Barnard College Barnard College
Residential Life & Housing > Room Selection

Eligibility & Registration

All eligible students MUST complete the Registration Form to confirm if they WILL or WILL NOT return to campus housing for next academic year.

Wondering if you are eligible for Room Selection? Log into the Housing Portal and click ROOM SELECTION on the navigation bar to see [Eligibility Guidelines].

Room Selection is a process in the Spring Semester for eligible students to pick rooms 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.

Guarantee of Housing

Barnard students who are eligible for Room Selection are guaranteed housing for the 2021-2022 academic year only if they complete ALL of the following steps:

Students who fail to complete all of the steps above will cease to have a guarantee of housing.

The Room Selection process does not guarantee the ability to pick a specific residence hall, room type, or to be able to live with specific students. It only guarantees that campus housing will be available for the upcoming academic year.

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Eligibility

For the 2021 Barnard Room Selection process, students will be eligible only if they were enrolled for both the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters and:

  • Were eligible for 2020 Room Selection (last year), or
  • Are a Fall 2020 First Year Student, or
  • Are a Columbia College & SEAS students deemed eligible by CU Housing to participate in CU Room Selection (may only participate at Barnard as part of a group, not as individuals)

Students typically are eligible for Room Selection only if they are living in campus housing for the Spring or were in housing prior to being enrolled in an approved study abroad program for which they are paying tuition to Barnard.

Dual-Degree Barnard/JTS students may take part in either the Barnard or JTS Room Selection processes, but not both.

Students must be enrolled at Barnard on a full-time basis for the 2021-2022 academic year in order to live in on-campus housing. Students who are approved to be enrolled on a part-time basis will lose their eligibility to live in campus housing (and any space they may have selected will be cancelled).

    Being eligible for 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. registering online, signing a housing contract, selecting a space during their Lottery Selection Time or signing up for the Guaranteed List, etc).

    If you receive a placement through a disability-housing accommodation (or being a pull-in), being hired as an RA (or being an RA's pull-in), being selected for a CU Special Interest program, or by signing a Greek Housing Roster; you still MUST register for Room Selection (and sign a Housing Contract), otherwise you will forfeit your assignment and lose your guarantee of campus housing.

    Not Eligible for 2021 Room Selection

    The following groups of students are not eligible for Room Selection:

    • Students who are on a leave of absence (or who returned from a leave for Fall 2020 or Spring 2021)
    • Students who lived off-campus last academic year (2019-20)
    • Students who started as a Transfer student in Fall 2020 or Spring 2021
    • Students who begin the SEAS or SIPA portion of a dual-degree program with Columbia
    • General Studies (GS) students (who are not eligible for the BC/CU Housing Exchange)

    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.

    Note: while the College always hopes to be able to provide housing to as many applicants as possible, unfortunately assignment cannot be guaranteed for students who are not eligible for Room Selection.

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    Registering for Room Selection

    Registration Link https://barnard.starrezhousing.com/StarRezPortal
    Start of Registration 1pm EST on Wednesday, March 10, 2021
    Deadline to Register 1pm EST on Wednesday, March 17, 2021

    All eligible students MUST fill out the Registration Form -- even if it's just to say you're not returning to campus housing.

    Barnard student who wish to take part in the Columbia Lottery must also register for Barnard Room Selection as a back-up (in case they are not able to select at Columbia).

    Students who are not eligible for Room Selection may submit a housing application to be on the Non-Guaranteed Wait List.

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    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 register themselves for Barnard Room Selection during the dates listed above.

    In order to be able to log into the Barnard Housing Portal, you must register for Columbia Room Selection before the 2/25 deadline and indicate that you will be taking part in Barnard Room Selection. Columbia will send us your information to load into the Barnard Portal before Barnard registration starts 3/10.

    Please see Housing Exchange for more information about participating in Barnard Room Selection.

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    Room Selection Categories

    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 registration 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.

    Most students will take part in the Barnard Housing Lottery to pick rooms for next year (see Housing Lottery for more info).

    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 (see Accommodation Requests for more info).

    Students who are offered an accommodation must additionally sign & submit the Accommodation Placement Acceptance Form.

    Students who are hired as RAs for the upcoming academic year (and the 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).

    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.

    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).

    Students may apply for specific Columbia Special Interest Communities (SICs) that have allowances for Barnard students (see Housing Exchange for more info).

    Students who would prefer to be placed in a room over the summer by the College (instead of participating in the Housing Lottery) may choose to go ahead and sign up for the Guaranteed List.

    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) 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 April. 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 Barnard housing.

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    Meal Plan Requirements

    Meal plan requirements are subject to finalization by the College.

    Upperclass students living on floors 2-8 of the Quad (Hewitt, Brooks, Sulzberger, Reid) are required to enroll in a more comprehensive meal plan. The Standard Meal Plan (formerly the "Quad Upperclass Meal Plan") has been the minimum enrollment requirement.

    All other upperclass students, including those living off-campus, are also required to enroll in a meal plan. The "Convenience Points Plan" has been the minimum enrollment requirement.

    The meal plan rates are set by the Board of Trustees and are usually announced in late April. The meal plan rates will be posted by the Bursar Office once available.

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