Are you Bronco Bound? We are happy you arrived at your destination!
Now that you've familiarized yourself with the various Residential Learning Communities at SCU, it's time to begin your application! Don't wait and make sure to complete your housing application via your personalized housing portal today. The housing application for 2026-2027 first-year students will open at 9:00AM on Wednesday, January 21, 2026 and close at 5PM on Wednesday, May 6th, 2026*.
*After May 6, 2026, Housing will transition to a rolling application process and students will be placed based on availability.
In support of the residential nature of Santa Clara, and the University’s commitment to integrated education, all unmarried first-year applicants are required to live on campus for their first two years. Class year is determined based on total academic years in college. Execution of the University Housing Contract satisfies this requirement, and all terms and obligations remain in effect for the full contract period, regardless of occupancy. Exemption from this requirement is granted only following a formal University review process in accordance with established criteria and requires written release from the University Housing Contract by the Housing Services Director or their designee. Exemption is not subject to discretionary approval. This policy does not apply to transfer applicants.
- The first-year application is available at the following link. Before beginning your application, you'll want a solid understanding of each of SCU's 8 Residential Learning Communities and how you will rank each in order of your most preferred RLC to your least preferred RLC.
- You will need access to the Internet; we have found Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are the optimal browsers to use when completing your housing application.
- A $500 pre-payment deposit; deposits can ONLY be paid using a debit or credit card. Waivers for the pre-payment deposit are not available.
- If you need to you can begin your application, save it, and come back to it at a later date. However, don't forget to submit it!
- Make sure to submit your application once you are sure about the answers you have provided, as changes cannot be made once you submit your application.
- Looking to connect with a roommate? Both roommates can send an email to housing@scu.edu requesting each other as roommates.
First-year students reside within one of the eight Residential Learning Communities. Prior to beginning your application, please explore each of the RLCs so you are well informed when listing your RLC preferences. Below you'll find a chart of the various room types within each residence hall/RLC.
First-Year Student Living Options Chart
| Standard Double Rooms | Suite Doubles & Singles | Mini-Suite Doubles, Mini-Suite Triples | Suite Triples | Extended Triples |
| Campisi Hall - Magis RLC | Casa Italiana - da Vinci RLC (only suite doubles; no suite singles, Design Singles) | Graham Hall (Alpha RLC) | Swig Hall - Cyphi RLC | Dunne Hall - Modern Perspectives RLC |
| Dunne Hall - Modern Perspectives RLC | Sobrato Hall - Loyola RLC (suite doubles & suite singles) | Finn Hall (Cura RLC) | McLaughlin-Walsh Hall - Unity RLC | |
| McLaughlin-Walsh Hall - Unity RLC | ||||
| Sanfilippo Hall - Magis RLC | ||||
| Swig Hall - CyPhi RLC |
RLC preferences are extracted from applications and a placement into one of your preferences is made. Additional factors that influence RLC preference placements include:
You'll learn your RLC placement in July, when you attend your Orientation, and specific room assignment in early August. Move-in information will also be available in early August.
Having issues completing your Housing Application or unsure if you are completing it correctly? View and utilize this Incoming First Year Housing Application Step by Step Guide below.
For more information on how to complete the Incoming First Year Application, after your Housing Portal is set up, please see a Step-by-Step Guide here: 24-25 Incoming First Year Application Guide .