The CAO Accommodation Waitlist is how students applying to UCD via the CAO can apply for UCD Campus Accommodation.

The only precondition to joining the CAO Accommodation Waitlist is that you have chosen at least one UCD course on your 2025/26 CAO preference list. Please click here to see our CAO Application Guide.

No. Joining the waitlist is free and the only condition is that you have a UCD course on your CAO preference list. A booking deposit is only necessary to secure a booking if a room has been offered in August/September, at the end of the waitlist process.

You can find the key dates for CAO applications above.

It does not close. The waitlist remains open and gets randomised in August 2025, with every applicant receiveing a unique lottery number. After the randomisation, it is still possible to join the waitlist but the place you receive on the list will be behind students that applied before the randomisation date.

No. When you join the CAO Accommodation Waitlist you will be given an initial numbered position on the waitlist. The waitlist will be randomised on August 6th 2024 and you will be given a new, final place on the waitlist.

Yes. Students will be notified of their new CAO Accommodation Waitlist position via email to their CAO registered email.

No. A low number on the waitlist will likely give those applicants more choice at the time of booking, but a high number doesn’t mean an applicant will not get an offer. The best indicator for receiving an offer of accommodation in UCD is for the applicant to receive and accept a 1st round CAO from UCD as soon as possible. 

No. The CAO Accommodation Waitlist for UCD is free to join and any applicant who has UCD anywhere on their CAO preference list is eligible to join it. A large number of applicants on the waitlist will not receive UCD course offers, and therefore will not be offered rooms on campus.

Every year we allocate a large amount of rooms for booking by CAO students.

No. In order to be eligible for a place offer at UCD Campus Accommodation applicants must have been offered and accepted a UCD CAO offer. Applicants who are either not offered a place at UCD or have not accepted their CAO offer will be placed “to the side” of the waitlist pending a CAO offer or acceptance of an offer.

UCD Residences will send an email offer to the email address supplied via the CAO application. Students should check their email accounts regularly on the day the accommodation offers go out.

Applicants will be able to choose from a range of accommodation types i.e shared bathroom, en-suite etc. We recommend that all applicants familiarise themselves with our accommodations and their associated prices before selecting their three preferences. 

Please note that we can not fully guarantee that you will be offered one of your three preferences as offers are based on the availability of rooms, however where possible we will ensure that you are offered one of your preferences.

Incoming residents will only be able to pay a booking deposit when they receive a room in August/September. The booking deposit is €735.

UCD Campus Accommodation does not have CAO specific accommodation though there is a good chance of CAO students sharing accommodation (apartments) with one another.

No. UCD Campus Accommodation offers mixed campus accommodation only. It is possible that students will end up in either male or female only apartments but this is not by design.

Please see our dedicated Finance page for more information on what is due to be paid and when, and for contact information for the Residence Finance team.

UCD campus accommodation residents in Belfield are not eligible to purchase a campus parking permit. This is to ensure the limited number of parking spaces are available to students and staff not living on campus and who must travel to and from campus daily.  If required, residents or their guests can avail of temporary pay and display parking charged at the rate of €1 per hour, 08:00 - 17:00 Monday - Friday. UCD has extensive public transport links including at 24 hour bus service and covered, secured cycle parking and an on campus bike shop. 

For more information on commuting to UCD see the following link: (opens in a new window)https://ucdestates.ie/commuting/

Accommodation offers will be issued subject to the students appplication preferences and availabilty. 

Students will receive an offer of specific accommodation - for example a 1st preference allocation  of "Apartment- Ensuite" might see a student offered a room in

Ashfield House 1

Apartment 1

Bedroom 1

Upon receiving an offer for accommodation, an email will be sent to the student's email address. 

Upon receiving this they will have up to 48 hours to accept their offer for accommodation. They can accept their offer by paying  a booking and security deposit  for available on-campus accommodation as well as agreeing to the Licence to Reside.

Please note, the booking and security deposit is €735.

After confirming a booking, the student will receive an email informing them that they have to complete a number of tasks before arriving to check-in. These include:

• Agreeing to the License to Reside,
• Uploading an ID Photo for their Student Card,
• Completing the series of Induction Videos, and,
• Paying any fees due before Check-in.

License to Reside

This is the agreement between the student and UCD, and sets out the rules and terms of the student living in UCD Residences.

UCard Photo

The UCard, the UCD Student Card, acts as the access card for the student's apartment, and as such, they have to upload a photo to allow us to print the card.

Induction Videos

These are a short set of videos with questions attached that check to see if a student understands the check-in procedure and the rules and policies of the Residences.

Paying any Fees Due

On top of the deposit, the first monthly instalment of residence fees must be paid before check-in. This amount will vary depending on the booked residence.