When will I hear from Residence Halls Assignment Services regarding a contract offer?
For freshmen, once you have turned in your SIR and it is registered in the Admissions' database, you will be able to download the residence hall contract. The housing office will also send a reminder email by mid-May to all freshmen who send in their SIR by the May 1st deadline. Winter and spring quarter dates vary. Contract offers are made only as space is available. The deadline for freshman for all Fall 2008 residence hall forms (completed and signed residence hall contract and online Personal Preference form) is June 1, 2008.

When are room assignments and roommates announced? We use the months of July and August to make the room assignments. We'll notify you by early September via US Post.

When is the Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) due? The date is noted in your admissions packet. If you are a late freshman admit or if you return your Statement of Intent to Register after the deadline, we will offer residence hall contracts as space becomes available.

How much does it cost to live in the residence halls? Three different meal plans and three room occupancy options determine the cost of living on campus. Please refer to our Schedule of Rates for specific information; rates for the upcoming academic year are subject to approval.

Is it first come, first served if I get my contract in early? No, assignments are made based on the information you provide on your Personal Preference form on-line at and on the availability of rooms. Living Learning Communities are assigned first. Then, a computer processing order is randomly assigned to the remaining students. The highest residence hall choice that is still available is given to the student. Roommates are matched according to the answers on the Personal Preference form.

Do I get to pick what hall I want to live in? You may rank all of the residence halls by your preferences. We will assign you to your highest preference that we still have available when we reach your name in the assignment process. If you desire to live in a hall or room other than that to which you have been assigned, you may request a room/hall change after the second week of classes. Be prepared, we may need to assign you to one of your lowest choices or perhaps to a hall you did not pick.

When can I change rooms or halls? Unfortunately, requests for room changes cannot be accommodated prior to move-in. After move-in, you may initiate your requests in your residence hall through your Resident Director after the second week of classes.

Which halls are air-conditioned? Situated immediately on the coast, the climate at UCSB is very mild so none of our residence halls are air conditioned.

Do you have single-gender floors? Yes, we do! While all of our residence halls are overall co-ed we do have some specific single-gender floors. All floors in San Miguel are single-gender, either male or female. There are also some all-women floors in San Nicolas and Santa Catalina halls. In all residence halls, restrooms are single gender, not co-ed.

Is it necessary to have a meal plan when living in the halls? Yes, a meal plan must be included with each residence hall contract; meals are included in your housing cost for the year. Residential Dining Services, a division of UCSB Housing & Residential Services, provides dining services to our residents.

How many meal plans are there to choose from? There are three different meal plans. You have a choice between 19, 14, or 10 meals per week.

May I change my meal plan? You may change your meal plan each quarter until the dates listed below; changes can be requested via the Dining Services webpage on our website. Beyond published dates, only upgrades may be requested.

Fall Quarter 2007: August 10, 2007
Winter Quarter 2008: December 14, 2007
Spring Quarter 2008: March 21, 2008

What is a UCSB ACCESS ID Card?  The ACCESS ID Card is your official UCSB Student ID. It is your entry access card to the Residence Hall Dining Commons and can be used as a campus debit card to buy additional meals outside of the campus Housing Meal Plan you purchase. After making a deposit to your account you can spend against your balance at all campus food outlets, including the University Center (UCen), simply by presenting your card. ACCESS is also accepted at the UCSB Bookstore. Although each student’s expenditures will vary, the average expense for textbooks, course materials, additional meals and snacks is $500 per quarter (the average expense for textbooks is $275). To open your account make your check payable to UCSB ACCESS and mail to UCSB ACCESS Card Services, P.O. Box 13407, University Center, Santa Barbara, CA 93107. Please remember to write your student Perm Number on the check. Your ACCESS ID Card will be made for you during Orientation. ACCESS will also provide an information table at Orientation to answer questions and open accounts.

