Dorm Construction Delays Will Force about 900 William & Mary Students into Temporary Housing
Colonial Williamsburg's Woodlands Hotel & Suites to serve as backup option for College until new dorms open
Nearly 900 students at the College of William & Mary will begin the fall semester with temporary housing assignments due to construction delays at three new dormitories. The impacted students include both incoming freshmen and returning students, many of whom will be housed off-campus at the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel & Suites for the time-being. College officials are hopeful that the new dorms will be completed in October, though the timeline remains uncertain.
In an email to students and families on July 31, William & Mary officials confirmed that several new dorms — Cedar Hall, Pine Hall, and Oak Hall — will not be ready in time for the fall move-in, originally scheduled for August 22. In order to house the students, the College has arranged for temporary accommodations, including space at the Woodlands Hotel, located at 105 Visitor Center Drive, just north of Colonial Williamsburg. Students placed at the hotel will be provided free shuttle transportation to and from campus, and professional moving services will be available when it is time to relocate to permanent dorms. First-year students will not be assigned to the Woodlands Hotel, instead staying temporarily in on-campus overflow housing such as Green & Gold Village and Richmond Hall.
Costs or temporary housing & transportation
According to a spokesperson for the College, the costs of the delays will not be available until students have been moved into the completed dorms later this semester. Each student affected by the delay will receive a rebate of $22.50 per day, representing 50% of the daily housing cost, credited in a lump sum to their student accounts by the end of the fall semester. Communication sent to students by university officials states that they are likely to remain in temporary housing for approximately eight weeks, which would total a rebate of about $1,260 per student.
According to the College’s website, room costs at William & Mary for the 2025–26 academic year range from $4,829 to $5,972 per semester, depending on the location and room type. Students living in university-managed housing are also required to purchase a meal plan, with costs ranging from $1,040 (25 meals) to $3,365 (unlimited access) per semester.
Meanwhile, affected students and families are being directed to an online FAQ and encouraged to contact myroom@wm.edu for individual support. Move-in assignments and instructions are expected to be released during the first full week of August.
New dorms delayed
The three residence halls delayed—Cedar, Pine, and Oak Halls—are part of the first phase of the $700 million housing and dining transformation currently underway at William & Mary. These new dorms are located in the West Woods neighborhood, a modern residential cluster connected to the main campus via a footbridge near the Sadler Center. When complete, the facilities will provide housing for more than 900 students.
Despite the delays, university officials stress their ongoing commitment to student wellbeing. “We are certainly disappointed with these circumstances and regret that the delay will impact our students,” said the College’s email to students. “Understanding that impact, we have a contingency plan in place to make the transition as smooth as possible for students and families.”
About Woodlands Hotel & Suites
The contingency plan includes housing students at the Woodland Hotel, an option that the College says they’ve used before. Residential Assistants (RAs) will be stationed at the hotel, and roommate pairs will be preserved in the temporary assignments.
A review of Trip Advisor, a popular travel review site, the 299-room hotel typically charges between $100 and $140 per night. Colonial Williamsburg describes the property as featuring amenities like mini-golf, a splash park, and spacious suites with microwaves and refrigerators. Reviews on TripAdvisor rank the hotel 15th out of 69 in Williamsburg, with an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars. The website states that positive reviews frequently highlight the hotel’s proximity to Colonial Williamsburg and its family-friendly atmosphere, though some guests have noted outdated furnishings and occasional maintenance issues.
A housing and dining project years in the making
The delayed halls are part of a long-term effort to transform William & Mary’s housing and dining infrastructure. Initiated in 2023, the 10-year plan will ultimately renovate or replace 80% of campus housing and add two new dining halls. In addition to the five West Woods dorms, other construction phases will include the demolition of Yates Hall, renovations to historic buildings, and expanded living-learning communities focused on sustainability, global engagement, and public service.
College officials have stated that the project is intended to meet the needs of students for years. But for now, hundreds of students will begin the semester off-campus, navigating class schedules and campus life from a hotel room and shuttle buses.
The writer produced this post using AI tools and the following sources:
College of Williams and Mary email communication to students about dorm delays
Email exchange with spokesperson for College of William and Mary
William & Mary begins construction on new housing and dining facilities
Williams & Mary residence halls
Colonial Williamsburg: Woodlands Hotel & Suites
Trip Advisor: Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel & Suites, an official Colonial Williamsburg Hotel