RESIDENCE LIFE HOUSING SELECTION

The housing system opens at 9 a.m. EST for each selection process, including the housing application launch and subsequent processes like homesteading, relocated selection, and general selection by class standing.

Note: since this is a live system and other students are actively selecting rooms, the building, room type, or room configurations they see may no longer be available when it’s their turn to participate in room selection.

• Students who have submitted a completed housing application will be able to view available spaces in real time before their designated housing selection time.
• The room selection preview page offers several benefits for students such as:
  • Informed Decision-Making: Students can see available rooms in real time, helping them make more informed choices when it’s their turn to select a room.
  • Reduced Stress: Knowing what spaces are available ahead of time can reduce anxiety and give them the opportunity to have an alternative plan in place should their preferred building, room type or room configuration they want is no longer available.

To successfully participate in Homesteading, Relocated Student Selection, Themed Living Selection or General Selection, follow these steps:

1. 1. ✅ Complete & Submit a new Housing Application for the upcoming fall semester.
   2. ✅ Create a Roommate Group if you plan to live with others. View information on how to create a roommate group.
   3. ✅ Confirm Roommate Requests in your Housing Application.
   4. ✅ Return to Your Housing Application on your designated selection date to choose a room.

For important Room Selection dates, visit: Room Selection Dates.

To select a roommate, follow these steps:

1. 1. Complete Your Housing Application.
   2. Go to the Roommate Selection Page within your application.
   3. Search for your preferred roommate “by detail” using their Hofstra ID or you can search by “profile” if looking for a possible match.
   4. Send a roommate request.
   5. Your requested roommate must accept your request before the room selection process begins.

Once your requested roommate has accepted, the roommate with the highest class standing and earliest selection time CAN select the room for all members during their assigned selection time.

For important Room Selection dates, visit: Room Selection Dates.

View instructions on how to create a roommate group.

If you are unable to find your friends while forming a roommate group on your housing application, even though you have their HofID#s, it may be due to the following reasons:

• “Display in Roommate Search Results” Not Enabled: To be searchable, students must have the “Display in Roommate Search Results” box checked on the Roommate Matching Questionnaire page of their housing application. If this box is unchecked, they will not appear in searches.
• Incomplete Housing Applications: Your friends may not have submitted their housing applications yet for the upcoming semester. All students must complete and submit their applications before they can be added to a roommate group. View instructions on how to create a roommate group.
• Incorrect HofID#s: Double-check that you have entered the correct HofID#s without any typos.

Yes! Commuting students, new students, and students returning from study abroad may be selected as a roommate if they:

• Pay the required $300 Housing Deposit (and Enrollment Fee if new to Hofstra).
• Complete a Housing Application.
• Accept the Roommate Request before the room selection process begins.

The student with the earlier selection time should select the room on behalf of the roommate group.
Important:

• All roommate requests must be accepted before room selection begins.
• For important Room Selection dates, visit: Room Selection Dates.

If you are unable to find a roommate before your room selection date and time, you can still proceed with the selection process. You may choose a room type that accommodates fewer people (i.e. a single room) or use the “Search for Roommates by Profile” feature to find a random roommate. Keep in mind, however, that all rooms must be filled to capacity, so you’ll need to find a roommate to select a multiple occupancy room (i.e. Double room requires one roommate added to your roommate group, 4-person suite requires three additional students.

Homesteading allows students to reserve their current space in their room for the next academic year if eligible.

You can Homestead:

• Your own assigned space.
• Your roommate’s space (if part of a confirmed Roommate Group on your Housing Application). View information on how to create a roommate group.

You cannot Homestead:

• If you live in suite-style housing, you cannot homestead your suitemates’ space.
• A different room.

To successfully participate in Homesteading Process, follow these steps:

• ✅ Complete & Submit a Housing Application.
• ✅ Create a Roommate Group if you plan to live with others. View information on how to create a roommate group.
• ✅ Confirm Roommate Requests in your Housing Application.
• ✅ Return to Your Housing Application on your designated selection date to choose a room.

For important Room Selection dates, visit: Room Selection Dates.

