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Spring 2026 Housing

Home Living Housing Housing Assignments Spring Housing

Spring 2026 Application

The application will go live Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Apply Here

General Housing Information

2025-2026 Undergraduate Housing Rates

The rates shown below are per student.

Single Room
Semester: $7,206
Academic Year: $14,412

Double Room
Semester: $5,455
Academic Year: $10,910

Apartment Private Bedroom:
Semester: $8,958
Academic Year: $17,916

Apartment Shared Bedroom:
Semester: $7,206
Academic Year: $14,412

Please note that there are single (private bedroom) and double bedroom (shared bedroom) occupancy options in Blue Light and Hollows.

Students returning to Duke after a leave of absence of any kind remain subject to the Board of Trustees policy requiring all Duke undergraduate students to live in university housing for three academic years (Six semesters) as a Duke student. Resident students who take a leave of absence for personal reasons may return as residents provided they follow the HRL procedures and deadlines. Duke guarantees housing to all of its full-time undergraduate students, save those who are not eligible due to disciplinary sanctions. 

You may contact housing regarding your residency while your return application is under review. Students without a housing assignment will be required to apply and will be assigned once they have been approved for return. Students with a housing assignment, who are separated from the University, will have their housing cancelled and will be required to reapply once approved for return.

Students returning to Duke from a leave of absence (and who are subject to the residency requirement noted above) who fail to request housing will receive an assignment and be financially responsible for the term of the assignment.

Students returning to Duke after a separation of any kind should work with the Time Away Office to manage their return process. You may contact housing assignments regarding your residency status while your Time Away Return Form is under review. 

  • Students without a housing assignment will be required to apply and are assigned once approved for return.
  • Students with a housing assignment, who take time-off from the University, can decline housing and apply once approved for return.

Housing and Residence Life (HRL) works in conjunction with the Student Disability Access Office (SDAO) to ensure consistency in evaluating special housing accommodation requests. The SDAO reviews requests and shares approved student accommodations with HRL. Students with approved accommodations will be offered priority for placement in an available space that meets their accommodations.

Students who wish to be considered for reasonable accommodations must submit current documentation (i.e., medical/educational/diagnostic reports) from licensed physicians, psychologists, or other qualified professionals as well as supporting historical records and materials. For the purpose of receiving consideration for reasonable accommodations at Duke University, an individual must have an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

Information regarding the process to request an accommodation can be found on the Student Disability and Access Office website or at 919-668-1267.

Duke University is not liable for damage or loss of personal property kept in the resident’s assigned space or in other areas of University housing. Because the University does not provide property insurance, residents are encouraged to secure their own personal property insurance.

All Duke students should consider purchasing renters insurance to protect their personal property in the event that it is damaged, destroyed or stolen. Even if a student is a dependent under his or her parent's insurance, the student's personal property, may not be covered.

Talk with your parents. They should check their policy or contact their insurance agent to see what coverage you have and if renters insurance is right for you while away at school.

Spring Housing Information

*All housing process timelines are tentative and may be changed at the discretion of the Housing Assignments Office.

Thursday, September 25: Off-Campus Lottery for Class of 2027 opens in the Housing Portal.

Tuesday, September 30: Off-Campus Lottery closes at 12:00 p.m. (NOON). 

Wednesday, October 1: Spring housing materials are available in the Housing Portal:

  • Spring Housing Application
  • DKU Housing Application
  • Decline Housing Form
  • Reassignment Form (only available to those invited as a preferred roommate through the spring housing application).

Friday, October 3: Off-Campus Lottery notifications are sent out. 

Wednesday, October 8:  Deadline for senior declines and spring 2026 study away declines; GPS application live.

Wednesday, October 15:  Priority date to apply for spring housing, reassignment form closes, DKU application closes. 

Wednesday, November 5: Spring 2026 assignments will begin to be processed and released through January 3rd.

Duke’s housing policy requires students to live on campus for three years. However, consistent with past practice, juniors have the opportunity to apply for off-campus housing through the Spring Off-Campus Housing Lottery.

