res hall interior

Every student planning to live in a residence hall who does not have an assignment (in a suite, apartment or house) or who does not have off-campus approval for the coming academic year must draw a number and choose a room through the general numbers draw and room draw process.

General Information

Roommates

Students can choose to live with any other eligible current student; regardless of class status.  It is each individual's responsibility to find their own roommate(s). 

If you are still seeking a roommate you may fill out a Need a Roommate Form.  Completing this form will give you access to a list of others also searching for a roommate.  Be sure to check back often to review submissions.  It is your responsibility to contact and make arrangements with potential roommates to select a room.  Once a roommate is found, both students should delete their roommate forms to avoid inquiries from others. We also encourage you to attend the Roommate Social between the room draws for singles, triples and quads and the draw for double occupancy rooms. 

Please note that other than the single room lottery, you must have a roommate or enough people to fill the room/apartment/suite that you are applying for.  If you do not have a roommate or enough people to fill the spaces on the applications, you will not be able to select a room in that particular lottery process. 

If at the end of all the lottery processes, should you still not have a roommate, you will be assigned one over the summer by the Residence Life staff and placed in an available room at that time. (refer to the information on general room draw for details). Because of this, we encourage students to use the Roommate Request Forms and/or the Roommate Social to pair off in advance (doing so allows you to use the better number from numbers draw as opposed to waiting until all other students have selected a room).

Housing Options

You can learn more about each residence hall to see a list of rooms, dimensions and floor plans. Information about whether a floor is substance-free, or if the floor is designated as single-gender or all-gender is also available.  A binder of floor plans is also available in the Residence Life Office for students to browse.

Please note that other than Pfeiffer Hall, all floors in other buildings only have one restroom that matches the gender designation of that floor.  Pfeiffer Hall floors have multiple bathrooms and, on the floors with three bathrooms at least one will be designated as all-gender. 

All room gender designations and capacity limits related to being singles, doubles, triples or quads are subject to change until 4:30 p..m. on the Monday following Numbers Draw.  This is to ensure we can appropriately accommodate the remaining students who still need housing.

List of available rooms

We will again be offering a real-time look at all available rooms. This list will be updated and available the first Monday of Block 7.  If you have access to a laptop, smartphone, or tablet, you can monitor that page and see in real-time the list of rooms still available (please note these devices will only be allowed in the waiting area, not in the room selection room). 

Please note that the vast majority of single rooms will be filled prior to the single room lottery (either through Resident Assistant selection, singles inside suites or apartments and via housing accommodations.  A number of singles are also held back each year for housing accommodations submitted over the summer and emergency situations that may arise during the academic year.  This means that by the time we get to the single-room lottery we will only have a limited number of single-room options available for selection. 

If you secure a single room during any of the housing selection processes, please note there is an additional charge for these types of rooms. A regular single room is approximately an additional $110 per block above the standard double room rate. 

Important dates (subject to change)

Room Selection Information Table

  • Monday, March 14, 2022; 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Main Level by the Info Desk (Thomas Commons)

Numbers draw

  • Monday, February 21, 2022: Notification of selection status via email
  • Monday, February 28, 2022: Selection number draw begins; link to generate number will be sent

Available rooms posted online

  • Monday, March 14, 2022 (watch your Cornell e-mail for details)

Room selection for quads 

  • Monday, March 28, 2022: Quad room lottery opens & closes
  • Tuesday, March 29, 2022: Quad room notifications sent

Room selection for triples

  • Wednesday, March 30, 2022: Triple room lottery opens & closes
  • Thursday, March 31, 2022: Triple room notifications sent

Room selection for singles

  • Friday, April 1, 2022: Single room lottery opens
  • Sunday, April 3, 2022: Singe room lottery closes
  • Monday, April 4, 2022: Single room notifications sent

Room selection for doubles

  • Wednesday, April 6, 2022: Double room lottery for Senior numbers opens at 1:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, April 7, 2022: Double room lottery for Junior numbers opens at 9:00 a.m.
  • Friday, April 8, 2022: Double room lottery for Sophomore numbers opens 9:00 a.m.

Late room draw

  • Saturday, April 8 - Sunday, April 10, 2022

Singles Room Waitlist

  • Monday, April 11, 2022: singles waitlist opens at Noon; available through the end of May

General numbers draw

Room draw numbers will be used to determine your place in the order for selecting a room amongst your selection class.  The selection order will begin with the student who drew number one and continues in numerical order until the person with the highest number (furthest from zero) in the class has selected their room. 

Priority in the selection process order will be given to senior numbers, then junior numbers, then sophomore numbers.  For example, a senior who draws the number one-hundred will select their room before a student who draws junior number one.  When selecting a double, triple or quad occupancy room, the person with the best number amongst the group will use their number to secure the room.  For example, if a senior and a sophomore decide to live together, the pair would select their room when the senior number is called.  If two juniors decide to live together, the pair would select their room when the better (closer to zero) of their two numbers are called.

