As Olivia Hamrick, a senior at Colleyville Heritage High School and an incoming freshman, prepares for her first year of college, one concern stands out among the excitement: finding a place to live on campus.

“It honestly makes me nervous,” Hamrick said. “There will be more competition trying to get into certain dorms, and I feel like everything needs to be done as soon as it can be to live in the dorm you want.”

As the university prepares for the largest incoming freshman class yet, limited residence hall space, dorm availability and placement challenges, along with the school’s response to increased demand, show that housing issues will be a significant effect of increased enrollment.

Residence Life faculty say the pressure on residence halls is already shaping how rooms will be used next year. Shannon Kaczmarek, dean of community living and wellness, said adjustments are already being made to ensure every first-year student has a place to live on campus.

“Given the early predictions for an increase in the freshman class coming in fall 2026, a decision was made to turn Mabee Hall into an all-triple room building,” Kaczmarek said.

“Last year and this year, Mabee Hall has been set up as half two-person and half three-person rooms,” she said. By converting the building to entirely three-person rooms, the university is creating additional beds to meet the projected demand. 

Kaczmarek said the change will allow the university to house the anticipated class while keeping first-year students together in the freshman village.

The number of incoming freshmen is still being finalized, but current projections indicate the class could be close to 1,000 students.

“That prediction is evolving on a weekly basis,” Kaczmarek said. “However, as of this week, the projection suggests that between 950 and 1,000 first-year students will be here in the fall.”

Although the growing class creates challenges for housing logistics, Kaczmarek said the issue is not whether the university can house first-year students, but how that housing will look.

Additional planning is underway across the university’s housing system as officials evaluate how many students the residence halls can accommodate. Theasa Lefevre, living and wellness housing coordinator, said the freshman dorms together will be close to full capacity if projections hold. 

“We will have approximately 1,000 beds available across Bullock, Wessel, Nelson and Mabee,” Lefevre said.

With the number of beds closely matching the expected class size, housing leaders say careful planning will be important to make sure every student has a place on campus.

Res Life staff are also preparing for the possibility of a full housing system next year. Bell Bertrand, director of residence life, said the projected class will likely push campus housing to its limits. 

Bertrand said that in previous years, residence halls have had some flexibility and available space. That margin may disappear if projections hold.

To prepare for the increase, Res Life is focusing on internal preparation and coordination with university leadership to ensure housing operations run smoothly.

“We are working on training our teams and working with leadership to create housing opportunities that make sense on our campus,” Bertrand said.

As enrollment grows, housing policies may also need to evolve to meet the needs of a larger student population. Bertrand said the department will continue evaluating its approach as the university expands.

“I think that it will be up to us as a department and university to be thoughtful and intentional in our housing policies as we grow,” he said.

Housing officials also believe a larger freshman class could improve the campus experience, especially for students living in the residence halls during their first year.

“I think it could make the first-year experience more exciting because there will be more opportunities for connection, involvement and community,” Lefevre said.

As the university continues preparing for the full semester, housing officials say their focus remains on creating space while maintaining the community experience that residence halls provide.

Even with the adjustments, such as additional triple rooms and full buildings, the goal remains the same: ensuring that first-year students have a place to live in a community to begin their college journey.

If enrollment projections remain steady, next fall’s freshman class will not only be the largest in the university’s history, but it will also mark a new chapter in how campus housing adapts to a growing student population.

While administrators are working through the logistical challenges of housing, incoming students are already thinking about what the larger class could mean for their first year on campus.

Despite her concerns, Hamrick said she is also looking forward to the opportunities a larger freshman class could bring.

“It also makes me excited to meet all of my neighbors and the people on my floor,” she said.

Hamrick believes that being surrounded by many other students going through the same transition into college could make the adjustment easier for freshmen.

“I think just being surrounded by so many people in the same boat will be comforting,” she said.