UT Austin dorms: rooms, costs and location
Compare the room and bathroom first. UHD’s published 2026–27 rates cover nine months and include meals, internet and laundry.
In this guide
UT Austin’s 2026–27 residence-hall rates cover fall and spring together—nine months—and include the room, meal plan, internet and laundry. The selected shared-room categories below run from $13,324 at Dobie to $18,164 at Duren or San Jacinto; the exact bedroom and bathroom arrangement determines the applicable rate.
For example, UHD lists a Jester shared room with community bath at $14,937 per person for that fall/spring period. That is not a monthly rent, a private-bedroom quote or the university’s total attendance cost. Check the exact room type before comparing it with an apartment.
UHD 2026–27 rates and current hall directory checked October 27, 2026. Room and meal periods, limited singles, temporary Whitis closure and the published approval qualification remain explicit. The apartment example is illustrative; no room availability or personal assignment is asserted.
Read the published room type and period
The selected rates below come from UHD’s current 2026–27 fall/spring table. They include its room-and-meal bundle, exclude applicable sales tax and remain subject to the approval qualification on the source page. A published rate does not establish that a room is available to you.
The bathroom and occupancy description matter. A shared room with a private bath still has shared sleeping space. A private bedroom in a shared apartment is another product. Keep the room description in the comparison instead of shortening both offers to “a place near campus.”
Two source-based comparisons make the scale concrete: the selected Dobie shared-room bundle is $1,613 below Jester’s shared community-bath bundle, while the Duren/San Jacinto shared connecting/private-bath category is $3,227 above it. All three cover the same stated nine-month period; their room and bathroom products still differ.
Scroll the table to compare every column.
| Room / bath category | Published nine-month rate | Keep this distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Dobie shared bedroom, private bath | $13,324 | Shared sleeping space |
| Community-bath shared room | $14,465 | Named halls on UHD’s rate page |
| Jester shared bedroom, community bath | $14,937 | Jester category |
| Shared bedroom, connecting/private bath | $15,410 | Use the hall’s actual room inventory |
| Jester shared bedroom, connecting/private bath | $15,884 | Different from Jester community bath |
| Duren / San Jacinto shared bedroom, connecting/private bath | $18,164 | Shared sleeping space despite bathroom privacy |
Room, meals, internet and laundry included. Applicable sales tax excluded; UHD still labels 2026–27 rates subject to review/final approval. Checked October 27, 2026. A published category is not an available room.
Find the hall, then inspect its room inventory
UHD groups its current halls into North and South Campus. Use those labels to start a route check, not as a measured walk to every class. Dobie sits on the southwest edge; Jester and San Jacinto are different destinations from the northern halls.
North Campus: Andrews, Blanton, Carothers, Creekside, Duren, Kinsolving and Littlefield. South Campus: Brackenridge, Dobie Twenty21, Jester East, Jester West, Moore-Hill, Prather, Roberts and San Jacinto. Official hall directory
Whitis Avenue housing is temporarily unavailable during reconstruction and is scheduled for fall 2027. Keep it out of a current-room shortlist. The official directory also identifies different residential communities at Creekside, Kinsolving and Littlefield; check the hall’s published assignment conditions before treating every room as interchangeable.
For a single, UHD lists limited quantities. Its current single community-bath category is $16,364 and its Duren private-bath single is $20,961. A private bathroom attached to a shared room is not the same thing as a private bedroom. Open the hall-specific profile and floor plan for the exact configuration.
Price the things included in one offer only
UHD describes unlimited dining-hall visits and $400 in Dine In Dollars per term for its 2026–27 resident meal plan. When comparing a West Campus lease, decide how you will actually cover groceries and prepared meals. A lease without food cannot be treated as the same bundle because its base price is lower.
Record utilities, internet, laundry, parking, insurance and required fees separately for the apartment. Mark each as included, quoted or still unknown. Use a realistic food plan based on your routine, including whether you will cook and when dining locations fit your class schedule.
The rate page also retains an older 2025–26 meal row with $300 in Dine In Dollars and $200 in Bevo Pay. Those benefits belong to that older year. The current 2026–27 row specifies $400 in Dine In Dollars per term; do not attach the old benefit bundle to a new room price.
Compare the written commitments before the monthly display
Consider an explicitly hypothetical apartment quote: twelve $1,000 installments, twelve $80 utility allowances and a $200 mandatory fee. Those items total $13,160, before food, parking, insurance or other omitted charges. Against the selected Jester bundle, the initial difference is $1,777.
