SF State housing officials are offering to reimburse the $55 housing application fee for students who move into on-campus housing, in order to fill the vacant spots that remain as the semester gets underway.

As of Jan. 29, on-campus housing is 90 percent full, which is lower than most previous semesters, according to Philippe Cumia, associate director of SF State Housing. Cumia wrote that, although it is common for there to be less housing demanded in the spring semesters than the fall, there is even less demand this spring because of the university's policy that no new students be admitted this semester.

Housing officials are offering to use the $55 application fee to pay the next scheduled fee payment for students who move in before April 30, in hopes of filling the empty housing.

"On-campus housing occupancy tends to fluctuate based on the University's enrollment," Cumia wrote in an email. "Part of our promotional campaign includes waving the $55 application fee to encourage students who are thinking of moving on campus right now."

On-campus housing for this semester costs between $9,152 and $14,368, according to the SF State housing website. Vacant rooms can have a negative effect on the housing budget, which is why an incentive is being offered to new residents, according to Cumia.

Brian Rose, an 19-year-old Mary Park Hall resident, said last semester he saw many double-occupancy rooms with only one occupant and some completely empty rooms. And when students moved out, it took a while to fill the rooms again.

"When someone moves out there will be a empty room for like two months," he said. "It's just the school functioning too slowly."

Many students are more accustomed to waiting for housing instead of applying for vacant rooms.

Courtney Freitas, an 18-year-old Mary Park Hall resident, said she was able to get into on-campus housing last semester but many of her friends had to move to Park Merced because they were stuck on the wait list.

"It [housing] was easy for me because I took care of it quickly," she said. "I immediately applied but I know there ended up being a really long wait list."

Living on campus provides students with the opportunity to meet new people, cuts down on transportation costs and time, and offers meal plans and other services unavailable to students who live off campus. "We are encouraging students to move on campus because it is a more valuable experience than living off-campus," Cumia wrote.