In April 1976 James Grubb, director of residence halls, announced the initiation of a $50 deposit, required to be submitted with the signed housing contract. For students who enrolled and lived in a residence hall, the $50 was applied to the first quarter’s rent. Students who cancelled contracts June 1 or thereafter forfeited the deposit; the deposit was returned to those who cancelled prior to June 1.
The fee was designed to assist in fairly allocating housing—the year before, some 1,100 persons cancelled housing contracts between June 1 and the beginning of classes, exacerbating the problem of finding spaces for those who desired to live in university residence halls. In 2009 this application fee ($100 in 2009) was combined with the $150 Admissions Enrollment Deposit. The $250 was required to accompany an application to UT. (For freshmen living at home, the entire $250 was applied to maintenance fees.)