First-Year Students

Greetings Class of 2028!

We are thrilled that you will be joining the WPI community for your collegiate career!

The majority of first-year housing will be in triple occupancy rooms.

Students who choose not to find a roommate, forming a group of one, will not be guaranteed a single room. There are a finite number of single bedrooms in on campus housing, and groups of one often select into larger spaces with other groups of one.

Information about the first-year housing selection process will be detailed below.

Spring flowering trees on campus

Housing for First-Year Students

Accepted Students Day Video

At WPI, life on campus begins in our residence halls. It won't feel exactly like home, though in some ways it will be even better.

Research shows nation-wide that living on campus in the first year of college can positively impact a student's ability to make connections with other students, take advantage of academic resources, and become involved in campus life. Additionally, students who live on campus in their first & second year graduate at a higher rate than those who do not.

Typical first-year residence halls include:

Note: Upper level students (sophomores, juniors, and seniors) and graduate students may not live in first year residence halls.

Timeline for First-Year Housing Selection for 2024-2025

Application Opens – May 15
Advanced Placement Requests are due by - June 14
Documentation for housing accommodations must be sent to the Office of Accessibility Services no later than – June 14
Application Deadline for Black Excellence/Lavender Lane Communities (more information within the housing application) - June 14
Application Closes – June 30 at 11:59pm
Selection Times Sent – Week of July 4
Housing Selection Week – July 8-12
Select Meal Plans by July 19

Roommate Meet & Greets

Please use the following links to join the sessions that you would like to attend. WPI credentials are required to register and to join the meeting, please log in to Zoom using the SSO option.

Male-Identifying Students	Monday, May 20 from 7:00PM-8:00PM (EST)	https://wpi.zoom.us/j/97038225511
Female-Identifying Students	Thursday, May 23 from 7:00PM-8:00PM (EST)	https://wpi.zoom.us/j/97861462271
Gender-Inclusive / LGBTQIA+ (Non-Affinity)	Thursday, May 30 from 7:00PM-8:00PM (EST)	https://wpi.zoom.us/j/97239091010
Male-Identifying Students	Wednesday, June 5 from 7:00PM-8:00PM (EST)	https://wpi.zoom.us/j/95607234125
Female-Identifying Students	Thursday, June 6 from 7:00PM-8:00PM (EST)	https://wpi.zoom.us/j/93598160886
Gender-Inclusive / LGBTQIA+ (Non-Affinity)	Tuesday, June 11 from 7:00PM-8:00PM (EST)	https://wpi.zoom.us/j/98051407470
Affinity: Black Boulevard	Thursday, June 20 from 7:00PM-8:00PM (EST)	https://wpi.zoom.us/j/95707382134
Affinity: Lavender Lane	Wednesday, June 26 from 7:00PM-8:00PM (EST)	https://wpi.zoom.us/j/96715180551

Please Note:

There is no incentive to completing the application earlier than others. It is only important that you complete an application and create or join a roommate group before the application closes on June 30. All roommate groups will be assigned random housing selection times after the application closes. Documentation for accommodated housing is due to the Office of Accessibility Services no later than June 14.

Tips and Tricks

Before you move into campus housing, our the Housing & Residential Experience Center team recommends that first year students complete some of the following tasks, so they can acclimate to their new independence when they arrive at WPI.

Order food for delivery or pickup on the phone.
Schedule a haircut or other appointment on the phone.
Speak to a cashier when checking out of a store and ask them how their day is going.
Do your own laundry - sort laundry into manageable loads, wash and dry it.
Manage your own personal hygiene routine.
Find nourishing snacks that you enjoy and learn how to prepare them or purchase close to WPI.
Make a list of activities you like to do that help you relax and refocus.
Think about how you would introduce yourself and make friends with new people.
Identify “must haves” and expectations you follow in your living space.
Start to identify the physical and emotional ways you react to stressful situations. Talk with a family member or friend and ask them how they know when you are stressed and what they notice about you in these moments.
Talk to a friend about a time you have a disagreement and how you worked together to resolve the situation.

Resident Advisors

Resident Advisors, or RAs, are responsible for residents in a particular section or floor of a residence hall––and are a great resource for first-year students. They contribute a great deal to the residential living experience at WPI, assisting with social or personal concerns, answering questions about the campus, explaining and enforcing WPI policies, responding to emergency situations, submitting work order requests, and are available when help is needed for any reason.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Group Leader is the person chosen by the group to select housing for the entire group. This should be someone the entire group trusts to make housing decisions for everyone.

Any full-time enrolled WPI student that is class of 2028 must make a group to participate in housing selection, even if it is a group of one.

There are a few different ways that first year students can find roommates, including:

Roommate Meet & Greets – The Housing & Residential Experience Center will be hosting virtual meet and greets to give first-year students the chance to get to know each other and hopefully find a roommate.
First-Year Welcome Experience – Offered both in person and virtually, these sessions are a great opportunity for first-year students to meet one another and learn about the different resources and opportunities WPI has to offer.
StarRez - Within the housing portal, students will be able to complete a brief lifestyle questionnaire. Your responses will be visible to other students and StarRez will provide a percentage of compatibility based on how similarly you answered your questions.
Discord - Using your WPI ID from your application, you now have access to the official class of 2028 discord server where you can meet and chat with other admitted students.

A RESIDENTIAL meal plan is REQUIRED for all first year students.

In order to participate in the housing selection process, everyone must sign a housing contract.

The housing contract becomes binding when a group leader selects housing for the housing group or a student is assigned housing by a Housing & Residential Experience Center staff member at the student request.

If your group leader does not select housing during the assigned time window, then the group members will be given an assignment by Housing & Residential Experience Center staff from the available rooms once the selection process is complete.

If a member of your verified group decides not to attend WPI:

Before Selection - The student will be removed from the housing group and if times have already been assigned, the group will be assigned a new time with the new housing group size

After Selection - The student will be removed from the assignment and the vacated space will be filled by another student

More information about housing on campus for Transfer Students can be found on this page.

You should create a few different plans for your housing just in case the room or building you want is not available when your group leader logs in to select housing.

Groups of 5 or 8 students that would like to live in the same suite can request Advanced Placement in Founders Hall. Only groups that will completely fill a suite are eligible to participate.

To request Advanced Placement, please follow these few steps:

Step 1 - Create and verify a roommate group for the size bedroom you desire and the students you wish to be in your bedroom.

5-Person Apartment (2 single bedrooms and 1 triple bedroom)
8-Person Apartment (2 single bedrooms and 2 triple bedrooms)

Step 2 - Email the Housing & Residential Experience Center (housing@wpi.edu) with your desired TOTAL group and location with ALL group members CC'd. Each group leader must respond to the email and confirm that they approve of this request.

The students who would like to be placed in the single bedrooms should create and verify themselves as a group of 1.
The students requesting to be placed in the triple bedroom, must create and verify a group of 3, with one person designated as the group leader.
The Housing & Residential Experience Center will do our best to accommodate your preferences, but understand demand may be larger than availability

Step 3 - The Housing & Residential Experience Center will place your group BEFORE housing selection times are assigned

All requests must be received by 11:59PM on June 14th.
By requesting an assignment through advanced placement, you understand and accept that your housing contract will become active and financially binding upon being assigned housing by a WPI H.R.E. Center staff member.
The Housing & Residential Experience Center will confirm your assignment in writing by responding to the email in which you requested a placement.

If the demand for the Advanced Placement Process is larger than the availability of space, the Housing & Residential Experience Center will randomly generate a placement order to assign groups. Any groups that are not placed will receive a selection time to participate in general housing selection.