Please note that we do not know how many of these requests will be granted at this time AND we do not expect to release all students who enter the lottery. 

To help you and your family plan ahead, here’s the lottery timeline:

  • Thursday, September 25, 10:00 a.m. – Lottery application opens 
  • Tuesday, September 30, 12:00 p.m. (NOON) – Lottery application closes (no late submissions will be accepted)
  • Wednesday, October 1 – Housing application opens for juniors currently living off campus 
  • Friday, October 3  – Students will receive either an approval to live off-campus or information regarding on-campus housing.

Students may list a preferred roommate on the lottery application. If so, both students will either be released together or required to stay on campus together.

As a reminder, all juniors are required to live on campus unless officially released by the Housing Assignments Office. Do not sign any off-campus leases unless you receive confirmation of release for Spring 2026. 

Students can apply to decline housing for the spring semester. Housing declines will only be considered for students who meet one of the following reasons:

  • Class of 2026 or lower that wishes to live off campus (must decline by October 8).
  • Met the six-semester (3-year) live-on requirement (must decline by October 8).
  • Graduating December 2025.
  • Spring 2026 Resident Assistant
  • Visiting Scholar for the fall 2025 semester only.
  • Participating in Robertson Scholar campus switch.
  • Studying away for the spring 2026 semester (including Duke Marine Lab).
  • Personal or medical leave of absence.
  • Accommodation from Student Disability and Access Office to live off campus.

Please submit a decline housing request form through the housing portal

We will do our best to meet preferred roommate requests, but due to limited housing options for the spring semester, preferred roommate requests may not be achievable. 

Students on campus for the fall semester may be requested as a preferred roommate by a student applying for spring semester housing. The on-campus student will receive an invitation to be a roommate and should accept the invitation. In this instance, on-campus students may also indicate that they want to be reassigned to a new assignment with their returning preferred roommate.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are on campus in the fall and are reassigned, you will be responsible for completely vacating your fall assignment and storing your possessions off campus before leaving for Winter Break. We are unable to provide you with storage. When you return to campus on or after January 3, you will check in to your spring assignment.

STUDYING AWAY FOR SPRING: Students are not permitted to keep spring housing while they pursue study away opportunities. As a result, you will need to decline housing. If you do not decline housing by Wednesday, October 8 and you have NOT cancelled your study away application, we will cancel your spring housing assignment for you. You can access the decline housing form via the housing portal beginning Wednesday, October 1.

Students who are returning from study away are not guaranteed a specific housing assignment or preferred roommate, nor will they be able to swap with another student who is planning to study away and will need to apply for spring housing.

NOTE: We will do our best to meet preferred roommate requests, but housing options are limited and preferred roommate requests may not be able to be met. (Please reference Roommate Requests for more information)

Students returning to campus for the spring semester should complete an application by Wednesday, October 15 via the housing portal.

Students studying at the Marine Lab for the spring semester should decline housing by Wednesday, October 8 via the housing portal.

Typically, during the spring of their sophomore year, all Robertson Scholars participate in a semester of Campus Switch where they live at the sister institution. 

  • Duke students going to UNC for the spring 2025 semester should decline housing by Wednesday, October 8.
  • UNC students coming to Duke campus during the spring 2025 semester should apply for housing by Wednesday, October 15.

NOTE: Robertson Scholars are not guaranteed a specific housing assignment or preferred roommate, nor will they be able to swap with another student.

DKU students can apply for spring housing beginning October 1, 2025.

Wednesday, October 1: Spring housing application and materials available on the Housing Portal.

Wednesday, October 15: DKU application closes.

We have a limited number of spaces in our on-campus apartments at Lancaster Commons and 300 Swift for graduate and professional students. 

Spring housing assignments will be made based on date of application submission and student visa status. Students must be fully admitted in order to apply. Assignment priority will be given to first year graduate or professional students on student visa status.

Important Dates

Wednesday, October 8, 2025: GPS application opens in Housing Portal. Application will stay open until spaces are filled.