Incoming Students
We can’t wait to see you on campus!
Residence Life and Housing is delighted to welcome you to your new home in The Forest.
A place to hang your top hat.
At Wake Forest, you’ll find a residential experience that empowers you to be exactly who you are while encouraging you to discover who you want to become. Surrounded by a supportive community and the resources needed to succeed, you’ll have opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive throughout your college journey.
In many ways, a deeply connected residential experience is not new to Wake Forest. Within this residential experience, we will curate an environment where students can make their home, a home where living and learning are inseparable.
From all of our staff to you, welcome home!
More in this section
New Student Webinar
This webinar introduces incoming first-year students and families to housing at Wake Forest, including the housing and dining application process, roommate matching, meal plans, move-in, accommodations, and key deadlines.
Get to know our first-year residence halls.
Wake Forest’s first-year residence halls provide a supportive foundation for students as they pursue academic excellence, cultivate personal growth, and build lasting connections within their communities.
Angelou Hall
Babcock Hall
Babcock Hall is undergoing renovations during the Fall 2026 semester.
Bostwick Hall
Collins Hall
Hopkins Hall
Huffman Hall
Johnson Hall
Kitchin Hall
Luter Hall
Poteat Hall
Housing Assignments
Once you have enrolled at Wake Forest, you will receive an email from Residence Life and Housing with instructions for completing your Housing and Dining Application through the Housing Portal.
Please make sure to review the dates and deadlines below to ensure you submit your housing application and any additional requests on time.
IF YOU ARE ENROLLED BY
May 29
June 1: Housing & Dining Application and Disability-Related Accommodation Requests (if applicable) due.
By June 5: Receive your housing assignment.
May 30 – June 12
June 15: Housing & Dining Application and Disability-Related Accommodation Requests (if applicable) due.
By June 18: Receive your housing assignment.
June 13 – July 3
July 6: Housing & Dining Application and Disability-Related Accommodation Requests (if applicable) due.
By July 10: Receive your housing assignment.
After July 3
Assigned in the order students are enrolled, beginning July 13.
Fall Move-In Details
Residence Life and Housing is shifting from “suggested” move-in windows to a more structured appointment process this year. Students/families will not be able to arrive before their selected time.
For full details about your move-in experience, please review our Move-in Guide.
August 13th and 14th
Move-in for Pre-Orientation Programs (Optional)
Students approved to participate in a Pre-Orientation program will move into their assigned housing for the academic year; these students will receive confirmation from Residence Life and Housing in July.
Dates for Pre-Orientation Move-In:
- Thursday, August 13: Marching Band and Wilderness to Wake
- Friday, August 14: All other Pre-Orientation programs
Check-in will be available from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.
- Move-in assistance will be available on Friday, August 14, from 8 a.m.-11 a.m., for incoming students only.
August 18th
Move-in for First-Year and Transfer Students
- Move-in time slot sign-ups will be shared with your housing assignment
- Check-In and Move-In Assistance will be available from 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
- All students should be moved in by 1 p.m. but late arrivals must plan to arrive between 12–2 p.m.
Your Forest Team
Familiarize yourself with the common terms and titles used within Residence Life and Housing. The definitions below will help you better understand the roles of faculty and staff who support your residential experience.
Resident Advisers (RAs)
Resident Advisers, or RAs, are undergraduate student leaders responsible for building community and connecting students. They plan initiatives for not only their smaller communities but also for the overall residential community they serve.
Look for a welcome email from your RA in August!
Community Director (CD)
A Community Director (CD) is a full-time live-in professional who manages a residential community and supervises RAs. They work with their staff to foster an inclusive community through co-curricular initiatives, mentorship, and faculty engagement.
Additionally, CDs work to ensure that students understand and abide by University policy, and provide general assistance to students with residential concerns.
Faculty Fellows
Faculty Fellows come from a diverse background of academic disciplines with something in common–they care deeply about helping students feel like they belong outside of classrooms, too. They are faculty members who work in small teams with each first-year residence hall to build community; consider them expert neighbors here to help guide you around your new home.
Reach out to your Faculty Fellows if you have questions–especially academic ones. Look out for their outreach and events, and drop by. They plan on being in your hall at least once a week for in-hall programming including pop-up or planned meals or snacks, informal interactions and advising, and hall trips to on- and off-campus events.
Commonly Asked Questions
If an answer to your question cannot be found below, and you have questions or need assistance, please contact Residence Life and Housing at or 336.758.5185.
If participating in a Pre-Orientation program, you will arrive prior to the official Move-In window.
Students participating in Pre-Orientation programs will receive instructions (including your move-in date, which varies by program) directly from your program and Residence Life and Housing.
You may want to come to campus with the bare necessities for Pre-Orientation and then have your family bring your remaining belongings on Move-In Day. This also enables your family to participate in parent and family Orientation activities if they are able!
