At least 55 transfer students, mostly women, were put on a waitlist for on-campus housing this summer due to a lack of available space in dorms.
Transfer students who did not receive housing were notified on July 19 and given a place on the waitlist, according to an email from director of residential life: housing operations, Dan Rohmiller. Approximately 25 students are still on the waitlist, as of Sept. 6.
“Most students” who applied for housing via the waitlist application — which includes transfer students — received a housing assignment and roommate information, Rohmiller said in an email. He did not respond to a question via email about how this year’s housing availability for transfers compared to last year’s.
Since July 19, residential life has offered approximately 30 students from the waitlist on-campus housing, Rohmiller said.
Lily Swiech, a sophomore transfer from Saint Mary’s College, said she started at spot 59 on the waitlist. She was not aware of students more than five places below her on the waitlist.
Swiech is living with two other ROTC transfers in a dorm located in the Pasquerilla Center.
“I’m so grateful that I got the opportunity to be on campus, but it does create kind of an odd predicament because it’s an academic building,” she said. “When I walk out of my dorm room at 8 a.m. people are going to classes.”
Sophomore transfers Maggie Tromp and Molly Greidy met on Instagram via an account started for the housing-less transfer students, Domeless Domers. They signed a five-month lease at The 87 and are hoping to get off the waitlist and receive ND housing for the spring semester.
Swiech, Tromp and Greidy shared that many of their friends were able to secure 5-month leases at The 87, as the apartment complex just opened and still had availability.
According to the University admissions website, housing is not guaranteed for transfer students. Transfer students gain access to the waitlist housing application after confirmation of their enrollment in May, which they must complete by early July.
They are then entered into a lottery for the available housing spots on campus. On-campus housing is guaranteed for incoming freshmen. Up to 75 Gateway students, who transfer to Notre Dame after a year at Holy Cross College, are also assigned to on-campus housing after they transfer, according to the admissions website.
Multiple transfer students who did not receive housing this year said they were under the impression that though on-campus housing for transfers was not guaranteed, it was likely.
“They did say there was a chance [you won’t receive on-campus housing], but there was always a ‘but’ after that and kind of this unsaid but understood idea that I would get it,” Swiech said.
All three transfer students said they were made aware that on-campus housing was not guaranteed. But none of them looked for off-campus housing before July 19.
“My mom called them [Residential Life] and they were like. ‘Everyone always gets housing, no worries, don’t stress at all.’ Two weeks later they’re like ‘You’re actually 50th on the waitlist,’” Greidy said.
“I was actually really concerned about housing. I live 10 and a half hours away, so I knew I couldn’t come here if I didn’t get housed. When I called, I was told there hasn’t been a year when they couldn’t give pretty much everyone housing,” Tromp said.
After notifying them of their spot on the waitlist, residential life gave students access to a platform that enabled them to enter their information, create a profile and match with other transfer students looking for housing. They also shared a list of contact information for local housing options.
Students who are still on the waitlist or were unable to accept housing offers in the fall will be invited in November to apply for spring semester on-campus housing, Rohmiller said. Because more students study abroad in the spring semester, there are generally more available spots, he added.
“I feel confident that I’ll get housing next semester when a lot of people go abroad, but as a transfer student, I feel like every semester counts,” Swiech said.
Transfer students without housing have been invited to participate in the hall connections program, becoming honorary members of a dorm with access to their community, building and events.
“I'm still able to go to SYRs and formals and be a part of intramural sports, so I really am grateful for that experience, even if it's not the optimum solution,” Swiech said.
She added this helps to take away from the disappointment of her inability to fully participate in residential life.
“Notre Dame is synonymous with residential life, so not being able to be a part of that is like, ‘Okay, I came here, but am I really part of the Notre Dame community?’” Swiech said. “I kind of uprooted my life at this other community so I could be a part of residential life, even though now I’m not fully.”
Tromp and Greidy are honorary members of Howard and Pasquerilla West, respectively. They said they appreciated the efforts of the Welcome Weekend committee members dedicated to transfer students in helping them feel connected to the Notre Dame community, although they are still looking for ways to meet sophomores after interacting with mostly freshmen during Welcome Weekend.
“The hardest part about it is that dorm life is so big here. When people ask what dorm I’m in I can say Howard, but not really. It's good to have the program, but it’s not the same,” Tromp said.
Swiech added that it's hard to be “fully invested” in the Cavanaugh community after learning that transfer students may not stay in their hall connections dorms, as they’ll be offered housing in whichever dorm has available space.
