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Residential Life & Housing > Housing Options

Off-Campus Housing

Barnard students are not required to live in campus housing (with the exception of visitors from Spelman and students in the VISP program). Students may choose to commute from home or find an apartment off-campus.

Note: Housing options like The Bayit and International House are not considered part of campus housing nor part of the Barnard/Columbia Housing Exchange. Student who live in these locations are considered to be living off-campus.

Columbia's Off-Campus Housing Assistance (OCHA) office provides resources to aid Barnard & Columbia students in their search for rental housing in the metropolitan area. OCHA manages a database known as the Housing Registry which includes available rooms and apartments in non-Columbia-owned buildings and sublets of units in Columbia-managed housing. Prospective roommates can also post and search profiles on this site. In addition, OCHA offers housing search counseling and is supported in these efforts by their cooperative relationships with two New York City real estate/relocation agencies. OCHA is located at 401 West 119th Street (between Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside Drive) and can be called at 212-854-2773. More info is available at https://facilities.columbia.edu/housing/housing-registry.

Note: Barnard students are not able to apply for Columbia campus housing through Columbia Undergraduate Housing Services.

Other options for off-campus housing may include:*

* Barnard College assumes no responsibility or liability in connection with any rental agreement or services provided by the listed resources. The listing of any resource does not constitute an endorsement of the service or guarantee of availability.

For information about the Commuter Lounge, renting a locker in Barnard Hall, etc. please visit barnard.edu/studentlife/identity-and-inclusion (and scroll to the bottom of the page).

Commuter students are required to enroll, at minimum, in the Convenience Meal Plan. For more information about available meal plans and prices, please visit the Bursar's website.

Students who live off-campus are packaged as a "commuter" instead of as a "residential" student by the Financial Aid office (which may result in up to $12,500 less available grant aid). Students who are planning to live off-campus are strongly encouraged to discuss with the Financial Aid Office how it may affect their financial aid package.

Barnard students have a guarantee of housing for the following academic year if they are currently living in campus housing (or lived in campus housing immediately before going to an approved study abroad program). Students who live off-campus are not eligible to participate in Room Selection (i.e. pick a room in the Housing Lottery, live in CU Greek housing, apply for a Special Interest Community, apply for a Disability Housing Accommodation, or be a RA- or ODS pull-in).

Students who wish to apply for campus housing (after living off-campus or cancelling housing) may only do so as part of the Non-Guaranteed Wait List.

Incoming transfer & visiting students who do not receive campus housing when they start at the College may submit new housing applications to be on the non-Guaranteed Wait List for subsequent semesters and/or academic years.