Residential Life & Housing

What IF? / Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Registration Questions

Room Availability Questions

Selection Questions

How much will the rooms cost for 2009-2010?
Singles will cost $8668 for the academic year and multiple rooms (doubles, triples, or quads) will cost $7578 for the academic year.

Am I eligible to participate in Room Selection if I currently live at International House or the Bayit?
No, neither International House or the Bayit are considered on-campus housing.

What if I forget to register for Room Selection between 12noon on Mar 4 and 12noon on March 10?
Unfortunately, we will not be able to guarantee your housing for 2009-2010.  You may apply for housing (on the Non-Guaranteed Housing Waitlist); however we will not be able to let you know whether we can offer you a room or not until the middle of August.

What do I do if I try to register for Room Selection and I get an error message? (or it doesn't give me the option of registering?)
Don't panic!  No system is foolproof.  If you have any problems trying to register, please come to the RLH Office (110 Sulzberger), call the RLH Office at 212-854-5561, or email housing@barnard.edu.  Please register well in advance of the deadline!  If you wait until the last minute, the RLH office may not be available to assist you.

Why are some rooms showing up as selected before Room Selection even begins?
Rooms/suites are assigned before Room Selection due to RA assignments (and RA pull-ins), ACE assignment (and ACE pull-ins), Disability-related housing assignments, rooms held for incoming transfer students, and spaces set aside to balance the BC/CU Housing Exchange.

Why are some rooms in the same line at 110th St. singles vs. doubles on different floors?
Barnard rents the apartments at 110th Street and does not own the building. The owners dictate the occupancy of each space according to contracts which were signed at different times, which is why some rooms in a line may be singles on one floor and doubles on another (ex. 4J1 & 7J1 are doubles, but 5J1 is a single studio).

If I'm in a group of 5 students, can we pick a 6-person suite and get assigned a 6th person from the wait list?
No, groups may only select suites that have the same number of spaces as group members (in this case, a 5-person suite for a 5-person group).

If I will be studying abroad for the Fall, can I pick into a suite with a group of friends and get into that room when I return in the Spring (after canceling my Fall housing)?
Probably not. We do encourage students who may be studying abroad for the Fall to go through Room Selection and select a room as a backup in case they do not end up going abroad. However, if you select into a suite with a group of friends and then do cancel your housing assignment once you confirm your Fall study abroad, that room will be assigned to a student from the Wait List as a full-year room assignment (i.e. Res Life would not force that student to move out of the room to make a vacancy for you in the spring).

Your best bet is to find a friend who is planning on studying abroad for the SPRING. That student could select into a suite with your friends (and you can choose a backup room on your own in case you don't go abroad for the Fall). Then, you can put in a request to be assigned to the suite in the Spring (into the vacancy created by the student leaving to study abroad for the Spring).

I'm graduating in February or planning on studying abroad for the Spring semester. If I have to sign a housing contact for the entire academic year, will I have to pay to cancel my housing for the Spring?
We require students to sign an entire academic year contact so that you're covered for housing in case your graduation is pushed back or you cancel your Spring study abroad plans. Once you do confirm that you will be graduating mid-year or studying abroad for the Spring, you will need to submit a Withdrawal from Housing form. As long as you submit this form by December 1 for the Spring, you will not be charged the cancellation fee.

Students canceling their Spring housing for any other reason (to move off campus, to withdraw from the College, etc) will be charged cancellation fees.

What if I have class during my appointment time or can't make it for another reason?
We don't want you to skip class!  You can select another student to serve as your proxy and select for you.

What do I do if I missed my appointment time!
Individuals: If you miss it, come late.  We will be able to let you select from the remaining rooms after the last lottery number has been called (or, you can fill out a Guaranteed Wait List application).  If you do not come, we will not be able to give you a guarantee of housing for 2009-2010.

Groups: Groups may not select unless all members (or their designated proxy) are present.  If you (or your proxy) are not present at your appointment time, your group may only select if they drop you from your group.

If I sign up for a suite with a group, which room within the suite am I going to live in?
The assignment of rooms within a suite is entirely up to the group members.  When you select the suite, you and your group must assign the members to the particular rooms within the suite.  It is important that your group have a conversation beforehand about who wants to live in singles vs. doubles, the size of rooms, etc; because you will not have a lot of time to make those decisions when your appointment time comes.

If you have another group member serve as your proxy because you are unable to attend group selection, please make sure that you have communicated all your choices and needs to that person, because the proxy will be selecting your room within the suite for you.

After you and your group have selected the rooms within the suite during your Appointment Time, we may not change them.  Rising-Seniors only may request room changes over the summer in the Senior Room Change Process.  All rising-Sophomores and rising-Juniors must wait until the Fall Room Change process.

New questions & answers will be posted on this page as we receive them.