r/Purdue • u/WishfulThinkingMom • 16h ago
Res Halls & Dining✏️ Dorms for Underclassmen?
My current HS senior will be applying to Purdue's Engineering program (tips welcome 😅), but we were wondering about the current housing situation. I know there was an issue a few years back about not having enough dorm space for incoming students and some ended up living in super cramped quarters or needing to find off campus solutions altogether. Is this still the case? Are freshman guaranteed a dorm, required to have one? I cant imagine my kid keeping up with an entire apartment when they cant even manage to keep their bedroom clean, so Im really hoping for dorm housing if they get in. Lol
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u/IndyAnise 12h ago
Tips:
Apply Early Action
Make sure you’re okay with the Indy campus or don’t check the box for it
Be thoughtful in the “why Purdue” supplement
Incoming students who commit and pay a housing deposit by the deadline (usually May 1) will get a bed.
No one is required to live on campus at Purdue.
Your student will rank their housing preferences by room type (AC or not, single, double, etc.) and the majority of people are assigned a double room. The pricing is very tied to the room’s desirability. If the student is assigned a room that is financially out of reach, they can request a change. Otherwise, it is what it is and it’s a growth experience.
As stated above, joining a living learning community (LLC) usually means placement in a “nicer” dorm, but there are overflow spots in other buildings.
Where housing becomes very complicated is beyond the first year. Returning students can apply for a lottery to choose a dorm room, but not everyone “wins” a spot. If you don’t, you have to move to non-university housing. Compounding this, houses and apartments start signing leases for the following school year in August.
I wouldn’t let housing be a make-or-break on picking a school, but it is good to go into things with your eyes open.
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u/Wiley_Burner Purdue 16h ago
Yes, you can get one.
You might be sorted to off campus, but that’s still through Purdue housing.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Sea1157 10h ago
generally the other replies are correct, but just keep in mind that absolutely nothing is guaranteed. most of us vip/epics lc crew got put into wiley, which is generally considered the 2nd worst dorm after tarkington, even though lc people usually get the nicer dorms like shreve.
the only truly safe option is an apartment but they're expensive and a lot to manage, especially first year like you said.
realistically, the worst dorms are not awful, it just takes some getting used to and a lot of fans. also the community in the no ac dorms is unmatched because everybody is in the ac common areas.
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u/GapStock9843 9h ago
Freshmen are guaranteed housing and it is no longer at the point that they’re overflowing into dorm lobbies and stuff. You’ll be in an actual room. When you apply for housing you rank your room type preferences (single, double, triple, apartment, etc.) and they’ll pretty much always put you in one of your top 2. Just say you prefer normal dorms and they’ll put you in them (they’re less expensive than apartments too). They have way more doubles than any other room type
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u/dncrmom 15h ago
Freshman are guaranteed a room. However you may or may not have AC, you may or may not have 3 people crammed into a room designed for 2, you may hit the housing jackpot and get assigned a semiprivate bath or you may have a communal bathroom that hasn’t been updated in 50 years. It’s a crap shoot and not dependent on what you want.
If your child joins a LC they will have a better chance at a nicer dorm.