All eligible students not already assigned to a fall housing assignment through an earlier housing selection process will be emailed a link during the afternoon on the date listed above to generate your room selection number.  Please log-in (using your Cornell user name and password) and enter your Cornell email and a phone number that can be used to contact you if needed.  When you hit submit your room selection number will appear on the screen.  A confirmation email will be sent to you and also sent to the Residence Life staff. 

The deadline to generate a room selection number is 8:00 p.m. the Sunday before Block 7 begins. Generating a number after this deadline will result in a late number draw.  Please note if you do not generate a room selection number, you will not be eligible to select a room or be included as a roommate by anyone else.

Students who have a financial hold on their account may generate a number by the deadline above. Anyone who still has an unresolved hold on their account by the start of Block 7 will not be eligible to select a room or be selected as someone's roommate until their account is resolved (this can take a day or more for Business Services to process and send a notification to Residence Life, so please don't delay is resolving your account holds).

Late numbers draw

Students who miss Numbers Draw may participate in Late Draw by contacting the Residence Life Office beginning at 8 a.m. the day after numbers draw ends. Students participating in the late draw may not select a room, NOR MAY THEIR ROOMMATE(S) SELECT A ROOM, until all other students have selected a room. Refer to the important dates for the time and location of late room draw.

Lottery number "carryover"

The room selection number you draw will carry over and be used in all processes you choose to participate in.  You will not need to generate a new number for the different processes. 

Between the conclusion of Room Selection and the end of the academic year, general room draw numbers do carry over to the singles waitlist for those who did not secure a single room during room selection.  Anyone who signs-up for the waitlist prior to May 31 will be placed on the waitlist in the order of their selection status and room draw number. Beginning June 1, lottery numbers will no longer be recognized, and any new folks added to the waitlist will be placed in the order on a first-come, first-served basis.

General Housing Selection Lotteries

The general housing selection lotteries consist of rooms in our traditional residence halls.  Available quads, triples, and doubles will primarily be located in Bowman-Carter Hall, Merner Hall, Pfeiffer Hall, and Olin Hall.  A select number of singles will also be available in some of the first-year residence halls in addition to these buildings.

Quad Room Selection

The quad room lottery will begin at Noon p.m. CST on the opening date listed above.  An email with the application link is sent to all students.  Students should determine who the four members are that will be applying together (students can only be included in one grouping; if they appear on multiple groupings each group will be disqualified and not considered for selection).

When the lottery opens one member of the group should collect the names and ID numbers for their group.  This person will log-in to the application link provided and fill out which students will live in the room should their group be selected.  This person will also rank each available quad in order, starting with the group's top preference and working down the list to their last preference.  Once submitted, a copy of the group's information and preferences will be sent to the Residence Life staff.

The quad lottery will close at 4:00 p.m. CST on the closing date listed above.  Groups will be prioritized by the best room selection number in their group.  For example, a group of all seniors will be placed in order by the best senior number in the group.  A group of one junior and two sophomores will be placed in order based on the junior number in the group.   

Once the selection order has been determined, Residence Life staff will use the quad preferences indicated on the group's application to determine their housing assignments.  For example, the first group in the order will receive their top preference.  The second group in order will receive their top preference unless that space was already assigned, then the group will receive their second preference.  We will continue this process for each group until all suites are assigned. 

Members of the groups that will be assigned to quad will be notified via email by 4:00 p.m. CST on the notification date listed above.  All other groups will receive an email notification that afternoon they were not selected and can begin making plans for which housing selection process they would like to participate in next. Groups who are assigned a quad will be considered housed, and will not be eligible to participate in any remaining housing selection process.

Triple Room Selection

The triple room lottery will begin the opening date listed above at Noon p.m. CST when an email with the application link is sent to all students.  Students should determine who the three members are that will be applying together (students can only be included in one grouping; if they appear on multiple groupings each group will be disqualified and not considered for selection).

When the lottery opens one member of the group should collect the names and ID numbers for their group.  This person will log-in to the application link provided and fill out which students will live in the room should their group be selected.  This person will also rank each available triple in order, starting with the group's top preference and working down the list to their last preference.  Once submitted, a copy of the group's information and preferences will be sent to the Residence Life staff.

The triple lottery will close at 4:00 p.m. CST on the closing date listed above.  Groups will be prioritized by the best room selection number in their group.  For example, a group of all seniors will be placed in order by the best senior number in the group.  A group of one junior and two sophomores will be placed in order based on the junior number in the group.   

