To further cultivate a welcoming living and learning environment, University Housing and Dining (UHD) offers the Family and Friend Expanded Roommate Option for students living in certain on-campus residence halls. This option allows enrolled students to select any UT Austin student who is also currently enrolled at the university as a roommate regardless of their gender or sex.
This option helps enhance our residents’ sense of belonging and facilitates a smoother transition to college life by increasing the options for selecting a roommate. By promoting student values around choice and decision-making, this option reinforces the opportunity for residents to achieve the goals of self-management, community engagement and global competency.
Watch our Family and Friends Expanded Roommate Option video to learn more about this housing option and check out our frequently asked questions below.
FAQs
What is the Family and Friend Expanded Roommate Option?
The Family and Friend Expanded Roommate Option was launched in certain on-campus residence halls to further cultivate a welcoming living and learning environment on the Forty Acres. This option allows two currently enrolled UT students to room together, regardless of their gender or sex. Both students must select this Family and Friend option to create a roommate group and choose a room together.
This helps enhance our residents’ sense of belonging and improves our competitiveness with the Austin market and other institutions. It also allows us to be more responsive to student needs. By promoting student values around choice and decision-making, this option reinforces the opportunity for residents to achieve the goals of self-management, community engagement and global competency. The university also wants to encourage more on-campus living, since many off-campus residence halls offer a similar option.
Who can select this option?
The Family and Friend option is open to all enrolled UT students. Students who select the Family and Friend option will live with a roommate who has also selected the Family and Friend option in shared suites or rooms with private bathrooms; single rooms are not available as part of the option.
Which residence halls offer the Family and Friend option?
The Family and Friend option is available in the following residence halls which have shared suites or rooms with private bathrooms:
• Blanton: double rooms with an external private bathroom*
• Duren: double, triple and quad suites with private bathroom; double suites with private bathroom
• Jester East and Jester West: double and triple suites with private bath; double suites with private bathroom
• San Jacinto: double suites with private bathroom
• Moore-Hill: double rooms with an external private bathroom
*The term “private bathroom” can mean an external connecting bathroom, shared among roommates and suitemates, or a bathroom outside of the room but limited to roommates.
How does the housing process work for the Family and Friend option?
Step 1:
Opt into the Family and Friend Expanded Roommate option in your housing portal. This option will become accessible as a checkable box in your portal once you receive a contract offer and pay your $300 advance payment. Once this box is checked, that page in your portal will lock and you will need to contact our housing team in writing to opt out of the option.
Step 2:
If desired, make roommate preferences and use our Roommate Profile Tool to search for and pair with a roommate or roommate group. Your choices for roommates and roommate groups will include only those who have also opted into the Family and Friend option. If you know the roommate(s) you wish to live with, you can search for them via name or UT EID and then request, accept, and verify a roommate group with them in preparation for room selection.
Step 3:
Participate in room selection, which begins in June. If you are part of a roommate group, the student with the earliest room selection timeslot will select the room assignment for the students in the roommate group based on available space. If you are not part of roommate group, you will need to find and assign yourself to an available room during the selection process.
Around early July, our office will begin to manually assign rooms to students and roommate groups who did not choose a space during the room selection process. We will assign these students to rooms with a roommate who also selected the Family and Friend option based on their preferences and roommate profile matches.
Step 4:
After the room selection process concludes, any student with a room assignment has the option to swap rooms through the room swap page. You can search available rooms and switch through July 31.
Step 5:
Prepare to move to the Forty Acres.
Who can I select as a roommate?
Students are able, but not required, to self-select their roommate once they’ve opted into the program. You can live with any student who is currently enrolled at the university. Each student must select the Family and Friend option.
How do I find a roommate?
If you know the roommate or roommate group you wish to live with and they have also opted into the Family and Friend option, you can search for them via name or UT EID and then pair with them in preparation for room selection.
You can complete an optional roommate profile to help you find other students who have opted into the Family and Friend option. With this tool, you can create a profile, complete a compatibility questionnaire, view potential roommate matches and reach out to communicate with matches – all prior to room selection. During room selection, you’ll be able to view your compatibility with students who have already placed themselves in rooms and then select your room accordingly.
You can create or join roommate groups of 2-4 students (Triple and Quad rooms are limited). You can also be invited into or request to join groups. The roommate with the earliest timeslot can then select a room in the Family and Friend option for the entire group during room selection.
If you do not create a roommate group, during the room selection process you will place yourself in a room with another student in it who has selected the Family and Friend option. When looking at the room, you will be able to see the profile information of the student already in the room to help with your selection.
Students who do not participate in the room selection process will be manually assigned a roommate who also selected the Family and Friend option based on their preferences and roommate profile matches.
How do I change roommates?
After the room selection process concludes, any student with a room assignment has the option to swap rooms through the room swap page. You can search available rooms and switch through July 31.
While UHD does not release students from their contracts based on roommate conflicts, there is a room change process in place. Students can request to move and either remain in the Family and Friend option or opt out of the program. If you opt out of the Family and Friend program, you will only be able to live with another UT Austin student with the same university gender marker. Room changes are based on available space. More information can be found here.
Is this an option for me if I’m a couple, married, have children, or want to room with a friend or family member who has the same gender as me?
If you want to live with a friend or family member who is also a UT student, the Family and Friend Expanded Roommate Option may not be for you.
UT students who wish to live with family members who are not UT students are provided a housing option at Brackenridge apartments. You can learn more about this option on our University Apartments website.
UT students who are friends or family members who want to live together and have the same gender can create roommate groups without selecting the Family and Friend option.
If I have questions, who can I contact?
Please contact housing@austin.utexas.edu or 512-471-3136.