A large incoming

freshman class has left UCF students scrambling to find dorm rooms for the fall.

UCF freshman Amanda Vasquez said she has enjoyed dorm life so far this school year, living harmoniously with three roommates she has only known for a few months.

But now she is among some students concerned that they won’t live on campus again in the fall after they failed to lock down dorm rooms this week.

Applications opened at midnight Monday and by the end of the next day, all the open spots were gone, University of Central Florida officials said.

Dorms filled up significantly quicker from previous years when many returning students could still sign up even a week or longer after the housing application date opened. There were 300 fewer beds for returning students than last year because the incoming freshmen class was larger, school officials said.

Vasquez is on a waiting list and isn’t sure if she will get stuck living at home. Her three roommates this year secured their spots.

“I was really upset,” said Vasquez, 18, an honors physics student from Oviedo. “I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

Housing officials said incoming freshmen have received first dibs for on-campus living for years. Space for returning students has always been limited, they said.

They said they also promoted the sign-up date more heavily, which might help explain the surge this year. So far, UCF has received 3,823 housing applications, an 11 percent jump from the same time last year when there were 3,440 applications, the school reported.

The housing department posted reminders on social media and put fliers in the dorms.

Residents on campus and their parents received emails in November and twice in January to notify them about the Jan. 10 application date.

At UCF, there are more than 7,400 student housing slots, and when school started this fall, they were at 100 percent capacity.

For the 2017-18 year, about 4,550 incoming freshmen — at least 70 percent of the class — are expected to live on campus.

Freshmen aren’t required to live on campus, but the university promotes it as a way for students to be engaged and stay involved at UCF so they are more likely to graduate on time.

The unexpected scramble became a point of contention among some on social media.

“My daughter is devastated, and my heart is broken for her,” said her mother, Lori Vasquez.

School officials pointed out some dorm spots could be-

come available since there is typically a 20 percent cancellation rate among those who submit housing applications.

They stressed there are still places available to live off campus. There are 17,000 beds — which includes nearly 4,000 affiliated with UCF — at apartment complexes near the school.

UCF, which is considered one of the nation’s largest universities, has about 64,000 total students with about 50,000 on the main campus.

The school’s website offers a database to help in the search for and compare off-campus apartments at https://ucf.offcampus partners.com.