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Residential Life & Housing > Handbook > Procedures > Room Changes

Mid-Year Room Changes

Friday, November 19, 2021

Monday, November 29, 2021

Friday, December 3, 2021, 4pm

  • Deadline to submit Room Change Request forms on the Housing Portal

Monday, December 13, 2021

  • Room Change results will be emailed to students by 11pm

Thursday, December 23, 2021

  • Residence Halls close for Winter Break at 9am
  • Students must be fully moved out of their Fall assignment and turn in their keys
  • No belongings may be left in the Fall or Spring room assignment or suite common areas over the break

Saturday, January 15, 2021

  • Residence Hall reopen for the Spring semester 
  • Students who received room changes may start moving into their new Spring room assignments

Mid-Year Room Change Request Form (on the Housing Portal)

Students will rank preferences for building & room type combinations they'd be willing to move to on the request form.

  • Requests are prioritized by class year; however, room changes cannot be guaranteed.
  • Students may request specific spaces; however, changes to specific spaces cannot be guaranteed.
  • Students who wish to make a 1-for-1 swap must both submit the request form.

Note: Students who want a new room but who do not want to move out of their current room before Winter Break may apply for a Spring Room Change instead (i.e. after the start of the Spring semester). However, please note that there are typically fewer spaces available through the Spring Room Change Request process.

This process is for Barnard Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors only.

  • First-year students who may be experiencing challenges with their room / roommate assignments should speak to their RA and/or the Associate Director in charge of the Quad
  • Columbia University students living in Barnard residence halls are not eligible to participate in this process and there is no switching permitted between BC-designated and CU-designated spaces (please consult CU Housing for information about room change requests for CU students).

Students who submit a Room Change Request form are obligated to inform their roommate(s) / suitemates(s) of their request, in order to give them an opportunity to either submit a Room Change Request form of their own or try to recruit a new roommate/suitemate.

Students who may need a housing accommodation must submit a Disability Accommodation Request (in addition to the room change request form) by the Priority Request deadline listed above (requests submitted after that date would only be considered on space available basis).

Room Change Requests may be edited on the Portal through the submission deadline. Any requests to cancel a submitted Room Change Request must be emailed to housing@barnard.edu before the submission deadline.

Students will be emailed the result of their request by the date/time listed in the Timeline section above.

While the College will attempt to provide new room assignments for as many students as possible, room changes are not guaranteed. Students who do not receive a room change will remain assigned to their Fall room for the Spring semester (and are welcome to apply again as part of the Spring Room Change Request Process).

Granted room changes are FINAL and BINDING. Students who are granted a room change MUST complete the move, as other room changes will be dependent upon the spaces that will be vacated.

Students who receive a room change must move completely out of their Fall room before the start of Winter Break (see Timeline above). There are no exceptions or extensions available.

Students must complete a Check Out Envelope at their residence hall front desk to turn in their Fall room keys and complete the Confirm Check Out Form on the Portal.

  • Failure to submit the check-out envelope or the Confirm Check Out form will result in a $100 Improper Check Out fee.
  • Keys that are not turned in will result in a $100 per key Lock Change fee.

Students may not leave any belongings behind in their Fall room assignment (or suite common areas). Also, students may not store any belongings over the break in their new Spring room assignment (or suite common areas). Students must make arrangements to store their belongings in a friend's bedroom (who is staying in the same room for the Spring), off-campus, take them home over break, etc. The College does not have storage space available for any student belongings.

Failure to fully vacate a room before the start of Winter Break may result in fines and/or disciplinary action, which could include cancellation of the room change, the loss of campus housing, and/or loss of ability to participate in the Housing Lottery.

Students will be able to start moving into their new Spring room assignments once the residence halls reopen for the Spring semester (see Timeline above).

Students will need to show their Student ID to the Front Desk of their new residence hall in order to be given the key(s) to their new room.

Because room changes & any changes to billing will not be finalized until mid-to-late December, students will need to pay the charges listed on their Spring Bursar bill by the December 1 payment deadline.

Students who receive a room change to a Studio Single will need to pay the increase in price before the residence halls reopen for the Spring semester.

Students who receive a room change to Hewitt Hall must enroll (at minimum) in the Quad Upperclass Meal Plan. Meal plans can be adjusted online through My.Barnard.edu.

Semester housing & meal plan rates are available at https://barnard.edu/bursar/tuition-and-fees.