This application is for new first-year students (freshmen) moving to UHM in Fall 2026
On July 30, 2025, Student Housing Services sent out another round of on-campus housing contract offers for the 2025-26 academic year. Applicants who did not receive a contract offer continue to be on the waitlist. This was the last round of contract offers scheduled to occur before the academic year begins. After that time, we will continue to make contract offers on a space-available basis.
We strongly recommend those who are still in need of housing to explore other options at https://www.hawaii.edu/housing.
IMPORTANT DATES
| Before March 4, 2026 | Housing Portal open for students to register for a housing account (needed to submit an application) |
| March 4, 2026 12PM | Part 1 of application opens |
| May 1, 2026 | Deadline to complete the University’s partial tuition deposit requirement. |
| May 4, 2026 | Deadline to submit Part 1 of the application. (Note: Applications will be accepted after the May 4 deadline, but will only be assigned on a space-available basis after all on-time applications are processed.) |
| May 5, 2026 | Part 2 of the application opens (only for those who complete Part 1 by the on-time deadline and submitted their partial tuition deposit) |
| May 26, 2026 | Deadline to complete Part 2 of the application (Required for all Part 1 on-time applicants) |
APPLICATION PROCESS
1
Complete Part 1 of Application Online
Before applying, please review the Before You Begin checklist on the Apply page to ensure you’re fully prepared. After reviewing the information, Log in to the UHM Student Housing Portal (new users to the UHM Student Housing portal will need to register for an account first) to start your application. Complete Part 1 and pay the non-refundable $25 application fee to begin the process.
*Please note that for 2026-27 Academic year applications, the on-time application deadline is May 4, 2025 at 11:59pm HST. Additionally, all prospective applicants must complete the University’s partial tuition deposit requirement by May 1. Applications will be accepted after the May 4 deadline, but will only be assigned on a space-available basis after all on-time applications are processed.
2
Complete Part 2 of Application Online (On-time applicants only)
All applicants who complete Part 1 of the application on time (by May 4) and complete the University’s partial tuition deposit requirement (by May 1) will be required to complete Part 2 of the application. This is where you’ll provide additional details and participate in the roommate matching process. Part 2 of the application will be available in the UHM Student Housing Portal beginning May 5, 2026, and will be due no later than May 26, 2026 11:59pm HST. Once both parts are complete, your application will be ready for review by the Student Housing team.
**Any on-time applicant who does not complete Part 2 by the May 26, 2026 11:59pm HST deadline will be assumed to no longer be interested in housing and their application will be cancelled.
If you’re applying for Family Housing, you’ll also need to upload your supporting documents (for all occupants) when prompted.
3
Monitor Your Email for Updates on Your Application
Applications will be sorted based on the prioritization criteria set by the UH Board of Regents.
Housing offers will be sent out in batches to hawaii.edu email addresses starting in early June from uhmsh@hawaii.edu. To ensure delivery, add this email to your contacts to prevent it from being marked as spam. You may also review your housing offer on the UHM Student Housing portal.
Students who do not receive an offer in the first round will be automatically placed on a waitlist that follows the prioritization criteria. Additional rounds of offers will continue to go out as spaces become available throughout the summer. We encourage those on the waitlist to explore UH-affiliated housing and off-campus options, and have a contingency plan in place.
4
Secure Your Housing & Next Steps
Prospective residents that receive an offer for on-campus housing must promptly return a signed housing contract and remit a $400, non-refundable reservation fee within the deadline stated in the housing offer.
Upon receiving your housing offer, log in to the UHM Student Housing Portal and open the “My Offer” tab. Here, you can review your housing assignment, sign your contract, pay the reservation fee, and select your meal plan. All steps in this section must be completed to confirm your housing assignment.
- Review Offer: View your assigned building and room type, move-in date, and rent and meal plan costs
- Sign Contract: Carefully review all terms and conditions. To accept your housing assignment, you will be required to input your 8 digit UH ID number. Entering your student ID number is equivalent to a wet signature on the contract.