That difference is a question to investigate, not proven savings. The apartment example covers twelve installments while the hall rate covers nine months, and the included services differ. Add the costs you still need for each option, identify any summer-housing need and compare the amount due before your expected funding arrives.
Check community and access fit before choosing
Room type and price do not settle the whole choice. Review the current Living Learning Communities and their application steps, then confirm the particular hall and assignment. A general housing application does not itself establish a place in a community.
If an accessible room, bathroom or route is essential, use UHD’s residence-hall resources and the university accommodation process to resolve the actual configuration. A map point, an elevator inventory or a photograph does not establish the usable route to your assigned room today.
An application is not a selected room
UHD separates future-resident, returning-resident and summer application paths, with different timelines. Use the path matching your status. Before relying on a hall in your budget, check whether you have submitted an application, received a contract or selected an actual space.
Do the same with an apartment: a tour and an advertised starting price do not establish your selected plan, roommate arrangement or contract. Avoid making a second commitment simply because the first application is unresolved. Review the written cancellation and payment terms for the specific offer.
UT halls and private dorm-style housing are separate
Dobie Twenty21 appears in UHD’s own hall directory. The Castilian and The Callaway House are private student communities marketed by American Campus Communities, with their own agreements and room/meal terms. Their proximity to UT does not make them UHD residence halls.
Compare the private operator’s exact room, meal arrangement and contract with the UHD category you would actually choose. Keep The Castilian’s profile and Callaway’s profile beside the official operator sources, not inside an undifferentiated UT room-rate table.
Test the daily fit after the cost comparison
Shortlist based on the room arrangement, bathroom setup, meals, route to your classes and the period you need housing. Test the trip to actual class buildings with the campus-map guide. “On campus” and “West Campus” still leave a wide range of daily routines.
For the apartment side, use the complete-lease comparison and the maintained housing directory. If a unit is offered through an affordability program, check its documents through the SMART Housing guide rather than applying an advertised discount to every plan.
Questions answered
Which halls fit my room, bathroom and class-location preferences?
Start with UHD’s North/South Campus directory, then the hall’s actual room inventory and route to your class building. Bathroom privacy does not establish a private bedroom. Single rooms are limited; community and accommodation requirements need their own review.
UHD hall directory · Checked 2026-10-27
UHD rates and single-room note · Checked 2026-10-27
What do the published UT dorm rates include?
The 2026–27 fall-and-spring rates include room, the resident meal plan, internet and laundry. The current meal row includes $400 Dine In Dollars per term. Applicable sales tax is additional, and the rate page retains its review/final-approval qualification.
Current UHD rate row · Checked 2026-10-27
Are dorm prices for one semester, nine months or twelve months?
The 2026–27 prices quoted here cover fall and spring together, a nine-month period. Dividing by nine is a comparison or funding equivalent, not an advertised monthly rent or the actual billing schedule. Summer rates are separate.
UHD rate periods · Checked 2026-10-27
Are The Castilian and The Callaway House UT-owned dorms?
They are private student communities marketed by American Campus Communities, separate from UHD’s hall system. Dobie Twenty21, by contrast, appears in UHD’s own hall directory. Compare each operator’s actual agreement rather than assuming one university contract covers all three.
UHD directory · Checked 2026-10-27
The Castilian operator · Checked 2026-10-27
Callaway operator · Checked 2026-10-27
Does a housing application guarantee a particular hall or room?
No. Application, contract offer and selection of an actual space are separate stages. UHD publishes different paths for future and returning residents; application timing affects the chance of a contract, while the available room and assignment conditions still matter.
UHD application paths · Checked 2026-10-27
Sources & dates
- UT University Housing and Dining — 2026–27 residence-hall rates and inclusionsVerified 2026-10-26
- UT University Housing and Dining — application routes and contract timelinesVerified 2026-10-26
- UT University Housing and Dining — residence-hall resources and locationsVerified 2026-10-26
- UHD — current hall locations and Whitis reconstructionVerified 2026-10-27
- UHD — Living Learning CommunitiesVerified 2026-10-27
- UHD — residence-hall resourcesVerified 2026-10-27
- American Campus Communities — The CastilianVerified 2026-10-27
- American Campus Communities — The Callaway House AustinVerified 2026-10-27
Supporting material
- Download selected shared-room comparison
Four source-dated nine-month room categories and the arithmetic relative to Jester shared community bath.