How We Assign
Once residence offers are confirmed, we start the annual room assignment process. We use a randomly generated lottery number to assign rooms based on application preferences.
New first-year undergraduate students have first priority for residence (if the application and deposit deadline is met). If space is available after we have accommodated incoming secondary school students, additional offers will be made to first-year transfer students, graduate students and upper-year returning students. Learn more about residence priority here.
Please note: We reserve the right to modify the occupancy capacity of residence rooms/buildings if there is high applicant demand, including combining multiple residents into rooms and/or the use of temporary non-resident spaces (ie. lounge, study rooms). Assignment to expanded spaces will be based on lottery priority.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do first-year room assignments work?
The application you fill out includes information about:
- The type of room you prefer
- The building or living-learning community you prefer
- How you like to live and study
- Whether you value the room type or building choice more
These are the factors that are used to determine your room assignment.
After the application deadline, you will be randomly assigned a random, computer-generated lottery number. This lottery number will determine the odds of you receiving one of your top choices.
How do I request a roommate or suitemate preference?
You will have an opportunity to request a roommate or a suitemate if you meet the application and deposit deadline. After June 3, you will be sent an email inviting you to add a roommate preference(s) to your application. If you request someone, he/she must also request you or it won’t be considered a match.
If I apply early, do I have a better chance of getting my choice?
No. Everyone who applies before the deadline is assigned a random number at that point and has an equal chance.
What are my chances of getting an LLC, ALC or Academic Cluster?
It will depend on how many people apply to each of these. Make sure you complete the secondary application for the LLCs when you apply.
How does the lottery-based assignment work?
The student who draws #1 on the lottery will get his or her first choice (if there is an opening in the requested building). Student # 2 should also get his or her first choice, and so on until at some point, a student’s first choice is full. The assignment algorithm then looks at the student’s second choice and assigns it accordingly. As the residences begin to fill up, students’ second choices may also be filled, so the third choice and then the fourth choice will be assigned. For students with a low lottery number, it’s possible that none of their choices may be available.
What are my chances of getting what I asked for?
It is impossible to accurately predict. It depends on the number you are randomly assigned in the lottery, and the popularity of the residence options you’ve chosen.
Do my chances improve if I ask for the same thing four times on my application?
No. If you look at the description above about how the lottery works, you’ll see that we only assign your second choice if your first choice is full. If your second choice is the same as your first choice – well, it's still already full.
Try instead to look for a variety of options that will still give you the residence experience you want. That will make it more likely that you’ll get one of your choices.
When will I know my room assignment?
As you might have guessed, this takes time! We expect to release room assignments in mid-July. You will get an email from Residence Admissions to let you know that your room assignment is posted on the Housing portal with instructions on how to view it.
What if I don't like my assignment?
Didn’t get any of your choices? From our experience, most students find that once they are here and getting to know their residence community, they decide they are happy with their new home on campus and don’t want to transfer. If you have a specific reason(s) for needing a transfer, you may be asked to provide documentation. After room assignments are released in late July, we will only be able to make room transfers for medical reasons, and only if we have spaces available. If you did not receive any of your preferences, we ask that you move into your assigned space and be patient with us while we wait for the dust to settle. Every year, we have "no-shows" that result in vacancies that allow us the flexibility to accommodate transfers starting in the middle of September. We will send you an email and announce on social media when the Room Transfer process is open.
If I have specific needs that require additional consideration, what do I need to do?
Please review the Accommodation Request form for information about how the process works if you have special medical, academic, cultural or other needs.
