Penn addressed concerns and provided details about on-campus housing applications for upperclassmen.
The application period for rising juniors and seniors opened on Oct. 31 and is set to close at 5 p.m. on Nov. 21, for the 2024-25 academic year.
According to Assistant Director of Assignments and Operations Melissa Dunlap, to secure room selection time slots, rising third- and fourth-year students must complete the application between October 31 and November 21.
All applications submitted by the November 21 deadline undergo a randomization process to determine eligibility. To secure a slot, students are required to complete the room selection application, which will be available from January 23 to 5 p.m. on February 7.
This past January, 720 rising juniors and seniors were placed on a waitlist for on-campus housing for the 2023-24 school year. Penn had allocated approximately 950 spots for upperclassmen on-campus housing.
Construction throughout the college housing system affected the capacity for this academic year, with some areas of the Quad closed for renovations, and certain houses redesignated as first-year-only housing. Penn Residential Services also leased the Radian apartment building on Walnut Street to accommodate upperclassmen starting in August 2023.
According to Dunlap, estimates for the number of upperclassman housing applications expected for the following school year cannot be determined until the applications are submitted.
The response rate to the housing application process has been variable in the past two years, with the previous year witnessing a significant increase in applications compared to the year before, according to Director of Residential Services Pat Killilee.
Barbara Lea-Kruger, director of Communications and External Relations for Business Services, confirmed there had been no recent changes to Penn’s housing policy that could affect the 2024-25 academic year.
For next year, first-year students might be housed in upperclassmen areas, and the Radian building will continue as an upperclassman housing option. Around 900 spots will be available for on-campus housing for rising juniors and seniors, Killilee estimated, a small decrease from the 950 offered for the current school year.
Killilee pointed out the uncertainty of students' housing preferences, with some changing their minds after applying for on campus housing. The early start of the housing process is intended to provide students with peace of mind and options.
“Students should think about a plan B,” Lea-Kruger said. “We always tell students: don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
A waitlist will become available, with students potentially being removed based on the number of incomplete applications by the Feb. 7 deadline. Dunlap emphasized the importance of closely monitoring the waitlist.
To support vulnerable students, Killilee mentioned collaborations with departments like Penn First Plus and Weingarten Disability Services. Penn Undergraduate Assembly was also involved in gathering student input on the housing process, with efforts to minimize associated anxiety.
Courtney Dombroski, senior associate director of Residential & Hospitality Services, encourages students to attend info sessions and reach out to living@upenn.edu for support.
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