Once the selection order has been determined, Residence Life staff will use the triple preferences indicated on the group's application to determine their housing assignments.  For example, the first group in the order will receive their top preference.  The second group in order will receive their top preference unless that space was already assigned, then the group will receive their second preference.  We will continue this process for each group until all suites are assigned. 

Members of the groups that will be assigned to a triple will be notified via email by 4:00 p.m. CST on the notification date listed above.  All other groups will receive an email notification that afternoon they were not selected and can begin making plans for which housing selection process they would like to participate in next. Groups who are assigned a triple or quad will be considered housed, and will not be eligible to participate in any remaining housing selection process.

Single Room Selection

The single room lottery will begin the opening date listed above at Noon CST when an email with the application link is sent to all students.  When the lottery opens students interested in a single room will log-in to the application link provided and fill out their information.  They will also rank each available single in order, starting with their top preference and working down the list to their last preference.  Once submitted, a copy of the information and preferences will be sent to the Residence Life staff.

The single lottery will close at 8:00 p.m. CST on the closing date listed above.  Applicants will be prioritized in order by room selection number.  Senior numbers will be prioritized first, then junior numbers, then sophomore numbers.   

Once the selection order has been determined, Residence Life staff will use the single preferences indicated on each student's application to determine their housing assignments.  For example, the first student in the order will receive their top preference.  The second student in order will receive their top preference unless that space was already assigned, then they will receive their second preference.  We will continue this process for each student until all available singles are assigned. 

Students that will be assigned to a single will be notified via email by 4:00 p.m. CST on the notification date listed above.  All other students will receive an email notification that afternoon they were not selected and can begin making plans for which housing selection process they would like to participate in next. Individuals who are assigned a single room will be considered housed, and will not be eligible to participate in any remaining housing selection process.

Single Room Waitlist

Anyone who did not secure a single room that would like to be placed on a waitlist should a space come available over the summer or throughout the following academic year can click here to complete a waitlist application starting at Noon on Monday after doubles room selection concludes (any submissions prior to this time will be discarded).  Anyone who submits an application between Noon on that day and 4:30 p.m. on May 31 will be placed on the list in order of their class status and room selection number.  Anyone who signs up June 1 or later will be placed on the list in the order of the date and time in which their application is received.    

Double Room Selection

The double room lottery will consist of three separate dates based on class standing:

  • The remaining Senior numbers will begin to select on Wednesday afternoon
  • The remaining Junior numbers will begin to select on Thursday morning
  • The remaining Sophomore numbers will begin to select on Friday morning

The order in which students choose their room will be pre-determined by the rroom selection numbers.  Senior numbers will be prioritized first, then junior numbers, then sophomore numbers.  Prior to the lottery students should determine who their roommate will be so they are aware of which room selection number they will use to select the room. 

We strongly encourage everyone to speak with their roommate prior to the lottery and make a list of which rooms you are interested in.  Depending on what your room selection number is, you may want to consider ranking all available rooms in order of your preference as you will only have a few minutes to make your selection.

When the lottery opens the senior with the best room selection number will receive an email with a link to the double room selection website. That student will need to log-in and enter the name and ID number for both themself and their roommate.  This person will then select the double room of their choice from the list of available rooms.  Once submitted, a copy of the group's information and preferences will be sent to the Residence Life staff, and the room will not be visible to any subsequent students who log-in. 

Please note there is a three-minute time limit from the time you receive your link until when you need to submit your room selection choice.  Once you've made your room selection choice or once the three-minute time limit has expired (whichever comes first), an email will be sent to the next student in the selection order inviting them to log-in and choose their room.

We strongly encourage everyone to begin monitoring your email just prior to the start of the selection time on your date. If students in front of you have takes less than their allotted five minutes to select their room your email will be sent out more quickly.  For example, if you're the student with number three, don't assume you have six minutes until your pick since there are two people in front of you.  If they both select their room within a couple of minutes then your email will be sent after only a couple of minutes.  Not paying close enough attention to when you get the selection link could mean you risk missing your selection time and being skipped in the selection order. Also, it's likely large groups of numbers will not be included in the doubles lottery since students who've been housed already will not be included.  For example.  If you're student number 25, and students 1-24 have already been housed, then you will be the first person in your class to receive a log-in email.

Should a student not log-in after three minutes of receiving their email, or take more than three minutes after logging in to select their room, any subsequent students who log-in after that can jump ahead of you in order if they submit their selection before you submit your selection.

If you experience any issues after logging into the selection link, or believe that you did not receive your selection link, please contact the Residence Life Office.

Floor plans

Floor plans are provided online to assist students in determining the location of a room within a residence hall. Diagrams are not necessarily drawn to scale and certain building renovations and/or improvements may not be included.

Frequently asked questions

Refer to our frequently asked questions or contact our office with questions.