With the new semester looming, thousands of university students find themselves trapped in what they describe as a “loss–loss” housing gamble, caused by the late release of residential college results.

The financial dilemma stems from a bureaucratic failure where university housing placements are released only a few weeks, or even a few days, before a new semester begins.

In some cases, results are even released in waves throughout the first week of the semester, creating a period of extreme uncertainty.

This bureaucratic delay effectively forces the undergrads into the RM500 gamble: pay a deposit and booking fees, typically between RM100 and RM500, for an off-campus unit that may...