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 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 2025-2026. 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, which is open from January 16th – February 5th. After Intent has closed on February 5th you may request to change your intent from on- to off- campus by emailing undergraduatehousing@yale.edu to do so. Please note that students are able to adjust their intent to off-campus up until March 25th.
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.
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 20th.
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, 2025. 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 most case, 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.
How do I create a group?
Students can create a group in the Housing Portal. After logging in using your NetID and password, click the “Room Draw” link in the highlighted gray title bar. Scroll down and click the “Continue Housing Process” button and you will proceed to the Group Formation landing page. You can create a group by clicking on the “Create Group” button at the bottom of the page.
How can I make changes to my group (add a member, change group size, change group leader, etc.)?
Students may make changes to their group within the Housing Portal. After logging in using your NetID and password, click the “Room Draw” link in the highlighted gray title bar. From here, navigate to the Group Formation page where you will see your group’s information.
On this page you will see options to edit, delete and add members to your group. You will also see options to make one of your group members the new group leader, remove group members, and send group members a message.
If you are looking to add members to your group, you will need to adjust the desired group size by clicking on “Edit Group”. You will then be able to search for and add additional group members.
How can I see the floor plans?
Students can view available suite information along with their college floor plans within the Housing Portal. Navigate to the Group Formation landing page. On the left-hand side of the screen will be a link “List of All Available Suites”. Click on the List of Available Suites link to view a full roster of available suites and a link to college floor plans.
What if the number of members in my group does not match my desired group size?
Students will not be able to proceed to lottery and will be disbanded if the number of group members does not match their desired group size. Students can adjust their desired group size within the Housing Portal.
I do not have a group yet. How can I find other students to group with?
Students can utilize the “Suggest Roommate” or “Suggest Roommate Group” tools within the housing portal to identify other students not yet in a group or groups that still need additional members.
I do not want to group and do not have a preference as to where I live. Can I just 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 Opt Out of Grouping. If you select this option, you will be assigned to a bedroom by the Undergraduate Housing Office and you will not participate in any further stages of room draw. Students who select this option should be aware that this is not a pathway to guarantee a single room. Students who opt out of grouping will be assigned to a partially filled suite with students in the same draw (class year), and will have suitemates and/or a roommate.
What happens if I don’t form or join a group?
In order to be eligible for room selection, students must create or join a group. Students who do not form a complete group at the end of group formation, along with students in disbanded and oversubscribed groups, will be relegated to regrouping. Any student who is not part of a group when regrouping closes will not be able to proceed in the housing selection process.
I am a junior. Can I form a group with my friends in the senior draw?
No. Students can only group with other students participating in the same draw. Juniors can only draw with juniors, seniors can only draw with seniors, and sophomores can only draw with sophomores.
I am sponsoring a student transferring from another college. Am I required to group with them?
Yes, sponsoring a student who is transferring from another college comes with the expectation that you will be in a housing group with that student. Failure to group with your sponsored student may lead to the rescinding of the transfer approval.
I see a “Placeholder” student. What is this?
Each college will have a couple of placeholder students rostered in the group formation process. These students may or may not be visible in your draw, depending on your class year. Each placeholder student represents an incoming transfer student, reinstated student, or a waitlist student to be housed in your college next academic year. Any group may opt to add one of these students, and should know that by doing so, you understand that a student will be added to your suite over the summer. Each placeholder request must be reviewed and approved in advance of group formation closing.
How can I add a placeholder to my group?
If placeholders are available to your draw, they can be found by utilizing the Suggest Roommates or Search for Roommates by Details tools. You can send a request to add a placeholder to your group like you would with any other student. Please note that each placeholder must be reviewed and approved in advance of group formation closing. Please write to the Undergraduate Housing Office at undergraduatehousing@yale.edu to request approval for a placeholder.
My friend is on the housing waitlist. Can I add them to my group?
No. Students on the waitlist cannot participate in the housing process and so, do not have access to the room draw housing portal. Once room selection has concluded for participating students, any remaining beds may be offered to students on the waitlist on a first-come, first-served basis. Waitlist placements will begin in April once room selection has concluded.
My friend is on the waitlist. Can I add a placeholder and request that they fill that spot?
