UCD on-campus Accommodation

Bah_Humbug

I was wondering what would be the likelihood of getting the on-campus accommodation considering it's no longer first-come? Do you think there's a fairly good chance of getting in? I'm a first year obviously

nerd95

I think it is hard to say whether or not you will get in. A lot of incoming first years will put their name on the waiting list but they may have UCD as a 2nd or 3rd choice etc (they are just covering themselves for all eventualities) and so when CAO offers come out, the list of students on the waiting list will decrease. I do know of some friends who went to other colleges last year that had random allocation and they, unfortunately, didn’t get the on-campus accommodation. That being said, given that existing UCD students will no longer be prioritised for on-campus then there will be more rooms available for incoming first years than previous years, hence increasing your chances! Last year, I think it was around 700 first years were given a place on campus- thankfully I managed to get a spot- but this year there will probably be more spaces! They are also in the middle of building more houses beside Belgrove- not sure when they are due to be finished though but all of this will undoubtedly increase your chances. However, nothing is guaranteed! Therefore, my advice would be to look at possible back-ups for off-campus accommodation just in case because CAO offers don’t come out until the middle of August and if you don’t get a place on-campus then you will only have about 2-3 weeks to find accommodation which can be quite hectic- it’s best to be prepared! Also, I know of some first years last year from my course who didn’t get a place on-campus but they kept their name on the waiting list and in semester 2 they were offered a place! You see, a lot of international/Erasmus students only stay for one semester so there are often a small number of places available after Christmas!

DaisyFay

I'd say you have a pretty good chance, given how many places there are now available to first years. Its free AFAIK to apply to the waiting list, so even though thousands will apply, by the time offers are made people will have taken UCD off their CAO, accepted an offer from another college, or been put off living on campus by the price. If you dont get it though, I'd recommend taking digs and keeping an eye still on accommodation offers because the increased number of 1st years in campus accommodation means a number of places will become available from people dropping out, and also from erasmus students leaving/new accommodation opening for semester 2.
The accommodation that becomes free during the year is offered on a first come first serve basis, so if you keep a close eye on that page you should get something in the end. Hope this helps