The guarantee applies to those students that are current new freshman in university housing that are applying to return to university housing for the following academic year. This would include new freshman who entered university housing in either the fall or spring terms.

The guarantee will cover all those applying during the current USC Housing Renewal (UHR) process. Once the deadlines on the UHR process have passed, sophomores applying for university housing will be treated like any other continuing, non-resident student regardless of class-standing. They will lose the priority given to students participating in UHR.

The buildings and spaces that are currently ‘Freshman Designated’ will remain so in order to accommodate the next incoming freshman class. The remaining buildings and spaces will be divided into allocations for sophomores and upperclassmen. This will ensure that undergraduates of all class years will have an opportunity to select spaces in all buildings, subject to availability at their lottery appointment time. It is important to note that the Sophomore Guarantee ensures a housing space for those who qualify. It does not promise or guarantee acceptance into a Special Interest program or any particular location, building, configuration, or roommate assignment.

The assigned lottery times will be in three blocks based on class standing. Qualified sophomores will be assigned numbers in the first block. By going first, all sophomores in the process will have a space available in housing when their opportunity to select comes up. The space allocations will ensure that no buildings are completely filled during this period and that spaces will be available in all buildings when the remaining upperclassmen have their opportunity to self select.

During the online selection and contracting period for sophomores, they will only be able to pull in roommates that are also sophomores. Sophomores and juniors/seniors wishing to room together, should first secure housing assignments through UHR and then submit a group reassignment request when the reassignment process opens in March. (Reassignments are not guaranteed.)