Yes! If a vacancy exists, and your current roommate is not homesteading their space, you can pull in another student if they:

• Have completed a Housing Application for the upcoming academic year.
• You are in a Roommate Group on your Housing Application and they accept the Roommate Request before Homesteading begins.

For important Room Selection dates, visit: Room Selection Dates.

Yes, as long as:

• You complete a Housing Application during the advertised time period.
• Your current room is eligible for Homesteading.
• You participate in the Homesteading Process during the advertised dates.

For important Room Selection dates, visit: Room Selection Dates.

Residential students currently living on campus during the spring semester are generally eligible to homestead their room for the next academic year, except for those residing in:

• First-Year Only Buildings (Netherlands Complex and Stuyvesant Hall).
• Rooms designated for First-Year Students in the High Rise buildings.
• Rooms or buildings scheduled for renovations or capacity changes for the next academic year.

Students will receive an email notification from the Office of Residence Life in advance if their current room is not eligible for Homesteading.

For important Room Selection dates, visit: Room Selection Dates.

Yes, our office will process room changes once the room selection process is complete. Students must submit a Room Change Request via their portal.

Room Change Requests open the first week of May. View for directions on how to submit a room change request.

Watch a Homesteading video.

This process is for students who have been notified by the Office of Residence Life that they cannot Homestead their current space due to:

• • ✅ Building renovations.
  • ✅ Room configuration changes.

These students are given priority access to select a room type in another building prior to the  General Selection Process.

• • Eligible students can select a room of the same type they currently reside in from available spaces in their chosen building. All rooms must be filled to capacity.

 For example, if you live in a double room, you must select another double room and form a roommate group of 2 on the housing application. View information on how to create a roommate group.

Note: Students in first-year spaces are not considered relocated.

To successfully participate in Relocated Student Room Selection, follow these steps:

• ✅ Complete & Submit a Housing Application.
• ✅ Create a Roommate Group if you plan to live with others. View information on how to create a roommate group.
• ✅ Confirm Roommate Requests in your Housing Application.
• ✅ Return to Your Housing Application on your designated selection date to choose a room.

For important Room Selection dates, visit: Room Selection Dates.

No. You can only select a room of the same type (double → double).

✅ Students wanting to reside in a single room must participate in the General Selection Process.

For important Room Selection dates, visit: Room Selection Dates.

Yes! The new roommate must:

• • Have completed a Housing Application for the upcoming academic year.
  • You are in a Roommate Group on your Housing Application and they accept the Roommate Request before the Relocated Student Room Selection process begins.

You can participate in the Relocated Student Selection which gives you priority to select a room.

Yes. For example, if you currently live in a high rise double room, you must form a roommate group of two on your Housing Application. Your requested roommates MUST accept their Roommate Request before the Relocated Student Room Selection process begins.

Yes, our office will process room changes once the room selection process is complete. Students must submit a Room Change Request via their portal.

Room Change Requests open the first week of May. View directions on how to submit a room change request.

Watch a Relocated Student Room Selection video.

• • Complete and submit a Housing Application.

• • ️Email the Office of Residence Life to schedule an in-person appointment.

• • ️ Attend the appointment on the designated selection date to be assigned a space in the Themed Living Community.

If you currently live in a Themed Living Community, you may Homestead your space unless otherwise notified.

For important Room Selection dates, visit: Room Selection Dates.

The General Room Selection Process is for students who:

• Did not homestead their current room.
• Are not part of the Relocated Student Selection Process.
• Are looking to select a new space for the upcoming academic year

To successfully participate in the General Selection Process, follow these steps:

• ✅ Complete & Submit a Housing Application.
• ✅ Create a Roommate Group if you plan to live with others. View information on how to create a roommate group.
• ✅ Confirm Roommate Requests in your Housing Application.
• ✅ Return to Your Housing Application on your designated selection date to choose a room.

For important Room Selection dates, visit: Room Selection Dates.

Yes! If you want to live with a specific roommate, you must:

1. 1. All students must complete a Housing Application.
   2. Create a roommate group on the Roommate Selection Page of your Housing Application.
   3. Accept the roommate request before your selection time.
   4. Once the request is accepted, the person in the group  with the highest class standing  CAN select the room for all members.

For important Room Selection dates, visit: Room Selection Dates.

