Almost every first-year’s experience at Oregon State University includes living in an on-campus residence hall, but with climbing enrollment numbers and a fixed amount of space, there is uncertainty on how the university plans to accommodate the incoming class. 

For the past 28 consecutive years, OSU has seen record fall-over-fall enrollment, according to OSU’s leadership enrollment management report.

Last fall, the university saw a record number of first-year students for the third straight year, and over 38,000 total students enrolled, according to the report. 

While the enrollment numbers for Fall 2025 are unconfirmed, if the trend from the past decades holds true, it is likely that OSU will see record enrollment numbers this upcoming year. These projections have left many wondering how the university plans to accommodate this year’s large incoming class. 

According to Brian Stroup in an email, director of operations and facilities for University Housing & Dining Services, “We are committed to providing a space for all first-year students who are bound to the live-on requirement as part of the First Year Experience. University Housing & Dining Services’ assignment strategy for the year factors this in, and we are in constant communication with the Office of Enrollment Management to ensure we can support the incoming class.”

While housing is promised to all first-year students, the housing arrangements can vary year to year depending on accommodation needs.  

“Students who are assigned to triples that did not request a triple space are assigned there typically because they submitted their housing application later than the majority of our new student applications,” said Stroup. “We use all of our space as needed based on enrollment demands, which can look different each year.”

According to Stroup, there is also a high demand for second-year on-campus student housing for the fall, but housing for these students is not guaranteed. 

“We have a waitlist of over 800 students who want to live on campus that are not first-year students and had to close our application for Second Year and Above students after it had been open for two months because the demand was so high,” Stroup said. 

According to Stroup, no new programmatic changes can be expected for the residence halls this upcoming year. 

Room assignments can be expected beginning in late July 2025 and will continue throughout the summer, according to UHDS’s website.