Apply for Housing
Barnard is dedicated to promoting an inclusive and respectful community. The College makes room and roommate assignments without regard to race, color, religion, religious practices, creed, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, socioeconomic status, and/or dietary preferences.
Application Categories
Incoming First Year students
First Year Housing Application (requires log-in with Columbia UNI)
Instructions for setting up your Barnard & Columbia computer login accounts will be emailed to enrolling students in mid-May. Applications are not sorted by submission date, so there is no need to worry if you have not yet received your account info to log in and submit the housing application!
Application Deadline: June 5, 2023
Room & Roommate Assignment information will be emailed to students on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. Please refer to the Res Life Calendar for move-in dates
Incoming Transfer & Domestic Visiting students
Housing Application (requires log-in with Columbia UNI)
The Admissions office will email instructions for setting up your Barnard & Columbia computer login accounts after enrollment deposits are submitted (it can take a week or more for accounts to be generated). Applications are not sorted by submission date, so don't worry if you haven't received your login information yet!
Application Deadlines:
- Fall: June 12, 2023
- Spring: December 21, 2023
While the College always hopes to be able to provide housing to as many applicants as possible, space in campus housing is limited. New enrolling Transfers & Visiting students are prioritized for placement during their first year at Barnard if space is available, but unfortunately we are not able to guarantee housing in advance for the first or following years. Applicants are prioritized by a combination of enrollment deposit date and geographic distance from campus.
Because housing is not guaranteed, Transfers & Visiting students are encouraged to explore options for off-campus housing. Some links to help students look for off-campus housing are available at http://barnard.edu/reslife/housing-options/off-campus.
Please refer to the Res Life Calendar for move-in dates.
In order to provide priority for Transfers in their first year at the College, continuing students who started at the College as Transfers are not eligible to participate in the Room Selection / Housing Lottery process as continuing students. They are welcome to re-apply for campus housing and would be considered for placement after new Transfers if space is available (see "Students not eligible for the Room Selection process" below).
Visiting International Student Program (VISP) & Spelman Exchange
Housing Application (requires log in with Columbia UNI)
The Admissions office will email Instructions for setting up your Barnard & Columbia computer login accounts after enrollment is confirmed (it can take a week or more for accounts to be generated).
Application Deadlines:
- Fall students: June 1
- Spring students: December 1
While housing for students in the VISP program or the Spelman Exchange is guaranteed and students may request singles on their applications, most students will likely be assigned to shared multiple occupancy rooms (i.e. with roommates) based on where space is available.
Room & Roommate Assignment information will be distributed via email in early January for Fall students and in early January for Spring students. Please refer to the Res Life Calendar for move-in dates.
Returning from Study Abroad (or from visiting Spelman College)
Returning for Spring (i.e. abroad during the Fall)
- Housing Application (will need to log in with your UNI)
- Application deadline is November 1
If there is a specific room/suite with a vacancy you would like to request to live in, please specify on your application. Application preferences may be edited/updated through December 1. Please note that assignment to a specific requested room cannot be guaranteed.
Assignment information is distributed via email in early January. Please refer to our calendar for move-in dates.
Returning for Fall (i.e. abroad during the Spring)
Eligible students will register to take part in the Room Selection process (which includes the Housing Lottery, disability housing accommodation requests, RA pull-ins, CU Greek & Special Interest Communities, etc).
Students who did not live in campus housing before going to their Study Abroad program are not guaranteed campus housing. They may submit an application on the Housing Portal to be on the non-Guaranteed Wait List.
Students who take a leave of absence before or during an approved study abroad program must request to "Return from a Leave of Absence" (see below section for more information).
Returning after a Leave of Absence
Housing Application (requires log in with your Columbia UNI)
Application Deadlines:
- Fall: June 1
- Spring: November 1
Reminder: the deadline to submit the Request for Return form to the Dean of Studies office is also June 1 for the Fall and November 1 for the Spring.
Please submit the application even if you are still waiting for confirmation of your approved return (assignments will be held until return status is confirmed).
The College always hopes to provide housing to as many applicants as possible; however, space in campus housing is limited so assignment cannot be guaranteed after returning from Leave of Absence. Students returning from a Medical Leave will receive extra priority upon applying for housing; however, assignment is dependent upon available space and cannot be guaranteed in advance. In cases where there is not enough space for all applicants, students are prioritized by geographic distance from campus.
Assignments, pending the availability of space, are typically made in mid-August for the Fall and early January for the Spring. Please refer to the Res Life calendar for move-in dates.
Continuing Students (Rising-Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors)
Eligible returning students take part in the Room Selection process in early spring to secure housing for the following academic year.
Students who do not take part in Room Selection (or were not eligible) and wish to apply for housing should submit the online Housing Application, by no later than June 1 (or by November 1 for housing starting in the Spring), in order to be on the Non-Guaranteed Wait List (see below)
Please note that while the College always hopes to be able to assign as many applicants as possible, housing cannot be guaranteed for students who do not take part in (or were not eligible for) the Room Selection process.
Students not eligible for the Room Selection process / Non-Guaranteed Wait List
Housing Application (requires login with your Columbia UNI)
- Fall application deadline: June 1 (opens in mid-March)
- Spring application deadline: November 1 (opens in mid-September)
Students who are not eligible for the Room Selection process (or who didn't participate or cancelled their housing) may submit a housing application to be on the non-Guaranteed Wait List.
Because there are a limited number of rooms available, assignment to campus housing cannot be guaranteed. Applicants are typically prioritized by geographic distance from campus.
If there is a specific room/suite with a vacancy you would like to request to live in, please specify on your application. Please note that assignment to a specifically requested room cannot be guaranteed.
Students will be emailed in early August to let them know if space is available for them to live in campus housing (in late December for Spring applicants). Please refer to our calendar for move-in dates.
Because housing is not guaranteed for students who are not eligible for the Room Selection process, students are encouraged to explore options for off-campus housing. Some links to help students start their search are available at http://barnard.edu/reslife/housing-options/off-campus.