All first-year students will complete a Housing and Dining Application online by logging into Housing Portal. The application will be available starting on March 23 and applications are due depending on when you are admitted.
Please reference our important dates above for these dates
Follow along with this step-by-step tutorial if you need assistance.
You will be randomly assigned to one of our first-year communities during your first year. As such, students will not be asked or able to indicate building preferences.
While most incoming students will be assigned to double rooms, it is possible that students will be assigned to a single depending on space availability and regardless of a student’s preference (if indicated). The room charge associated with the assigned room will be assessed.
Each residence hall room includes an extra-long twin bed (36″ by 80″), a dresser, a desk, and a desk chair. All rooms have window blinds and a closet or wardrobe unit. You may bring your own floor rug or purchase it upon your arrival to campus. Because each space varies, sometimes greatly, we encourage you to wait until you arrive on campus and see your exact space before purchasing items. By coordinating with your roommate(s) on these items (if assigned to a double), you will avoid purchasing duplicates.
Each room also has a MicroFridge® appliance (combination microwave/refrigerator-freezer unit), so there is no need to buy or rent a refrigerator. The microwave has a capacity of 0.7 cubic feet and a turntable for even heating.
Approved small appliances may be used or stored in residence hall rooms. Please see our Guide to Community Living at go.wfu.edu/gtcl for more details.
Residents in each residence hall have access to community kitchens featuring full-size appliances. You will receive a personal recycling tote on Move-in Day that will be yours to keep.
For details on what to bring (or not), see our move-in page.
We also encourage you to explore SWAKU who are our partners in ordering your room essentials.
If you are having issues with accessing your Roomie link or the layout of the space seems to be incorrect, we encourage you to reach out directly to .
New students are offered move-in assistance during a designated period.
Our Wake Forest faculty, staff, and students will be on hand to help with moving all your belongings into your room.
Move-In Assistance Overview
- After checking in at LJVM, proceed to your assigned residence hall on campus, following directions from University Police.
- When you arrive at your building, a Team Leader will greet you at your car. They will note the student’s room information on a whiteboard.
- Students and families will first unload their belongings into a designated curbside area.
- After everything is unloaded, the student should proceed to their room to unlock it. Our move-in assistance team will then transport all items directly to the room using bins.
- We kindly request that a family member remain with the car to move it once the unloading is finished.
Please be aware that after the designated move-in assistance hours, bins and staff will no longer be available to help with transporting your belongings.
First-year roommates are assigned by Residence Life and Housing based upon a number of factors that indicate compatibility and common interests as expressed in the lifestyle questions on your housing application. It is important that you answer each question on the housing application honestly so that we can best match you with a roommate. This roommate pairing process is reflective of the University’s commitment to helping incoming students get to know individuals different than themselves.
Please be advised that there are times when a student will be assigned to a single room and will not have a roommate.
As a continuing student, you will be able to select your community and choose your own roommate(s).
You will be notified of your room and roommate assignment over the summer via your Wake Forest email (@wfu.edu).
When you get your roommate assignment, please reach out so that you can start getting to know one another!
When you arrive on campus, you and your roommate will complete a roommate agreement that will help define expectations for how you will use the room.
Residence Life and Housing has a wide variety of housing and dining options, and provides reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities who require housing and/or dining accommodations.
Students who would like to request a disability-related accommodation should visit our Accommodations Page. Students should submit their request, including provider documentation, by June 1.
If you have a severe allergy and need specific accommodations, please be sure that you follow our Disability-Related Accommodation process to help us best meet your needs.
Important note: Some students want to try college without those accommodations and later discover they wish they’d had the accommodations from the beginning. Our ability to meet a student’s needs is much more limited after housing assignments have been made, so we strongly encourage students to request accommodations by the June 1 deadline.
Wake Forest University and Residence Life and Housing do not assume responsibility for theft, loss, or damage to your personal property. Most thefts occur when residents leave their room doors unlocked and/or their property unattended. Keeping your room locked at all times is your best defense against theft.
Additionally, the University does not cover property loss for damage due to facility incidents that may occur. Before coming to campus, you should determine what it would cost to replace belongings such as clothing, electronics—including cellphones, television, laptop, linens, etc.
As part of the housing application process, you will have the opportunity to purchase renter’s insurance from a partner vendor, GradGuard. Additionally, you may wish to check your family’s homeowners insurance policies. Many policies will cover loss or theft even if the policy is in your parents’ names and you are living on campus.
Wake Forest University views living on campus as integral to a liberal arts education and the Wake Forest experience. As such, the University has a six-semester (three-year) residency requirement, subject to availability.
Information on shipping to campus and receiving mail once at Wake Forest can be found on the New Students page on our Mail Services website.
No, we do not require a housing specific deposit.