Eligibility & Registration
Eligibility | Registration & Submitting Intent Form | Categories | Room Costs & Meal Plan
Room Selection is an annual process in the Spring Semester for eligible students to secure campus housing for next year (or indicate they won't be returning to campus housing).
- Enrolling first-years, transfers & visitors, students returning from a leave of absence, and other continuing students not eligible for Room Selection may submit a housing application.
All eligible students MUST complete the Intent Form to confirm if they WILL or WILL NOT return to campus housing for the next academic year.
Eligibility
Students Who Are Eligible #
Students may be eligible to take part in the for the 2024 Room Selection process if they meet the guidelines below:
- Enrolled at Barnard originally as a First Year student (not as a Transfer)
- Are currently living in Barnard campus housing for the Spring 2024 semester (or lived in campus housing immediately prior to starting a Spring 2024 or 2023-24 full academic year study abroad program).
Dual-Degree Barnard/JTS students may take part in either the Barnard or JTS Room Selection processes, but not both.
Columbia College & SEAS students deemed eligible by CU Housing to participate in CU Room Selection may submit the Intent Form to take part in the Barnard Room Selection process (please see the Housing Exchange section for more information).
Being eligible to participate in Room Selection does not mean that students will automatically be assigned a space in housing. Students are responsible for taking the necessary steps required to participate in Room Selection. Each phase of Room Selection has its own dates, deadlines, and steps that need to be completed in order to secure a housing assignment for next year (ex. submitting the Intent Form, signing a housing contract, selecting a space during their Lottery Selection Time, or signing up for the Guaranteed List, etc).
Students Who are Not Eligible #
The following groups of students are not eligible to participate in the Room Selection process:
- Students who are on a leave of absence
- Students who live off-campus
- Students who started at the College as a Transfer student
- Visiting Students
- Students who begin the Columbia portion of a 4+1 or 3+2 dual-degree program.
Barnard students who are not eligible for Room Selection may submit a housing application for the upcoming academic year when the application opens on the Housing Portal in mid-March (to be on the non-Guaranteed Wait List). Please note that while the College always hopes to be able to provide housing to as many applicants as possible, we cannot guarantee that space will be available for students who were not eligible for the Room Selection process.
General Studies (GS) students are not eligible for the Housing Exchange because they're not eligible for the CU Room Selection process.
Registration / Submitting the Intent Form #
Dates for the Intent Form
Intent Form Opens 1pm EST on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 Deadline to Submit Intent Form 1pm EST on Wednesday, March 6, 2024
How to Submit the Intent Form #
All eligible students MUST submit the Intent Form -- even if just to say you're not returning to campus housing for next year.
Students will submit the Intent Form on the Housing Portal (click the ROOM SELECTION button) during the dates/times listed above.
This includes students who may have received a pre-Lottery placement (RA, CARDS, CU Greek or SIC) or who plan to also register for the Columbia Lottery.
Students who are not eligible for Room Selection may submit a housing application to be on the Non-Guaranteed Wait List.
Columbia Students #
Columbia students who want to be in a Group for the Barnard Housing Lottery (or are pull-ins of Barnard RAs or Barnard students who received disability housing accommodations) must submit the Barnard Room Selection Intent Form during the dates listed above.
To be able to log into the Barnard Housing Portal, you must register for Columbia Room Selection before the Columbia deadline and indicate that you will be taking part in Barnard Room Selection. If Barnard registration has started and you are unable to log in to the Barnard Portal, please email housing@barnard.edu to provide your name & UNI to ask to be added.
Please see Housing Exchange for more information about participating in Barnard Room Selection.
Intent Form Categories
Not Returning to Campus Housing #
Students who won't be returning to campus for the Fall will need to provide a reason (ex. moving off-campus to be a commuter, taking a leave of absence, transferring. etc).
Students who plan to study abroad for the Fall should still take part in the Lottery (or another category below) to pick a backup room in case their plans change.
Students who choose not to return to campus housing (or do not complete the Intent Form before the deadline) will lose their guarantee of campus housing for the future. If they later wish to apply for campus housing, they would be on the non-Guaranteed Wait List.
Barnard Housing Lottery #
Most students will take part in the Barnard Housing Lottery to pick rooms for next year (see Housing Lottery for more info).
CARDS Pre-Lottery Housing Accommodations & CARDS Pull-Ins #
Students with diagnosed disabilities and/or medical conditions who may need a housing accommodation should submit a Pre-Lottery Accommodation Request to CARDS to secure a room assignment.
Students provided with a Pre-Lottery placement must also submit the Accommodation Placement Acceptance Form (included in the pre-Lottery assignment email).
RAs & RA Pull-Ins #
Students who are hired as RAs for the upcoming academic year (and any students they "pull-in" to their suite or floor) must also sign & submit the RA Pull-In Form (which is sent to RAs when they are hired).
Columbia Lottery#
Rising-Seniors only may also register at Columbia to be part of a group for the CU Lottery (see Housing Exchange for more info).
These students will be able to take part in the Barnard 123 Lottery as an individual to pick a "back-up" room (in case they aren't able to pick at Columbia). These students may not take part in the 4, 5, or 6 Lottery or be part of a group for the 123 Lottery.
Columbia Greek Chapters#
Students in Greek Chapters that are part of the Housing Exchange may live in their chapter house at Columbia (see Housing Exchange for more info).
Columbia Special Interest Communities (SICs)#
Students may apply for specific Columbia Special Interest Communities (SICs) that have allowances for Barnard students (see Housing Exchange for more info).
Guaranteed List#
Students who prefer for the College to assign them to a room instead of participating in the Housing Lottery may chose to be on the Guaranteed List (and would be assigned to a room over the summer).
Note: students who already participated in Room Selection once as a rising-Senior but are continuing at the College must sign up for the Guaranteed List (instead of participating in the Lottery or one of the other Intent Categories) in order to be assigned to a room over the summer.
Room Costs & Meal Plan Requirements
Room Costs#
The room rates are set by the Board of Trustees and are usually announced in late May or June. The room rates will be posted by the Bursar Office once available.
All rooms are charged at the same rate with the exception of the Studio Singles (110th Street), which are charged at a higher rate.
- Barnard students living at Columbia through the Housing Exchange are billed the Barnard room rate and will be required to sign a Barnard Housing Contract (in addition to a Columbia Housing Contract).
- Columbia students living at Barnard through the Housing Exchange are billed the Columbia room rate and also be required to sign a Barnard Housing Contract in order to agree to the Terms & Conditions of living in a Barnard residence hall.
Meal Plan Requirements#
Upperclass students living on floors 2-8 of the Quad (Hewitt, Brooks, Sulzberger, Reid) are enrolled by default in the Platinum Plan. The are required to enroll at minimum in the Flex 150 Meal Plan.
All other upperclass students in campus housing will be enrolled by default in the Flex 125 Meal Plan, but may choose to enroll in a different meal plan when the "Meal Plan Change Form" opens in June. Residential upperclass students outside floors 2-8 of the Quad must enroll at minimum in the Convenience Points Meal Plan.
The meal plan rates are set by the Board of Trustees and are usually announced in late May or June. The meal plan rates will be posted by the Bursar Office once available.