- Sign by Proxy For Applicants Under 18 Years Old: If the applicant is under 18 years old, a parent or legal guardian’s information must be entered in the application. The student will create a PIN and share it with their parent or guardian. The parent or guardian must enter the same PIN in the application to complete the signature process. All information, including the parent or guardian’s name and email address, must match exactly what the student entered, even if misspelled, for the system to validate the signature.
- Pay Reservation Fee: Pay the $400 non-refundable reservation fee by the deadline stated in the housing offer. For Family Housing, the reservation fee is $400 per occupant aged 2 years and older at the time of check-in.
- Select Meal Plan (if applicable): To complete your meal plan selection, choose your meal plan and confirm your retail points.
- Finalize your Housing Assignment: Your housing assignment will be confirmed once all steps in the “My Offer” tab have been completed.
Failure to submit a signed housing contract and remit the non-refundable reservation fee by the deadline will result in cancellation of the assignment offer.
IMPORTANT: Please be prepared to respond to your housing offer when it arrives. If you are relying on financial aid to help cover your housing costs, please apply as early as possible. Failure to return a housing contract and remit the non-refundable $400 deposit will result in cancellation of your assignment offer. If you’re still interested in on-campus accommodations, you will need to reapply and you will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist.
READY TO APPLY? CLICK APPLICATION LINK BELOW
Frequently Asked Questions
General FAQ
Applicants who complete Part 1 of the housing application by the on-time deadline (May 4) will have the opportunity to participate in the Roommate Matching process when they complete Part 2 of the application (May 5-26). The Roommate Matching process allows on-time applicants to search for compatible roommates and form preferred roommate groups before SHS begins their assignments process. Please note you will only be able to search for roommates amongst those who completed Part 1 of the housing application by the on-time deadline.
It is highly recommended that applicants who form roommate groups go back into their online application during the Part 2 window (May 5-26) and change their housing preferences to match each other. Please make sure that all students within your requested roommate group are eligible to live in all the building and room types requested.
Please note: Forming a roommate group does not guarantee you will be assigned with your preferred roommate, as the housing assignment priorities determine the order that assignments are offered.
Those who do not form roommate groups by the deadline (May 26) will be matched based on the roommate questionnaire they completed on their application.
Please note Part 2 of the application is due on May 26 regardless of whether or not you participate in the Roommate Matching process. Any on-time applicant who does not complete Part 2 by the May 26 , 2026 11:59pm HST deadline will be assumed to no longer be interested in housing and their application will be cancelled.
We expect to begin offering contracts to New First Year UHM (freshmen) applicants during the first week of June. All those who are not initially offered a contract will be placed on a waitlist. We will continue making contract offers on a rolling basis throughout the remainder of spring and summer.
Roommate name and contact information will be available via the UHM Student Housing Portal after July 1.
Waitlist FAQ
If you’ve been placed on a waitlist, you may have some questions about what to expect. Check out the FAQ below. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, call us at (808) 956-8177 or email uhmsh@hawaii.edu.
Unfortunately, not everyone who is placed on the housing waitlist will receive an offer to live on-campus. Over 20,000 students attend UH Mānoa each year and there are approximately 3,100 beds for students to reside in Student Housing. Students on the waitlist are encouraged to explore alternative housing options if they are unable to wait for an opening.
While we are unable to disclose a specific number on the waitlist due to a number of variables implicit in the assignment process, we are able to communicate which application priority group is currently under review and offers are being extended for. This information will be provided on the top section of the Academic Year Application page starting at the beginning of June.
Applicants who are waitlisted when the initial round of housing offers are extended will receive notification in early June. If space becomes available, waitlisted individuals will receive housing offers on a rolling basis throughout the summer, based on priority criteria established by the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents. Students on the waitlist are encouraged to explore alternative housing options if they are unable to wait for an opening.