As students start picking their living arrangements for the 2024-25 school year, the Department of Housing and Residential Life (DHRL) is making changes to on-campus housing for incoming freshmen.

According to Bill Mattera, executive director of DHRL, three new on-campus residence halls are expected to be completed by fall 2025. Alamito and Cibolo Halls, otherwise known as Hilltop Housing, will provide 1,006 beds and opens in fall 2024. Canyon Hall, otherwise known as James Street Housing, will provide 942 beds and opens in fall 2025.

In addition, DHRL is also in the beginning discussion stages to open Hilltop Housing 2. It’s currently in its design phase.

“We’re just starting to think about what that might look like,” Mattera said. “It will likely be a mix of first-year beds and upper-class beds, non-apartment style… but we hope for that to open in either fall 2027 or 2028.”

Bobcat Village, an apartment-style residence hall that’s only been open to first-year students for the last five years, will be restricted to upperclassmen starting fall 2024.

One large change made in on-campus housing was the purchase of Vistas and Sanctuary Lofts apartments. According to Mattera, these apartments, in conjunction with Bobcat Village, will add about 1,700 beds for returning students. These apartments will allow upperclassmen to live on campus next year, which was restricted in the 2023-24 school year.

These apartments were also the target of the housing lottery, which DHRL did not use last year. Only upperclassmen are given access to the housing lottery and if selected, students can choose between Bobcat Village, Sanctuary Lofts and Vistas.

“When new first-year students select their housing this spring, Bobcat Village won’t be an option for them,” Mattera said. “That will be filled with returning students next year. So folks who entered the lottery now, looking for fall housing on campus, will see Bobcat [Village], Vistas and Sanctuary Lofts as their three options.”

With upperclassmen living in these buildings, Mattera said they will not be required to buy meal plans as they will have their own kitchens.

Traditional residence halls are still expected to be restricted to first-year students, according to Mattera. Upperclassmen may be able to get accommodations for on-campus housing through the Office of Disability Services, but the goal is to keep residence halls to first-year students.

“What we’re really trying to do is keep our halls for first-year students…,” Mattera said. “So we just made the decision at this point that we’ll do apartments for upperclassmen and the rest of our inventory for first-year students.”

According to Mattera, there is a possibility for upperclassmen to live in residence halls after Canyon Hall opens in fall 2025, but those plans are currently unclear.

During the 2022-23 school year, there were more students wanting on-campus housing than beds were available, putting some in hotels. However, according to Mattera, DHRL believes there won’t be a need for hotels next year.

“We maintain a permanent contract with a hotel for even emergency spaces…,” Mattera said. “However, we do not plan right now on needing that again. The 1,000 beds at Hilltop will really allow us to make up for the last two years so we feel pretty good that we won’t be in hotels.”

According to DHRL, roommate selection for on-campus housing will begin on Feb. 24 and students will get room assignments starting May 14.