The effects of overassignment (three students living in a room usually assigned to two) on students at Rutgers and Douglass Colleges are examined in a study of differences between students housed in two- and three-person rooms for the semester. The dependent measures were perception of the university environment, academic performance, physical (medical) and psychological symptoms, and behavioral differences. Out of the 506 students sampled, only 75 percent (380) were useful for analysis. The mean age was 18.6, was 56 percent male, 80 percent double-room residents, and 50 percent freshman. Students were given the University Residence Environment Scale (URES), a modified Biographical and Experiential Questionnaire (BEQ), and two modified scales from the College Student Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSSQ). Findings include: students housed in triple rooms spend more time at home than those in double rooms; students in triple rooms are older than those in double rooms; freshmen showed no difference between doubles and triples; students in triple rooms report less on the "Symptom" scale having less back pains, less dizziness, no loss of appetite, and fewer instances of nervousness. Comparisons between Rutgers and Douglass College produced several differences: (1) students at Rutgers indicate more "involvement,""competition," and "innovation," but less "traditional social orientation"; (2) students at Douglass rate their physical environment more positively than Rutgers students; and (3) Rutgers college students report more satisfaction with their social environment than those at Douglass College. Several recommendations are offered, including: designate more permanent triple rooms; emphasize ecology, or how many people the environment can comfortably house; and the term "overcrowding" should be replaced by the word "overassignment" to dismiss negative connotations. (LC)