All 287 juniors who requested to live off campus were released from their three-year housing contract, said Marijean Williams, director of housing assignments and communications.
Both juniors currently living on campus and studying abroad were allowed to participate in the off-campus housing lottery.
Juniors who were released from the housing contract-which requires all students to live on campus for at least six semesters-said the major issue they face is finding an off-campus residence for next semester.
"I'm excited that I get to live off campus, but I wish that finding an apartment in Durham was easier than it is," junior Casey Huser wrote in an e-mail from Paris, France.
Both property managers at The Belmont Apartments and West Village Urban Loft Apartments, popular off-campus residences, said there are no available apartments for students returning in January.
"I have heard our class was over admitted, and there are so many juniors abroad right now, so there is very limited housing available off campus," junior Sarah Doyle wrote in an e-mail from Florence, Italy.
She said both The Belmont Apartments and Partners Place were full when she requested an apartment and added that she and her roommate are on the waitlist at Campus Walk Apartments.
"I had to fight to get my name on Campus Walk for the waitlist, so we were very lucky," Doyle said.
All juniors returning from abroad will be guaranteed on-campus housing if they so choose, Williams said, noting that a total of 208 juniors have requested on-campus housing as of Wednesday.
Residence Life and Housing Services, thought, cannot guarantee returning juniors will get their preferred roommates, Williams said.
She added that the number of juniors who will receive their preferred roommates cannot yet be determined because housing requests are still being sent to RLHS.
"For example, last week we had 488 confirm that they were returning, and this week it jumped to 495," Williams said. "It changes so much from week to week, let alone day to day."
All juniors will be notified of their housing statuses by the first week of December, said Jen Frank, RLHS program coordinator.
Students who are not given their preferred on-campus housing arrangement will have to decide whether to live on-campus-but not with their preferred roommate-or to find place off campus, Williams said.
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