Apply or Renew

• Using the SAIC Housing portal, enter your preferences for your building, room, and bed type. While we do our best to accommodate these requests, please keep in mind that space considerations may prevent some preferences from being fulfilled. If you know another SAIC student you would like to share a room with, you may also enter that student's information in this section.
• Submit a signed housing contract. All contracts must be submitted electronically through the SAIC Housing Portal.  After entering your housing preferences, you will be prompted to electronically sign and submit your housing contract. Residence Life will not accept contracts through mail or e-mail. Contracts and addendums can only be submitted through the SAIC Housing Portal. Submitting contracts improperly may result in a delay of application completion, which could affect the priority that the student is placed in housing.  
• Complete the Criminal Convictions Disclosure PDF if you have a criminal conviction. Email the document to reslife@saic.edu 

New Students

Once you complete the above steps, you'll pay the $550 housing prepayment. There are two ways to pay: 

• Send a check or money order to:
  
  School of the Art Institute of Chicago
  Residence Life Office
  36 S. Wabash Ave.
  Suite 1209
  Chicago, IL 60603
  
  Make it payable to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
• Pay online via electronic check or credit card through your applicant portal at go.saic.edu/apply/status. 

Returning Students

Once you complete the above steps, you'll pay the $550 housing prepayment. There are two ways to pay: 

• Send a check or money order to:
  
  School of the Art Institute of Chicago
  Residence Life Office
  36 S. Wabash Ave.
  Suite 1209
  Chicago, IL 60603
  
  Make it payable to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
• Pay online via electronic check or credit card:
  • You must use GET CONNECTED to gain access to SAIC online payments. 
  • Login to SAIC Self-Service. You will use the log-in information created through the GET CONNECTED process. 
  • Once logged-in, click Financial Account, then the Transact button, then Housing Prepayment, then Residence Hall Prepayment.
  • On the Item details screen, enter $550.00 as the total amount of the payment. In order for your prepayment to be accepted, it must be the full amount of $550.00. 
  • Select Fall 2025 for the term from the dropdown menu. Click Add to payment and follow the instructions.

Once the Residence Life office has received and processed your electronically signed Housing Contract, criminal convictions disclosure form sent via email (if applicable), and $550 prepayment, your application will be complete. You will receive email notification (sent to your SAIC email account) of your complete application; allow up to two business days to receive this confirmation. Once you receive this email, you can know you have completed your application.

You can also contact the Residence Life department at reslife@saic.edu to ensure your application is received and completed.

SAIC has premier living facilities for students. As a resident, you can truly immerse yourself in a community of fellow artists, live right in the heart of Chicago's Loop, and enjoy conveniences you won't find in most student apartments. Visit the SAIC Housing Portal and log in with your ARTIC account information—the same account used to access your SAIC email.

Applications are available on the following timeline: 
Spring 2025 applications open by early November. 
Summer 2025 application will open in March. 
2025–26 housing will open in February for early admitted students and March for all other students.

Open and available spaces will be assigned based on the date of each applying student's completed application, with priority given to students with earlier dates. Please note that first time students are not offered single rooms without an approved disability accommodation. 

After completing a housing application, students with disabilities should work with the Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) for housing accommodations. DLRC staff and Residence Life staff will work closely on all housing accommodation requests based on both students' needs and physical spaces available. We highly recommend that students connect with DLRC staff as soon as they complete a housing application to provide the most time possible for staff to identify spaces that will meet the needs.

Please contact the Residence Life Office at reslife@saic.edu. Our staff is available to help you through the process and answer questions about life in the residence halls.

The Housing Renewal Fair for the 2025-26 academic year will be the afternoon of March 30, 2025. You will receive information via your SAIC email account by March 1 with more information.

The Housing Renewal Fair assigns lottery numbers to indicate to students when they should arrive to select their residence hall, room, bed type, and roommate(s). It is a weighted lottery, with students who have lived on campus the longest being assigned numbers first. Students who have lived on campus the longest will have the "best"/"lowest" lottery numbers.

Single rooms are not guaranteed. Students will select the specific room they want in order of the lottery numbers. When all the single rooms are taken, a waiting list will begin. Over the summer, single rooms often become available. Residence Life will offer available single rooms to students in order of the waiting list. Many of the students who add their names to the single room waiting list at the Virtual Housing Renewal Fair will have a single room before the academic year begins. We also encourage students to consider private rooms at The Buckingham, as this option is a cost-effective way to get a private space and still enjoy the company of roommates.

Although only a limited number of spaces will be available at The Buckingham for the Virtual Housing Renewal Fair, we expect to be able to offer more spaces over the summer. You can sign up for The Buckingham waiting list at the Virtual Housing Renewal Fair and Residence Life will contact you via phone call and e-mail to offer available spaces as they open.

Students who know who they want to be roommates with should arrive at the Virtual Housing Renewal Fair together. They should arrive at the fair with whichever roommate has the better/lowest lottery number. They will pick their room together. This applies to any roommate grouping in any building, including apartments in the Buckingham.If your desired roommate is an incoming student, please contact Residence Life at reslife@saic.edu.

Students who don't have a roommate preference will be assigned a roommate by Residence Life based on the preferences listed in the application. The assigned roommate may be a new or returning student. 

Beginning in the 2023-24 academic year, any unused meal plan funds from fall semester will remain for spring semester. Any money remaining at the end of the spring semester will be forfeited. Students are encouraged to use their meal plan at any of the three dining halls! 

There are many factors to consider when selecting housing, including proximity to campus, location, safety, price and more! We encourage students to discuss the decision with their family. For many reasons, students may still be unsure. The residence halls are typically filled early and housing may not be available if current students apply after the Housing Renewal Fair process on March 30, 2025. Current students who complete a 2025-26 housing application and cancel on or after May 10, 2025 will forfeit the $550 prepayment and be assessed a contract breakage fee as outlined in the contract.