Placeholders can only be used if they are available to your class draw and are not intended for students to use as a placeholder for a friend on the waitlist, nor can we guarantee that a student from the waitlist will be placed into your group. Placeholders are meant to be used by students who are having trouble filling a group and understand that the spot could be filled by a transfer student, reinstated student, waitlist student, etc.. There is no guarantee nor a mechanism for students to request how that spot is filled. Students should take this into consideration before requesting a placeholder.
Group formation has ended, and my roommate has decided to live off-campus, how will this impact my ability to participate in room selection?
If a member of your group requests to be removed from the housing process after group formation has closed, the Undergraduate Housing team will take steps to ensure all suites are fully filled. This may mean that a group is redesignated to the correct group size (i.e. a quad that loses a member may be designated as a triple) if possible. Or, a “placeholder” may be added to the group so that the number of assigned members aligns with the original group size. After room selection has concluded for participating students, this spot will then be filled by the Housing Office with an incoming transfer student, a reinstated student, or a student on the waitlist.
When will I know if my group’s suite size is oversubscribed or if we made it through to lottery?
Students will receive communication from the Undergraduate Housing Office, in the days following the close of Group Formation, informing them of their group’s status. For more information, please review the Room Draw Timeline.
My group was disbanded and now I must regroup. How can I see what suite sizes are still available?
Students of disbanded groups can log onto the Housing Portal to see available undersubscribed suite configurations as well as other students who are participating in regrouping.
How does Annex housing work?
Depending on where the numbers land after group formation and oversubscription, a preset amount of annex housing spaces will be pre-assigned to residential colleges, as needed, prior to the draw.
Annex housing is limited and is not guaranteed. If made available, students will be able to view these rooms and corresponding floor plans within the regrouping process of the portal.
Can I request to be placed in Annex housing?
No. There is no process nor mechanism to request annex housing. If annex spaces have been made available, students will be able to select these rooms during room selection.
My friend is on the housing waitlist. Can I add them to my group?
No. Students on the waitlist cannot participate in the housing process and so, do not have access to the room draw housing portal. Once room selection has concluded for participating students, any remaining beds may be offered to students on the waitlist on a first-come, first-served basis. Waitlist placements will begin in April once room selection has concluded.
I don’t see a placeholder student available on the regrouping portal. Can I request to have one added to my group?
Students should make every effort to work with the other students participating in regrouping in order to fill their suite accordingly. Students can utilize the search functions in the portal to help find students still needing to join a group. Placeholders will only come into play if students are truly unable to fill a suite due to there not being enough students to fill the group.
What happens if I’m in a group size that’s oversubscribed at the end of regrouping?
If there are group sizes that remain oversubscribed after regrouping closes, a pre-lottery will take place and groups will be randomly disbanded.
- For sophomores, students who are disbanded after regrouping will be randomly assigned to available beds in their college draw after room selection has concluded.
- For juniors and seniors, students who are disbanded will be designated as off-campus. Juniors and seniors who are designated as off-campus can opt to join the waitlist, through the request housing process in the portal, if they still wish to live on-campus.
What happens if I am not able to fill my group by the regrouping deadline? Will I have to live off-campus?
Students should make every effort to fill their groups with other students participating in regrouping. Students can utilize the search functions in the portal to help find students still needing to join a group.
Students who take every action to follow the process and form a group to the best of their ability will not be forced off-campus because there are not enough students to fill the group. In those instances, placeholders will be slotted into the group to be later filled by a transfer, waitlist, or reinstated student. However, students must form into a group size that remains available and undersubscribed in their draw.
I missed the deadline to regroup. What can I do?
Any student who is not part of a group when regrouping closes will not be able to proceed in the housing selection process and can opt to join the housing waitlist via the Housing Portal.
Regrouping has ended and my roommate has decided to live off-campus, can I still go through the lottery and room selection process?
If a member of your group requests to be removed from the room draw process after regrouping has closed, the housing team will take steps to ensure all suites are fully filled. This may mean that a group is redesignated to the correct group size (ie a quad that loses a member may be designated as a triple) if possible. Or, a “placeholder” may be added to the group so that the number of assigned members aligns with the original group size. After room selection has concluded for participating students, this spot will then be filled by the Housing Office with an incoming transfer student, reinstated student, or a student on the waitlist.
How do I select my room?
Room selection will take place within the Housing Portal. Students will be notified on March 24th informing them of their assigned room selection appointment. At the beginning of your appointment, the group leader will log onto the housing portal to select a suite from the available inventory and assign rooms to all members of their group.
How long will I have to select a room?
