For fall 2014 UT offered 12-month housing contracts to both undergraduate and graduate students. The contracts, for apartment-style living in Laurel Hall, also allowed students to stay in their rented space during Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks. Previously, contracts had been available for the nine-month academic year, with a separate contract arrangement required for the summer term, and students were required to vacate when the institution was closed for breaks. The yearlong contract required two payments, one in the fall and one in the spring, which allowed for use of grants and scholarships that might not be available for summer housing.
The new arrangement was adopted to encourage more students to enroll in summer term courses and evolved from the work of the Summer Term Task Force.