Room Draw FAQs
Room Draw
What happens if I miss the Intent Declaration deadline. Can I still declare my intent to live on campus?
Any student who has not registered intent to live on campus by the time Intent Declaration closes, and who is not required to live on campus, will be assumed to be living off-campus as outlined in the Undergraduate Housing policies.
Students who miss the Intent Declaration deadline and wish to live on campus can join the Housing Waitlist by using the Request Housing process in the Undergraduate Housing Portal. After the Room Draw process has ended for participating students, any remaining beds may be offered to waitlist students who have requested a pending room assignment.
I am not currently on-campus (Study Abroad, LOA or MLOA), but intend to return to Yale College in the fall. Can I still participate in the Housing Process?
If you are scheduled to return to Yale College in the fall, you may be included and participate in the housing process. To ensure you are listed as eligible, you must notify the Undergraduate Housing Office via email of your intention to live on campus and must also adhere to all Room Draw deadlines.
Please note that students in this category, who notify the Housing Office after the intent declaration period has concluded, will be directed to join the waitlist to sign up for a pending room assignment.
I am planning to / considering studying abroad next fall. How should I proceed?
Students planning to or considering studying abroad in the fall can either:
- Declare Off-Campus: Indicates that you will not need on-campus housing.
- Request Housing After Room Draw: You may submit a request to receive an assignment after room draw has closed (if you’d like to request housing as a backup) via the housing portal. The Housing Request form opens in the portal once the Intent Declaration period closes. Please note, if you later decide to study abroad after contracting a room, you will be subject to a relinquishment fee as outlined in the Undergraduate Regulations.
I am considering studying abroad in the fall. What happens if I choose to participate in the room draw process?
Any student studying abroad who contracts a room either through the room draw, via an auto-allocation assignment, or through accepting a pending assignment and then reverses their decision will be charged a relinquishment fee equal to one-quarter of the term room rent, in accordance with the Undergraduate Regulations. Please refer to the question above for recommendations on how to proceed for students planning to study abroad.
I will be abroad/away during the fall term, but intend to return for the spring term. How can I register for housing?
Students who will be away from Yale in the fall term may not draw a room for the following year. Students returning in the spring can submit a request for housing separately via the Housing Portal. The request form for second-semester housing will be available to students after the start of the fall term.
For more information, please see the Off-Cycle Students section of our website and our Housing Waitlist FAQs.
I am a rising sophomore, but am turning 21 before the first day of the fall semester. Am I required to live on campus?
If you are a rising sophomore and will be 21 years of age or older by the first day of the fall semester, or are married, you may request to move off campus for 2026-2027. To do so, please send an email to undergraduatehousing@yale.edu with your request and relevant information.
I previously registered my intent as on-campus, but have decided to live off-campus. How can I change my intent?
If you would like to update your intent during the Intent stage of Room Draw, you can do so directly in the Housing Portal. Students can update their housing status at any time during the Intent stage of Room Draw. After Intent has closed you may request to change your intent from on- to off- campus by emailing undergraduatehousing@yale.edu to do so.
While students are able to withdraw before room selection without financial penalty, it is expected that all Yale College students will participate in the Housing Selection process in good faith, knowing that their peers are making important housing decisions based on how many students have registered intent to live on campus, and how many beds are available. If you are not truly planning to live on campus, please register your intent to live off-campus.
I am applying to be a FroCo next year. How should I declare my intent?
Any student interested in living on campus should declare on-campus intent. Students applying to be a first-year counselor should declare an on-campus intent as they will live on campus as FroCos. Please be mindful of forming groups with other students while awaiting FroCo decisions.
Students who withdraw from the FroCo process, or are not selected, and wish to live off-campus will be able to withdraw from the housing process without financial penalty (as long as they do so prior to room selection).
Where can I find additional information about the suite configurations available to my class year in my college?
Housing inventory information for each college and draw will be available at the beginning of the group formation stage, which opens on February 19th.
How do I apply for an accommodation?
Housing Accommodations are granted solely by the Student Accessibility Services office. The deadline for requesting/renewing housing accommodation requests is January 15, 2026. Please refer to Student Accessibility Services website for additional information.
I have an approved ADA accommodation. Can I still proceed through grouping and participate in suite selection?
Based on what your accommodation is and the inventory available in your residential college, your accommodation may require that you form a group of a specific configuration or may require that you are pre-assigned* a room by the Housing Office. Students will receive notification about what is necessary to meet their accommodation in the Housing Portal when Group Formation opens. For additional information, please visit the Additional Resources page.
*Students in this category will not participate in grouping nor room selection.
I am a rising junior/senior with an approved medical accommodation for next year. Is my housing guaranteed?
Students participating in the junior/senior draw should note that an SAS accommodation does not guarantee on-campus housing. The option to use an SAS accommodation or not only comes into play if on-campus housing is available and secured.
Students participating in group formation are encouraged to review the available, undersubscribed suites/sizes and form a group that will meet their accommodation and provide a better chance at remaining on-campus.
I submitted a request for an accommodation after the deadline. Will I still receive my housing accommodation?
While requests for accommodations will be considered after the deadline, the accommodation cannot be guaranteed to be met if a request was not received by the deadline.
How can I request a change of college affiliation?
The application process for change of college affiliation is overseen centrally by the Yale College Dean’s Office. Students may request a change of college affiliation at the start of the spring term by completing this application. For more information, please visit the Additional Resources page.
I do not want to group and do not have a preference as to where I live. Can I be assigned randomly and not participate in the room draw?
If you are planning to live on campus but prefer not to participate in grouping, you can opt out of the remaining stages of room draw by selecting to Opt Out of Grouping. If you select this option you will be assigned to a bedroom by the Housing Office and you will not participate in any further stages of room draw.
Please note that selecting this option does not guarantee a single room. Students who opt out of grouping will be assigned to a partially filled suite with students in their same draw (class year), and will have suitemates and/or a roommate.
If I opt out of grouping and request to be manually assigned, when will I know my housing assignment?
Students who select to Opt Out of Grouping will be assigned to available housing after Room Selection is complete. You will receive email notification of your assignment, along with the names of any suitemates, after room selection has ended in early April.
Where can I find the list of bathroom designations for my college?
A list of bathroom designations will be available once Group Formation opens. Students will be able to view this information in the Housing Portal.
What are the single gender bathroom options?
All residential bathrooms are assigned as a women’s bathroom, a men’s bathroom, or a gender-inclusive bathroom. The bathroom types alternate, so that students can always find options by heading up or downstairs. In many cases, when there are two bathrooms on a floor, at least one bathroom is assigned as gender-inclusive. This provides students with the flexibility of being able to participate in room draw with their desired classmates while still having access to their preferred bathroom.
I see bathroom designations on the room tile when looking at the available suites. What does this mean?
This indicates the designation of the bathroom on the same floor of the suite in question. This does not mean the suite is gendered. In some cases, two bathroom designations are listed because there are two bathrooms on the floor.
I see bathroom designations when looking at floor plans. What does this mean?
This indicates the designation of each residential bathroom within the college. This does not mean the suites on that floor are gendered.
How do I utilize the bathroom information to select a room?
Students are able to live in rooms and suites of any gender configuration. Students are expected to take bathroom designations and locations into account when forming groups and selecting rooms and suites.