Roommate Success

For many students, preparing for a smooth transition into shared living begins before Mooov-In during the room and roommate assignment process. You can self-select a preferred roommate, choose a roommate during room selection or be matched with a roommate by our housing team.  

Roughly half of our on-campus residents select a preferred roommate.

• Once you have signed your contract and satisfy the $300 prepayment, you can select a preferred roommate in your housing portal. You will create a roommate group and invite your preferred roommate to join using their UT EID. Your preferred roommate must have a completed housing contract to accept your request.  
• You and your preferred roommate must be in the same roommate group to ensure that the assignment system works properly.

You can choose to find a roommate during room selection.

• Many students select a space without forming a roommate group. When going this route, you will participate in the room selection process and place yourself in a room with another student in it. 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. If you select a vacant room, another student will select or be assigned to that space.

Students assigned to their room by our housing team will be matched with a roommate.

• If our office assigns your room, we will use your age, classification, major and profile percentage match to pair you with an appropriate student using your answers from the roommate profile.  

Official room and roommate assignments begin going out to incoming freshmen in mid-July. Once you receive your assignment, you will have your new roommate's contact info.

Start talking now. Find out what items you are planning on bringing to the room, what your new schedule looks like, etc. The more you can talk before you move in, the more prepared you will be once you start unpacking all of your belongings and setting up the room.

Some helpful things to talk about before Mooov-In:

• Who is bringing the TV or other large items for the room?
• When are you planning to check in?
• What is your class schedule going to be like?
• Are you a night owl or a morning person?
   

Our residence life team provides residents with a required roommate agreement that encourages open communication to help reduce the likelihood of conflicts. Within the first few days following Mooov-In, residents are expected to work closely with their roommates to complete the roommate agreement in detail.

The roommate agreement invites roommates to discuss and set expectations on key topics that affect their shared living space, such as quiet hours, guest visits and cleanliness expectations. Resident assistants can help facilitate discussions and provide support throughout the roommate agreement process.
 

Living with someone new can take adjustments, and disagreements are bound to happen. While many conflicts can be resolved through open conversation, others may need support from your resident assistant (RA) or complex coordinator (CC).

If you and your roommate are having a conflict, here are some tips on how to navigate the situation:

• Start with a conversation and address your concern directly and respectfully. Refer to your roommate agreement if it’s relevant to your concern. Clear communication can often resolve issues before they escalate.
• Reach out to your RA if the issue persists. Your RA is trained and available to assist in the mediation process, and conflicts can often be resolved at this point. Compromise and communication from all roommates are the key to success during the mediation process.
• Contact your CC if additional assistance is still needed. Each community has a CC who is a professional staff member trained to help resolve more complex roommate concerns.

Our residence life staff is committed to providing a positive, productive and safe living environment for all students. We recognize roommate conflicts can occur and resolving them is a shared responsibility. Our RAs and CCs are always available to help work through a conflict.

When supporting residents through a roommate conflict, we will:

• Take a proactive approach and promote healthy communication through tools like the roommate agreement and programs that build conflict resolution and useful life skills.
• Offer trained support from our RAs and professional staff to guide mediation.
• Review policy violations and take appropriate action if necessary through our student conduct process.
• Provide guidance on the room transfer process to ensure residents are fully aware of their options.

Roommate conflict can be a challenging part of the college experience. Parents/guardians are instrumental in providing support and assistance to the student. Your student may turn to you for advice, reassurance or listening ear.  

Helping your student evaluate the situation:

• Listen to your student with care. You can serve as a sounding board for them, providing both support and perspective.
• Remind them that any conflict has two sides. Encourage your student to consider why their roommate might see the situation from a different point of view.
• Reinforce that building a successful roommate relationship takes time, effort and communication. A one-time meeting cannot solve all past and future problems.
• Assure your student that roommate conflict is not a rare occurrence. Many students face similar challenges and are able to work through them successfully.

Helping your student address the problem:

• Encourage them to talk directly and respectfully to their roommate about their concerns.
• Suggest reaching out to their RA or CC if they need help working through the issue.
• Be supportive; your encouragement is appreciated during stressful times.
• Allow your student to resolve their own roommate conflicts; they will be better prepared to resolve problems on their own in the future.
• Keep in mind that due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), we are not allowed to discuss specific details of your student’s conflict with you unless they’ve signed a waiver obtained from their CC. We’re happy to explain our conflict resolution process and how we support students, but your student remains the best source for specific details.
• Encourage them to explore all mediation options before requesting a room transfer. While a room change is available if needed, taking time to work through the conflict first can lead to personal growth and help your student build valuable communication and problem-solving skills. If the conflict continues after mediation, choosing a new living environment is a healthy and productive next step.

While we do not release students from their contracts based on roommate conflicts, students can request a room change through the following steps:

• Submit a room change request and indicate your hall and roommate preferences.
• Your CC may contact you to discuss the reasons for your request. They will approve or deny the request and notify our housing team if the request is urgent.
• Once approved, the request is sent to occupancy management and handled in order by housing application date. Urgent room change requests are addressed as soon as possible.
• We will notify you once a vacancy is available. Some room changes may happen within a week; others may take longer depending on availability and the student’s housing preferences.
• If two students want to do a mutual room swap (where they trade places with each other), they still go through the first two steps above.