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Photo of South Village, with a graphic overlayed that says Claim Your Space

Return to Campus Living

RTCL Starts Jan. 22, 2024!

Return to Campus Living (RTCL) gives current residents an opportunity to select space for the upcoming academic year before we begin assigning new incoming students. This year, we have made some changes to RTCL to simplify the process. 

Current residents interested in participating in RTCL will need to submit a housing application between Jan. 22 and Jan. 28; the application will open on Jan. 22 for women and Jan. 24 for men. Residents who submit an application by 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 28 (unless we receive more applications than we have available space), will be issued a lottery number on Feb. 1 with instructions for how/when to log back into the Online Housing System to try to select a space. 

As with previous years, we have set aside space specifically for those interested in returning to on-campus living for the 2024-25 academic year, but please know that space will be limited and a lottery number does not guarantee a housing assignment. Our goal is to provide returning residents with an opportunity to live on campus while meeting the increased need for housing for first-year students.

NOTE: If you’re currently living on campus and prefer to live on campus in 2024-2025, you should participate in RTCL in January to have the first and best opportunity to secure a housing assignment for next year. If you do not participate in RTCL, please know you may not be able to live on campus next year, as space is limited and provided on a first come, first served basis. 

RTCL HAS TWO STEPS

It’s easy to participate in RTCL. All you have to do is:

  1. Apply. In order to apply, you must complete Part 1 of the RTCL Housing Application. The application opens on Jan. 22 for women and Jan. 24 for men. The deadline to submit an application in order to receive a lottery number is 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 28. (NOTE: we will close the RTCL housing application before Jan. 28 if the number of applications exceeds the number of available spaces.)
    • Roommate Group. (optional). If you are interested in living with one other person, you must also create a roommate group at the time you apply or accept a roommate group invitation sent to you by your preferred roommate. Detailed instructions below.
    • Reserved Spaces. If you are eligible to live in a reserved space (ie sorority, Niner Pet, Gender Affirming, and students with approved accommodations through Disability Services), you MUST complete Part 1 of the RTCL Housing Application to retain eligibility for reserved spaces that you may be unable to select on your own.  Students eligible for Honors housing will receive additional guidance via email.
  2. Claim Your Space. Select your space during Open Room Selection, which will begin on Feb. 5 for women and Feb. 6 for men for residents with a lottery number. This step is considered Part 2 of the RTCL Housing Application.

Creating a Roommate Group (optional):
If you are interested in living with one other student next year, you must also create a roommate group after you complete your RTCL housing application. Please complete the following steps to do so:

  1. Log into the Online Housing System.
  2. Select View or Change Room Assignments and Roommate Groups by clicking the corresponding “CLICK HERE” button.
  3. Under the Create or Update Roommate Group section, select Fall 2024 – Spring 2025 by clicking the corresponding “CLICK HERE” button. 
  4. Next, create your roommate group by clicking “Create Group”.  You can then search for your preferred roommate by name or SID. Please note you must click the “Finish” button to save.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Only one student needs to create a roommate group in the Online Housing System by following the steps above. If you are not the student creating the roommate group, you must accept the roommate group invitation sent to you by your preferred roommate.

IMPORTANT DATES

  • Nov. 28. RTCL Webinar. If you missed the webinar live, check it out here. 
  • Jan. 16-24. RTCL Tabling. Visit us at one of our info tables in the Student Union or SoVi, details here.
  • Jan. 18, 1 - 3 p.m. RTCL Open House. Stop by the HRL office (#29 on the campus map) and learn more about RTCL. Refreshments and giveaways available.
  • Jan. 22/24. The RTCL application opens on Jan. 22 for women and Jan. 24 for men, including the option to create roommate groups.
  • Jan. 28 at 11:59 p.m. Last possible deadline to submit an RTCL application in order to receive a lottery number. (The application will close sooner if we receive more applications than we have available space.)
  • Feb 1. Lottery numbers and open room selection appointment times will be sent via email to applicants who applied before the application closed.
  • Feb 5/6. Open Room Selection will begin on Feb. 5 for women and Feb. 6 for men for residents with a lottery number 
  • Feb. 6. Off-Campus Housing and Resource Fair, 12 pm - 4pm, SAC Food Court
  • Feb. 9. Open Room Selection ends (or when room availability is exhausted, whichever happens first)
  • April 1. Cancellation Deadline. If you apply for Fall 2024 - Spring 2025 housing during RTCL, you must cancel your housing by 11:59 pm (EST) on April 1, 2024 in order to avoid any cancellation fees.

