First-Year Process

In order to log in to the housing portal using your OUNetID or OU email address, you will need to set up your OU account at one.ou.edu/account/general, if you have not already done so. In addition, you will be required to sign various pages of the contract with your 9-digit Sooner ID, so make sure you have that handy.

Some other helpful items to have ready are contact information (phone number(s) and email address) for anyone you might designate as a Proxy or emergency contact, and the 9-Digit Sooner ID number for any potential roommate you know you want to request.

There is no specific deadline to complete your housing contract.

Upon completion, you will receive an email with a summary of your contract and a copy of the terms and conditions of the contract.

The advanced housing payment is a one time $175 fee that you will pay in order to submit your housing contract. The deadline to recieve a refund for this fee is May 1. 

The advanced housing payment is refundable if you cancel by May 1. After that it is not refundable.  

When you make the advanced housing payment, you are paying a portion of your room charges up front. Once you are billed for housing, the advanced housing payment will be applied to your housing charges. 

Students under the age of 18 who are entering into a housing contract are required to designate a Proxy.

Your Proxy should be a person, such as a parent or legal guardian, who has the legal authority to make decisions about your education and living arrangement while pursuing an education.

During the contract process, you will designate a Proxy by entering their name, email address and relationship to you. Your Proxy will receive an email from housinginfo@ou.edu with a link to complete the agreement.

A copy of the student’s meningitis waiver and terms and conditions of the contract. The Proxy may be held responsible for violations of the contract while the student is under the age of 18.

Students under the age of 18 will not be able to complete their contract until their Proxy has completed the agreement.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law that requires the University to keep your education records confidential. This means the University cannot disclose these records to others without your permission, which may include your parents or legal guardians. More information about your rights is located at FERPA (ou.edu/registrar/academic-records/ferpa).

Your Proxy will have limited access to your housing information if they are not also listed as a FERPA contact.

You can have one confirmed roommate to form a roommate pair.

• You will have the option to request a roommate in the Roommate Request section of the housing contract. You can request a specific person by entering their 9-digit Sooner ID or browse for roommates utilizing the profile questionnaire and suggested roommate tools. One person will send the request and the other person must accept the request. 
  
  
• If you have created a roommate pair, you will have an opportunity to assign your roommate to live with you during room selection, if space allows.

• Make sure that you are using the correct Sooner ID number.
  
  
• Make sure your roommate has completed their housing contract. Only students who have completed a housing contract can be located as roommates.

• Make sure your roommate has answered the expanded roommate question in the same way. Only students who have both opted in or both opted out can be located as roommates.

By default, all students are eligible to live in suites and share private living spaces with other students of the same legal sex. Housing & Residence Life will also be offering an expanded roommate option, which is a voluntary program that allows students to share living spaces regardless of their legal sex. This option will allow family members, friends, and other like-minded students to choose to live together regardless of their legal sex if that living arrangement meets their needs and/or wishes.  

Note: Housing and Residence Life strongly encourages romantic partners to live separately in on-campus housing.

You will receive an email from housinginfo@ou.edu to your OU email account and your personal email account (if we have one on file for you).

Yes, you will have the option to send your potential roommate a message via the housing portal where you can exchange contact information should you choose to do so.

You will be able to view outgoing, incoming and mutual requests on the Roommate Request page of your contract.

If you participate in room selection, you are welcome to choose any open space available. When viewing a room that already has an occupied space, you will be able to see the current occupants’ names and send them a portal message. You can connect with them to determine if you want to select that room.

If you choose a space in an already occupied room or if you select a vacant room and another student selects the other space later, you will be able to see all current occupants’ names and OU email addresses on the Room Selection home page once you select your room. You can connect with them to determine if you want to keep that room or change it.

If you do not participate in room selection, housing will place you based on your contract preferences and lifestyle questions.

Room selection begins May 20. Access times are based on when you paid your enrollment deposit. 

• Review locations, floor plans and room rates in advance. Have several options in mind in case your first choice is not available.
  
  
• Talk to your roommate to make sure you agree about what you want to select.
  
  
• Only one roommate needs to assign the pair. Decide who is responsible for assigning the pair.
  
  
• Know your access time. Access times will be sent to your OU email account.

Once your access time is active, it will remain open until the end of the room selection process. You can log in any time after it is open to search for and select your room. 

Students who do not participate in room selection will be assigned based on their application completion date and remaining inventory after the room selection process has ended. Available inventory will be extremely limited after room selection has ended and you may be assigned to any floor plan.

Log in as early as your access time allows.

You will be able to filter your options by community. In co-ed communities, students of all gender identities will live on the same floor, hall or wing. Your bedroom and bathroom will be assigned as same-sex spaces unless you and your roommate have opted to participate in the expanded roommate option.

• The roommate with the earliest access time will have the most available options.
  
  
• Either roommate can make the initial room assignment for both members of the pair. Talk to your roommate to decide who is responsible for assigning the pair. 
  
  

You will receive a confirmation email when you are assigned to a room. You will also be able to log in to the housing portal and see your room assignment on the Room Selection home page.

You can log into the housing portal, go to the room selection home page and choose Change My Room to select a different available room. Or you can choose Swap My Room to request to trade rooms with another student.

Yes! A Living Learning Community (LLC) is a dynamic residential space where students live, learn, and connect with peers who share similar academic interests or passions. For the 2026–2027 academic year, first-year students can join LLCs through the Henderson Scholars Program, the Honors College, and the College of Engineering. Living in an LLC gives students a strong start to their OU journey—fostering a sense of belonging, supporting academic success, and providing unique opportunities for mentorship and engagement. 

All Living Learning Communities for the 2026-2027 academic year will reside in the Residential Colleges. Eligible students will be able to see these communities when they go through room selection in May.