No, you cannot select a four-person suite if your roommate group only has three people. All rooms and suites must be filled to capacity during the Room Selection process. If you want to live in a four-person suite, you will need to find a fourth roommate and have them join your roommate group before selection.

Possible Room Configurations with 3 People

• Three-Person Suite – Includes one single bedroom and one double bedroom, with/without a lounge, and a shared in-suite bathroom. Very limited availability—residents should have an alternative plan.
• Three-Single Room Suite – A suite with three separate single bedrooms and a shared in-suite bathroom. Important: Each resident will be assigned their own single room, which is a higher-priced housing option. Extremely limited availability.
• Available Spaces in Multiple Occupancy Rooms/Suites – Includes partially filled 4- or 5-person suites (with or without lounges) and high-rise quads. Residents selecting this option will be assigned random roommates and/or suitemates.

Alternative Options:

• On the Housing application, you can use the “Search for Roommates by Profile” feature to request a random roommate to fill the empty space. View instructions on how to “Search for Roommates by Profile.”
• Reconfigure your roommate group and search for a different room type. For example, if you have three students and cannot find a fourth roommate for a four-person suite, consider selecting a high-rise triple room or a triple suite. View instructions on how to create a roommate group.

If no available room type fits your group and you do not select a room, you will be Administratively Assigned by the Office of Residence Life, taking into account your preferences in your Housing Application.

The chances of a 3-person suite (one single room and one double room) being available during your room selection time are extremely low. Here’s why:

• Limited Availability: This room type is very limited and often fills up quickly, especially in the early rounds of selection such as homesteading.
• High Demand: Many students prefer suites with a mix of single and double rooms, making them one of the first options to be chosen.
• Selection Timing: If your selection time is later in the process, it’s less likely that these suites will still be available.

Room selection is based on real-time availability, not the preferences listed in your housing application. The Office of Residence Life collects preferences in case they need to assign housing for students who:

• Cannot fill a room/suite to capacity (e.g., a double requires two occupants, a triple requires three, etc.).
• Have a completed application but do not participate in room selection.

During general selection, available rooms are shown based on the size of your roommate group. If you are not in a roommate group, the system will display available single rooms and spaces in partially filled rooms/suites at the time of selection.

• If a group member has a higher class standing, they can select the room for the group (e.g., a Sophomore can select for a First-year group).
• All group members MUST be assigned to successfully select a room. Rooms must be filled to capacity to avoid errors.
• Use room type filters to select your preferred room (e.g., single, double, suite).
• If no filter appears, only one room type remains, so confirm it matches your preference.
• The system will show all room types that fit your group.

This means that in order to select a room in a shared space (e.g., a double or triple), all spots in that room must be filled by students. For example, if you’re selecting a double room, the room cannot be chosen unless both spots are filled.

Yes. Students studying abroad during the spring semester who plan to return to campus housing for the fall must complete the Returning Resident Application Process. Students studying abroad in the spring who wish to live on campus for the upcoming fall semester can participate in the General Room Selection Process during their designated time, which is prioritized by class year. View the Room Selection Important Dates.

Additionally, a current spring residential student can pull a study-abroad student into a multi-occupancy room if the following conditions are met:

• A Housing Application has been completed.
• The student is in a roommate group with the current resident pulling them in.
• The student has no outstanding balance on their student account.
• A $300 housing deposit is on file with the University.

You can select a room near your friends as long as there are available spaces near each other when it’s your selection time. If you and your friends are in the same selection time slot, you can coordinate your selections.

If there are no rooms left in your preferred building or room type, here are a few steps you can take:

Have a Backup Plan: Always have a second or third option in mind in case your first choice is unavailable. This ensures you won’t be caught off guard.

Explore Alternative Room Types: Consider selecting a different room type that might still meet your needs. Sometimes other configurations, like partially filled suites or rooms in different buildings, may still be available.

Review Available Buildings: If your preferred building is fully booked, check if any other buildings have available rooms. These may not be in your first-choice location, but they could still offer a suitable living space.

Yes, our office will process room changes once the room selection process is complete. Students must submit a Room Change Request via their portal.

Room Change Requests open the first week of May. View directions on how to submit a room change request.

Watch a General Selection video.