RTCL PERKS+FACTS

There are a quite a few perks of participating in RTCL:

  • have your $100 non-refundable housing application processing fee waived
  • hand pick your space and roommate (1) for next year
  • get early access to our premium and most desired spaces
  • claim your space for next year before we assign new incoming students

What's important for me to know?: 

  • Space is very limited for returning students and housing is not guaranteed. 
  • It’s very important to apply soon after the RTCL application opens on Jan. 22 (for women), and Jan. 24 (for men) but there’s no magic to being the first one to log in.
  • The application will remain open until 11:59 pm on 1/28/24 UNLESS we receive more applications than we have available space. We will close the application sooner if we receive more applications than we can reasonably accommodate. 
  • At minimum, students must (1) apply for housing beginning Jan. 22 (for women) and Jan. 24 (for men) and (2) log-in during their assigned open room selection appointment time beginning Feb. 5 (for women) and Feb. 6 (for men) to select a space. 
  • Roommate Groups: If you are interested in living with one other person, you must create a roommate group at the time you apply or accept a roommate group invitation sent to you by your preferred roommate. Both of you must have RTCL housing applications. (Roommate groups are limited to 2 people.) 
  • Lottery Numbers: Lottery numbers will be randomly generated, and are not directly tied to the order in which students submit their applications. Lottery numbers will help to limit the load on the Online Housing System and provide students with an opportunity to choose a space in a randomly generated order. 
  • Receiving a lottery number does not guarantee the opportunity to select a space or guarantee an assignment. 
  • Open Room Selection: You should plan to log in as close to the start of your open room selection appointment time as possible. If you submit a housing application during RTCL and receive a lottery number, but do not choose a space during Open Room Selection, you will be assigned if space is available or placed on the waitlist.
  • Please note: men and women do not compete for the same space, so women do not have an unfair advantage by being able to access the application or open room selection process first. 
  • Halls Available: Belk, Greek Village, Holshouser, Levine, Martin, Miltimore, Elm, Pine, Wallis, and Witherspoon. 
  • There is no Same Room Selection phase of RTCL this year. If you are interested in living in the same space and it’s available for you to select during open room selection, you may select it, but we have eliminated the designated same room selection phase of RTCL. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind after RTCL: 

  • After you have selected your space during open room selection, ensure you immediately received a confirmation email. If you didn’t, you may not have successfully claimed a space. 
  • Students placed on the waitlist and not assigned will be released from their housing contracts by April 1. 
  • Please keep the following cancellation deadlines in mind: 
    • April 1, 2024: Last date returning students assigned during the Return to Campus Living (RTCL) period may cancel with all charges removed from the student’s account.
    • April 2, 2024 through June 1, 2024: Returning students who applied during the Return to Campus Living period are responsible for payment of a $750.00 liquidated damages fee. 
    • June 2, 2024 - August 13, 2024: Returning students who applied during the Return to Campus Living period are responsible for paying 50% of the annual housing charges as liquidated damages, not as a penalty. 
    • Beginning August 14, 2024: Returning students who applied during the Return to Campus Living period are responsible for paying the prorated amount of the room rate for each day the room was occupied, plus 50% of the remaining contracted annual housing charges as liquidated damages, not as a penalty. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please call us at 704-687-7501 or email us at hrlmailbox@uncc.edu.

RTCL Webinar