How much for a single room? Am I guaranteed a single room? Single rooms run approximately $1375 more than double occupancy for the academic year. Single occupancy may be requested, but cannot be guaranteed; offers are based upon space availability and are generated by random computer selection.

What if I have special needs? Residence Halls Assignment Services works closely with UCSB Disabled Students Program to determine reasonable housing accommodations. Please contact Residence Halls Assignment Services to discuss your situation. If you have hearing, visual, mobility or other medical concerns every effort will be made to accommodate those needs.

Can my friend and I room together? Yes, you can. We will make every attempt to honor roommate requests as long as the requests are mutual and your answers on the online Personal Preference form match regarding residence hall, room type and Living Learning Communities preferences. You must also include the proposed roommate’s Student ID (Perm) number on your Personal Preference form. If any of these criteria are not met, the requests will not be considered mutual, and the roommate request cannot be considered.

When do the residence halls open? For fall quarter, we stagger the opening of the halls to make your move-in as smooth as possible. Half of the halls open on Saturday, September 20, 2008 and the other half on Sunday, September 21, 2008. Meal service in the dining halls begins with brunch on Saturday, September 20.

All students have until the first day of classes (September 25, 2008) to move into their residence hall room before being considered late. If you arrive after the scheduled first opening day, please check in at the front desk of your assigned residence hall. The residence hall desks are open from 9am to 10pm.

Halls open after Thanksgiving Break on Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 1pm; for Winter Quarter 2009 on Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 1pm, and for Spring Quarter on Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 1pm. Please note that there is no meal service on Sundays after the breaks. Meals begin with breakfast on Monday.

Can I live here over academic breaks and Thanksgiving? The halls close over winter and spring breaks. Students may remain in the halls over Thanksgiving Break by special request and for an additional fee; meals are not included.

How long are the beds? All beds are extra long twin, 36"x80".

How do I sign up for phone and/or cable TV service in my room? Will I have my own phone number? If desired, you will need to establish phone service through UCSB Communication Services. Rates and connection information are available at their website, www.commserv.ucsb.edu. There is only one phone line in each room, so you should coordinate this with your new roommate. Cable TV access in the room is included in the room and board charges. You’ll need to bring your own TV, and should check with your roommate first!

How are the rooms furnished? Rooms are furnished with a bed, desk, desk chair, dresser, bookshelf, and wastepaper basket for each student. You must bring your own bedding (pillow, sheets, mattress pad, bedspread) and towels, etc.

Are there laundry facilities? Yes. Laundry facilities are located in each area. All machines are card operated with card vending machines in the facility.

Are housekeeping services provided? Yes, regular cleaning of common areas, such a bathrooms, lobbies and lounges, as well as periodic cleaning of student rooms is included in the room and board rates.

Does the University insure students’ personal property? The University does not provide insurance against theft or damage to personal property. We recommend that you use your parents' homeowner's or renter's insurance to protect your belongings. At Summer Orientation you’ll also get information for a couple of private companies that specialize in Residence Hall insurance.

Can I connect to the web from my room? Yes. ResNet is a service offered by UCSB Housing & Residential Services. It provides each residence hall student with an in-room Ethernet connection through which they can access the campus’ networks and the Internet. Residential Computer Consultants (RCCs) are available to assist with computer-related support issues. Before you buy a computer to bring to UCSB, visit the following URL for important information about what is required for a computer to connect to ResNet: www.resnet.ucsb.edu. Housing & Residential Services does not loan computers or adapters. Wireless internet access is also available in all residence halls.

Are there computers for the students to use in the halls? Yes. Computer labs are located in Anacapa, Manzanita Village, and Santa Catalina residence halls. Regardless of which hall you live in, all students living in the residence halls have access to these labs.

Can I have a refrigerator? Yes. Refrigerators must not be larger than 4.5 cubic feet. We recommend you coordinate buying a refrigerator with your new roommate. UCSB does not rent refrigerators.