Each room selection appointment will last for 15 minutes, during which time the group leader can select a suite and assign beds to all group members. Students will continue to have access to the room selection portal from the beginning of their appointment time until their suite selection has been finalized or room selection has ended.
Once a suite has been selected, there is a hold on that suite for 10 minutes, during which the group leader must assign all group members to a bedroom and finalize their selection.
Students who have not finalized their suite selection at the end of the 15-minute appointment window, will still retain access to room selection. However, they will not have exclusive access to the portal, as the housing group with the next timeslot will also have access.
Will I be able to see all available suites in my college during room selection?
During a room selection appointment, students will only be able to see suites that correspond with their confirmed group size. For instance, a group of six will only be able to view and select rooms that are part of a sextet. You will not be able to see suites that have been previously selected or any suite that is “held” by another group still finalizing their selection.
How will we be able to assign rooms if we won’t know our suite until our room selection appointment?
All members of your group must be assigned to a bed within a suite before you can finalize your suite selection. Students are encouraged to discuss assignments and any back up plans with their groupmates prior to their room selection appointment to ensure a smooth selection experience.
Ultimately, if you’re unsure about room assignments within your selected suite, it is recommended that you just move forward with assigning beds to all suite members. There will be an opportunity to make room changes within your suite after room selection has concluded.
Can I appoint a proxy for room selection?
Students will not be able to have a proxy select a room for them. Room selection is completed through the housing portal which is CAS protected and linked with individual student identities. Only the Group Leader will be able to make a suite selection and assign bedrooms.
If you are the group leader and will be unavailable during your assigned room selection appointment, you may assign another student in your group to be the leader in the Housing Portal. Students can make these changes any time before their room selection appointment. Please note that students will not have access to reassign group leaders once their timeslot becomes active.
How can I change our Group Leader?
Only the group leader may reassign another student in their group to be leader. If you are the leader of your group, you can make this adjustment within the Housing Portal. After logging into the portal using your NetID and password, navigate to the “Room Draw” tab in the gray navigation bar, scroll down and click “Continue Housing Process”. From there, scroll to the bottom of the page where your group information is outlined. Find the group member you’d like to assign as leader and click the “Make Leader” button. Click “Yes” to confirm the adjustment.
What if I am a group of one and cannot make my assigned room selection appointment?
Students will have access to the room selection portal from the beginning of their appointment time until either suite selection has been finalized or room selection has ended. If you missed your room selection appointment and room selection is still underway, you should log in to the Housing Portal as soon as possible and finalize your selection.
Do all members of the group need to be present during room selection?
The group leader is responsible for selecting a suite and assigning beds to all group members. Students must place all group members into a bedroom and confirm their suite and room selection to secure their selected housing.
If you are the group leader and will be unavailable during your assigned room selection appointment, you may assign another student in your group to be the leader in the Housing Portal. Students can make these changes any time before their room selection appointment. Please note that students will not have access to reassign group leaders once their timeslot becomes active.
My group missed our room selection appointment. What can we do?
Students will have access to the room selection portal from the beginning of their appointment time until either suite selection has been finalized or the room selection period has ended. If you missed your room selection appointment and room selection is still underway, you should log onto the Housing Portal as soon as possible and finalize your selection.
What happens if I or one of my group members decides to withdraw from housing just before or during our room selection appointment?
Because all members of a group must be placed in a room for a suite selection to be finalized, you are officially contracted for your on-campus room next year at the start of the room selection period, Wednesday, March 26th. If you would like to withdraw from on campus housing without financial penalty, you must make this request in writing to undergraduatehousing@yale.edu no later than 5:00PM on Tuesday, March 25th.
The housing team will take steps to ensure all suites are fully filled to account for any students that may have withdrawn from the process prior to room selection. Your group will either be reconfigured to match the updated group size, or a “placeholder” may be added to the group so that the number of assigned members aligns with the original group size. After room selection has concluded for participating students, this spot will then be filled by the housing office with an incoming transfer student, reinstated student, or a student on the waitlist.
How can I switch bedrooms after room selection?
In-suite room switches will be allowed beginning, April 1st, up until the end of the spring term, April 24th. During this time, students will be able to swap rooms using the Housing Portal. Please note that only the Group Leader will have the ability to adjust bedroom assignments.
Requests for in-suite room changes received after the end of the spring term will not be reviewed until the Fall 2025 move in period has concluded.