Housing tight as UT prepares for fall

AUSTIN (AP) - Experts said housing is tight at the University of Texas at Austin because more freshmen than usual are expected.

UT officials recently emailed about 1,200 students on a waiting list for campus housing that it's unclear whether space will be available.

Housing official Laurie Mackey said UT has about 7,500 beds on campus. About 5,000 beds go to freshmen. The rest are for returning students.

UT won't know until the end of August how many students who were offered housing will cancel their plans to live on campus.

In mid-July, admissions officials were already predicting that the largest freshman class ever -- an expected 8,000 -- could soon set foot on the University of Texas at Austin campus.

Officials said that record number of freshmen enrolled for fall 2012 would make it the biggest class in 10 years at the university. That number is also about 900 more than in 2011 and would beat the current record set in 2002.          

Officials in the Admissions Office said with the projected 8,000 freshmen, total university enrollment for the year would be 51,500 -- the second largest in school history.

Classes start Aug. 29.