Dunedin students have been in no rush to secure rooms in University of Otago residential colleges for next year.
In June, the university announced that from next year, for the first time, limited places would be available in university-owned colleges whose beds have traditionally been reserved for first-year students from outside the city.
Offering some high-calibre Dunedin students places could enable them to participate in the "Dunedin experience" previously denied them, Vice-chancellor Prof Sir David Skegg said at the time.
However, interest had not been high, university accommodation services director James Lindsay said this week. Less than 2% of applications had come from Dunedin residents.
There was no quota system for accepting Dunedin residents into the university-owned colleges, he said. Recipients of various scholarships would receive priority.
Applications opened in August and students are already finding out whether they have been accepted.
About 4500 first-year students enrol annually at Otago, about 80% coming from outside Dunedin. About 3300 beds are available across 14 residential colleges.
The new system applies to Abbey, Aquinas, Arana, Carrington, Cumberland, Hayward, Studholme, Toroa and Unicol colleges, although Abbey College accepts postgraduate students rather than first-years.
Dunedin students had always been able to apply for places in the five independently owned colleges, Mr Lindsay said.
Those colleges are City, Knox, St Margaret's, Salmond and Selwyn.
Applications were strong overall and Mr Lindsay said the university was expecting colleges to be full next year, as usual.
