Step 7: Apply for Housing

Education Abroad

On-Campus Residence Hall and Apartments

It is very important that you apply for housing before you come to Laramie!

There is no service available to help students find an off-campus apartment.  If you choose to live off campus, you must explore housing options on your own.  Please be aware that most off-campus rental contracts are one year in length.  This means that if you sign a contract, you will not be released from it at the end of your exchange or study abroad term.  You will be required to pay rent for an entire year.  Most off-campus apartments are not furnished, and transportation may be difficult.  Laramie does not have a city transportation system.  If you are interested in an apartment complex in Laramie, please be sure to check reviews online. We recommend that exchange and study abroad students live on campus in a residence hall or a campus apartment.

Two types of on-campus housing are available for Exchange and Study Abroad students:

• Residence Halls (Dormitories)
• Apartments

To learn more about these, as well as costs and dining plans, visit the Residence Life and Dining Services web page.  To apply for a Residence Hall or Apartment, click on the housing contract link under your Checklist on WyoWeb.  The online application can be found there. You will not be permitted to apply for housing until you have been admitted to the University of Wyoming and are enrolled in at least one class.  Housing offer letters are sent only to uwyo.edu email addresses.  It is important for you to check your uwyo.edu email address regularly after you submit your housing application.

Please be aware that UW housing contracts are binding legal documents.  Once you have accepted your housing offer and signed a housing contract, you will not be released from the contract until the rental term is complete.  Please be aware that by accepting a residence hall or apartment offer, you are signing an electronic contract.

Residence Halls

• For students studying at UW for one semester, the lease term for Residence Halls is:
  • Fall semester or
  • Spring semester
    • If you live in a residence hall during the fall semester and decide to extend your studies at UW for the spring semester, you must also live in the hall during the spring.
    • The price for a residence hall and meal plan is for one academic year (two semesters).  To determine the price for one semester, simply divide the listed price in half.
• For students studying at UW for an academic year, the lease term for Residence Halls is:
  • Fall and Spring semesters (the contract is for the entire academic year)
    • If you are staying at UW for the academic year and choose to live in a residence hall in the fall, you must also live in the hall during the spring.
  • Students studying at UW for one semester only will be released from their residence hall contract at the end of that semester

The Residence Life Office is aware that new International Students must arrive early to attend orientation.  Residence Halls open for International Students two days before orientation begins.  If you plan to arrive in Laramie several days before the mandatory international student orientation, will be living in a residence hall, and need temporary housing, please contact Residence Life and Dining Services to find out if this is possible.  Note that there is a small per-night fee for early arrivals.  Please notify the Study Abroad Office of your travel plans so that we can verify that your accommodations are in order.

Campus Apartments

There are often waiting lists for on-campus apartments, so if you would like to rent an apartment, you must apply early!

• For students studying at UW for one semester, the lease term for Apartments is:
  • August - December for the fall semester
  • January - June for the spring semester
  • August - July for Bison Run Apartments*
• For students studying at UW for an academic year, the lease term for Apartments is:
  • August - June
  • August - July for Bison Run Apartments*

Important information for apartments:

• Please be aware that due to its low cost, Bison Run is a very popular option for all students.  Because of this, availability is very limited.  If you choose to apply to Bison Run, you will be required to pay a non-refundable application fee of $75.  This does not guarantee that you will be offered a room at Bison Run.  Unfortunately, it is not possible for our office, or for the Residence Life office, to predict whether space will be available at Bison Run.  Please consider this carefully before applying.
• In order to receive your full apartment deposit back, you must complete a Vacate Form at least 60 days before you move out of your apartment.  You can find this form online here.  We recommend that you complete this form right after you check in to your apartment.
• There is no service available to help you find a roommate for an apartment.  You must do this on your own.
• Apartments include furniture (upon request), but no linens or housewares (dishes, etc.).  You will be required to purchase these.  If you request an apartment, please be sure to indicate that you would like it to be furnished.  If you do not, the apartment will be completely empty when you arrive (no beds, tables, etc.).

*Housing in the Bison Run Apartments is very limited and is not guaranteed to all applicants.  Please consider this before applying to Bison Run.  Contracts in Bison Run go from August - July; there are no exceptions.  If you are coming for the fall semester only, do not apply to Bison Run.