Does UT Austin require first-year students to live on campus?

By CollegeHousing.ai · Sources checked · 2026-27

DIRECT ANSWER

No. First-year students are not required to live on campus, so no general housing exemption is needed simply to choose off-campus housing.

UT Austin's catalog states that students are not required to live on campus and may choose on- or off-campus housing. Freshmen are encouraged to consider residence halls, but there is no blanket first-year residency requirement. Because there is no blanket residency requirement, a first-year student does not need a general UT housing exemption merely to live off campus.

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