Many incoming first-year and returning students at the University of Regina were given a notice in late July that they would not have a guaranteed placement in residence for the fall term of 2026. 

Due to a high increase of student enrolment, the university’s housing services had more applications than residences, and for the first time established a waiting list for on-campus accommodations.

“A waitlist comes when we have exhausted all possible spaces that we have,” said Bryan Wilson, manager of housing services. 

The waitlist is for students who have completed their application, but there is no guarantee that a student would be able to get a placement.

“I was not rejected, I applied late, and it happened,” said Phyo Thadar, a third-year transfer business student who was on the waiting list.

Thadar recalled that housing services sent her an email stating that she was not guaranteed a room, but rooms would typically open up later. Continuing in the email, it was stated that it was better to find an alternative just in case she did not get the room, but when it was her turn in the waitlist to be offered a space, a week before school started, it was too late.

With the late notice of an available space offered to her, she had declined as she had found a place off campus instead.

Starting in 2022, enrollment has gone up annually by seven to 10 percent, and Wilson said, “a big part of our student population comes from retention, our returning students.”

Since coming out of the pandemic, there were only a small collection of students living on campus who made their returning pool small. Each year, housing has been bringing in a bigger first-year pool, which has gradually progressed to the point of reaching the full capacity this year. 

During the time applications were being processed, accommodations made every physical space available to the students. By doing so, they closed the showrooms that were used for housing tours, packing them up, and making those available instead.

Thadar points out that what the university could have done differently in terms of the process and the waitlist, she said that they should have informed people earlier if they were getting the room or not, and simply not just one week before school started, 

“Even if they give us the room, contracts or leases may already be signed,” said Thadar. “So there’s not enough time for people to change their minds.”

The university has noted below in the email they have sent out to students that they are not able to provide waitlist positions or rankings, and if the $400 confirmation fee is not deposited, the application will be cancelled, and will be offered to the next eligible applicant.