.edu.
February 15, 2026: Roommate Pull-in Closes at 11:59 p.m.
February 16-20: Room Selection Begins
- Room selection begins with start times throughout the week. Students in a roommate group should designate the person with the earliest start time to be the group leader. That person will be able to assign the whole group at their selection start time. Start times will be ordered as follows:
- On-Campus Seniors/Graduate Students
- On-Campus Juniors
- On-Campus Sophomores
- On-Campus Freshmen
- Off-Campus Seniors/Graduate Students
- Off-Campus Juniors
- Off-Campus Sophomores
- Off-Campus Freshmen
*students who lived on-campus during Fall 2025 and will be on an academic waiver for Spring 2026 will be considered an “on-campus” student.
February 23, 2026: Open Selection Begins
- Open selection begins at 9 a.m. for anyone with a signed 2026-27 on-campus housing contract without a selection time.
March 1, 2026: Room Selection Closes & Cancellation Deadline at 11:59 p.m.
- The room selection process closes. To be guaranteed housing for Fall 2026, students must signed a 2026-27 contract AND select a room by this date.
- It is also the deadline to cancel the 2026-27 Housing Contract WITHOUT penalty. Cancelling the 2026-27 contract after this date will result in a $3,000 cancellation penalty, assessed to the U-bill in August.
- Any contracts that did not select a room by March 1, 2026 will be cancelled to avoid the penalty.
- Any contracts signed after March 1, 2026 will lose their priority and be placed on our waiting list. They will not be assigned until after all new incoming students have been assigned and if space is still available.
The process is simple and can be done online!
- Submit your contract for the 2026-27 academic year in the Housing Portal (StarRez)
- Decide if you want to stay in your hall, move to a different hall, live in a suite or live in one of our apartments.
- Form a roommate group and search leader in StarRez (only one person in a group can search for rooms at a time)
- Take your pick of rooms!
- You can cancel your contract without penalty if you cancel before March 1, 2026.
