Room Selection in 6 Easy Steps
Room Selection is an annual process during which current undergraduate students select on-campus housing for the following academic year. Students choose from a variety of housing arrangements that include living with a group in doubles, suites, or apartments, or living in a single in a corridor-style room or apartment.
What About Incoming First-Year Students?
Incoming First-Year students (Class of 2029) do not participate in Room Selection and are instead assigned to one of our First-Year residence halls.
The best way to prepare for Room Selection is to do your homework: confirm your eligibility, attend an info session and watch Room Selection videos to learn more about what to expect as a rising sophomore, rising junior, or rising senior.
All students participating in Room Selection are assigned a point value based on their class. The point value is used to determine the student's lottery number and appointment time. Learn more.
Use our Residence Hall Directory to research your options.
We encourage all students to participate as part of an even-numbered group to improve their chances of selecting a room during their appointment time. Students who register as individuals or as part of an odd-numbered group may not be able to select a room depending on the inventory of available rooms during their appointment.
All current residential students must declare their housing intent in the Housing Portal, even if they intend to move off-campus, study abroad, or will be assigned to a room as part of a special population. Declaring your intent is an important step to maintaining guaranteed housing status, provided you meet other eligibility criteria.
Individual students and groups will receive an appointment time during which they will log into the Housing Portal and select a room. Only the Group Leader is eligible to make selections for group members. After room selections have been made, every student must sign their Occupancy Agreement. Your assignment is not finalized until you and all members of your group have signed.
Room Selection for You
Are you planning to live at Barnard or invite a Barnard student into your Room Selection group? Learn more.
Watch this Video!
Check out our collection of videos designed to help you learn more about our residence halls and the Room Selection process. Many of the videos feature students providing their personal tips and recommendations, including our featured video, "How Room Selection Works" which was created in collaboration with the Residence Hall Leadership Organization (RHLO).
Important Dates & Deadlines
See the full Room Selection calendar.
Updates for AY 25-26
- Updates to the Selection Portal:
- The selection process in the Housing Portal will open in demonstration mode on March 14 so students can familiarize themselves with the tool.
- The selection process will now default to a "flexible match" view which shows all available rooms and expedites the selection process, especially for groups.
- Hartley Hall is scheduled for full-building renovation and will not be available in Room Selection.
- A new residence hall, 611 W. 112th St., will be available for Room Selection following a full-building renovation. Primarily offering double rooms, 611 W. 112th St. is Columbia’s first electric undergraduate residential building.
- Minor changes were made to the "Housing Style" tags used in the residence hall directory to better reflect the housing style options within our portfolio.
- East Campus townhouses, including kitchens and baths, along with the main and second floor lounges will be renovated during Summer 2025.
- Ongoing construction may minimally impact the Wien Courtyard and 47 Claremont.
- Updates made to the Barnard-Columbia exchange due to timing of Barnard Housing selection process; adjustments discussed with student representatives at Housing Advisory Committee over Fall semester.
