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.

To make an informed decision, explore our residence halls, suites or apartments to look for the space that best fits your needs. Then visit our housing portal to sign your contract.

Re-contracting for 2026-27: Timeline EXTENDED

We have decided to extend Recontracting and allow current ISU students to sign a 2026-2027 contract and select a room through Sunday, March 22 at 11:59PM. 

If you are planning to live on campus again next year and want to pick where you will live, you must first log into the housing portal and sign a 2026-2027 Returning Student Housing Contract. Once you have signed your contract, you will then need to proceed to the 2026-2027 Room Selection process to select a room.

Since you would be signing your contract after March 1, 2026, your cancellation deadline is fourteen (14) days from the date you sign your 2026-2027 housing contract. Cancelling the contract after the 14 days will result in a $3,000 cancellation penalty, assessed to the U-bill in August.

Here are all the important dates for the extended recontracting process:

March 2, 2026: On-Campus Housing Contracts Open at 9:00 a.m.

  • The 2026-27 On-Campus Housing Contracts open for all current Iowa State students in the Housing Portal.
  • Open selection begins at 9 a.m. for anyone with a signed 2026-27 on-campus housing contract.

March 22, 2026: Room Selection Closes at 11:59 p.m.

  • The room selection process closes. To be guaranteed housing for Fall 2026, students must sign a 2026-27 contract AND select a room by this date.
  • Any contracts signed after March 22, 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.

If you have questions, please email housing@iastate.edu or call 515-294-2900.

Process:

The process is simple and can be done online!

  1. Submit your contract for the 2026-27 academic year in the Housing Portal (StarRez)
  2. 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.
  3. Form a roommate group and search leader in StarRez (only one person in a group can search for rooms at a time)
  4. Take your pick of rooms!
  5. You can cancel your contract without penalty if you cancel before March 22, 2026.