Can I have a microwave oven in my room? Absolutely not! By order of UCSB Fire Marshall, no cooking equipment, including microwave or toaster ovens, grills, toasters, sandwich makers, rice cookers, slow cookers, etc. are permitted in any student room. We provide microwave ovens in hall kitchenettes for students’ use.

Are pets allowed in the halls? Pets and other animals are not permitted in the residence halls. An exception is fish in a 30-gallon aquarium or smaller.

Can I bring a car? What about parking spaces? Limited parking spaces are available at an additional fee ($329 for 2007-08 academic year) for UCSB students residing in the residence halls. Generally, parking spaces are not in the immediate vicinity of the residence halls, but in remote campus locations. Parking permits are distributed through UCSB Transportation and Parking Services at www.tps.ucsb.edu. You may apply for a permit during the summer. The exception to this is for Santa Catalina residence hall, located on Storke Campus where ample onsite parking is available, also at an additional fee. UCSB Housing & Residential Services handles the parking permit process for residents on Storke Campus. If you are assigned to live at Santa Catalina residence hall, you will receive information regarding the parking permit process with your room assignment notification.

We encourage students to use the MTD bus service. This service is free for UCSB students and serves the entire area of Santa Barbara. Most students either bicycle or walk to and from their residence hall to classes.

Where do I make my housing payment? Housing payments are made along with all BARC payments and can be made in person at the Cashier's Office, Student Affairs Building, SAASB 1212, Monday through Friday, 9am-4pm.

The mailing address for payment is UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA, FILE 30561, P.O. BOX 60000, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94160.

Make checks payable to UC Regents and always put your student identification number (PERM number) on your check.

What if I need more time to pay my housing? Contact Residence Halls Assignment Services before the fee deadline to discuss your deferral options.

My financial aid hasn't come through and I don't know when it will.
We recommend that students who anticipate receiving any form of financial aid, (scholarships, grants and/or loans) select Payment Plan B. This plan usually coincides with the quarterly distribution of financial aid. If your room and board fees are not going to be paid by the deadline date (either by you or Financial Aid), you will need to contact Residence Halls Assignment Services to make payment arrangements. The exception to this is for the fall quarter, prior to arrival at UCSB, the Billing Office’s payment agreement form, available online at www.barc.ucsb.edu may be used for deferral of room and board fees as well as for student registration fees.

What is my mailing information? Each student is assigned a mailbox that is used during the academic year as long as the student lives in the UCSB residence halls. Mailboxes are generally shared with roommates, but not always. A student’s room number is not the mailing address. Students will be notified of their mailbox numbers prior to the opening of the halls.

Students residing in all residence halls, except Santa Catalina, will pick up their mail at the Post Office located in the University Center (UCen). Students residing in Santa Catalina Residence Hall will pick up their mail at Santa Catalina.

Please address mail in the following format:

Packages may also be sent through the U.S. Postal Service to the mailboxes. A package-pick-up slip will be put into the mailbox, notifying the student to pick up the package at the counter. The Postal Service is not in effect until Opening Day.

Packages sent via private carriers (UPS, FedEx, etc.) will be delivered to student rooms. UCSB does not use street names in the building addresses. Please address private carrier packages in the following format:

Can I ship baggage to my hall prior to my arrival?  Please do not ship any baggage to arrive earlier than the opening of the residence halls each quarter. Neither the University nor the Housing & Residential Services Department have space to store and hold items pending your arrival. If it is necessary for you to ship items, please address these articles to yourself, your hall, and room number. Ask the shipper to hold these articles pending your arrival at UCSB. It may be necessary for you to personally pick up your belongings from the shipper.

Who do I contact if I have questions?

Residence Halls Assignment Services
Housing & Residential Services
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-6130
email: contracts@housing.ucsb.edu
web page: www.housing.ucsb.edu
(805)893-2668 (TDD number)
(805)893-5513
(805)571-2626 (FAX)