Housing Options for Second Year Students at Miami
This is the time of year conversations often turn to housing for a student's second year. Room selection for current first-year students occurs in the spring semester.
Miami has a two year residency requirement, meaning all full-time first- and second-year students are required to live on campus through the spring semester of the second academic year of their enrollment. In addition to the general room selection process in April, students have several additional living options for their second year at Miami. These include:
Your student may also start talking about housing for their third year. The pressure to sign leases for junior year often begins during spring semester of the first year. They may have friends who have already signed a lease. Only about a third of first-year students sign leases for their third year, but the perception is that this number is much higher. Signing this early for 18-20 months from now can be an issue because:
- Friend groups are still developing and may change drastically between now and then
- Plans for studying abroad, internships, and on-campus leadership have not yet been finalized
Each year, we see families experience anxiety, frustration, and financial loss when plans and friends change. This forces a scramble to find a sublease or risk losing the security deposit. Many housing options are available in Oxford much closer to the beginning of the year. While the decision is ultimately up to you and your student, we recommend waiting a few more months before signing a lease for 2022-2023.
Don't forget that on-campus housing is also an option for third and fourth year students. Many students continue living on campus after their second year because of benefits such as location, included utilities, card-access security, and no need to worry about finding a sublease if going abroad for a semester. On-campus room selection for rising third and fourth year students typically begins in October for the following year.
