The Off-Campus Housing Lottery for the 2026-27 academic year officially opened last week for current juniors. The application is now available in the StarRez Student Portal and will remain open until Monday, Nov. 10, at 12 p.m. Students can access their StarRez Student Portal through their my.fairfield account.
Fairfield University guarantees and requires on-campus housing for four years, meaning students must be granted a release from their housing contract before they can live off campus as seniors. According to the Office of Residence Life, being released and approved to live off campus is not guaranteed.
The process has sparked confusion among students who were previously unaware that such a “lottery” existed. The term itself has also raised concern.
“Calling the application a lottery makes it sound like it’s random who gets to live off campus and who doesn’t. Why would someone not get released?” junior Faith Kiley asked. “I’m confused on who would get denied to live off campus, especially because of how short we are on housing already.”
There are already juniors living off campus in university-owned houses because of the limited spots on campus. Junior Emma Muller currently lives in a house on North Benson Road that is considered University housing, meaning she did not have to apply for off-campus release. Still, she said she was disappointed to live away from most of her classmates this year.
Furthermore, Residence Life advises all students to avoid signing a lease until they have been formally notified of their release status. If a student signs a lease but is not granted permission to live off campus, they remain financially responsible for both on and off-campus housing.
However, with the housing market growing more competitive each year, many students, like Kiley, have already signed lease agreements.
To apply to the lottery, students must log onto my.fairfield.edu and open the StarRez Student Portal. The Off-Campus Lottery Application can be found under “Applications and Forms.” Students interested in living and applying with a group may request or confirm roommates through the same system. Groups may include up to five people.
Students released off campus are still expected to abide by all University policies and the Code of Conduct, regardless of where they reside.
The deadline to decline off-campus status is February 2 at 4 p.m. After that point, students are not guaranteed on-campus housing if they choose to withdraw from off-campus approval.
The Class of 2027 will be notified of their off-campus housing status in early December.