Room Selection Instructions
For 2024-2025 Housing
The instructions below will lead current undergraduate students through the process of submitting an application for General Room Selection in order to receive a timeslot to reserve a room in an upper-level residence hall or house.
For details and answers to frequently asked questions, view our General Room Selection FAQs.
If you need assistance during General Room Selection, contact the Housing Help Desk from 4:00-10:00pm on Monday, March 11 and Wednesday, March 13. Call by phone at 607-255-5368; chat within the Housing Portal; or send email to housing@cornell.edu
STEP 1:
Sign up for General Room Selection in the housing portal between January 8 and February 28 in order to receive a General Room Selection timeslot. (Timeslots will be emailed starting March 1.)
Does this step apply to me? All current undergraduate students who are required to live on campus should sign up for General Room Selection. This includes those who are participating in Greek recruitment. Rising juniors and seniors may also apply but are not guaranteed placement.
STEP 2:
Prepare for General Room Selection by following the steps below.
(1) Learn about your housing options. Visit Housing Options for Upper-level Undergraduate Students.
(2) Decide if you want to live with friends. Up to six students may choose rooms together in a block. Note: You may only join one block at a time.
(3) If living with friends:
- Establish a block leader who will create the block in the housing portal. The student who is planning on being the block leader will 'create a new block' in the portal application. This will require them to set up a username and password when they create a new block. Please use a username/password that is unique and easy to remember. The block leader will give the username and password to other members of the potential block to join through the portal.
- Join your block with the username and password from your block leader.
(4) Receive your timeslot. Timeslots will be emailed after 2:00 pm on March 1. Timeslots are randomly generated, and there is no advantage or disadvantage to blocking. Everyone in the block will receive the same timeslot. Make a plan for your group to gather at one computer, if possible, during your block Room Selection timeslot so your group can choose your room(s) together.
(5) Familiarize yourself with the General Room Selection system. Attend a Room Selection event before your timeslot.
(6) Review bed availability reports and floor plans. We encourage you to develop multiple housing plans.
STEP 3: During General Room Selection (March 11-13)
(1) Log in to the Housing Portal at the beginning of your General Room Selection timeslot. Block leaders: you should log in for your group at the beginning of your timeslot.
(2) Navigate to the General Room Selection page by clicking on the Undergraduate tab on the Home page, and then clicking 'Continue' next to the '2024-2025 Academic Year' application on the Select Contract Period page. (If you see the Timeslot page, but not the General Room Selection page, refresh after your timeslot begins.
(3) Select a room on the Select Building page. Buildings with current availability are shown.
(4) Click 'Add to Cart' on the Room List page to select a room for yourself. If you are a block leader, add rooms for blockmates before clicking 'Save and Continue' at the bottom of the page.
All currently available rooms in the selected building are shown. There may be multiple pages of search results so watch for the option to advance to the next screen.
You may refine the search results using the room type or hallway/suite filters.
You may only assign men to male-designated rooms, women to female-designated rooms, and neutral to neutral-designated rooms. Dynamic rooms/suites have their gender change to male, female, or neutral based on the gender of their first person who reserves a bed in the room/suite.
If you are a block leader, you do not need to assign everyone in your block a bed. However, you will not be able to do so later. Anyone not assigned may self-select a bed.
(5) Rooms will be held for four minutes while you complete this and the next step. On the Assign Beds page, assign a bed to yourself. If you are a block leader, assign beds to your blockmates before clicking 'Assign Beds' at the bottom of the page.
If you are a block leader, once you click 'Assign Beds,' you will not be able to change your blockmates' assignments.
(6) Review the assignment(s) on the Confirmation page and click 'Save & Continue.'
If you are a block leader and you wish to cancel and reselect, note that you will only be able to cancel your own assignment and not that of any blockmates you assigned.
(7) Sign your housing contract. If you are a block leader, blockmates you assigned will be automatically emailed and have two (2) hours to log in and sign their housing contracts.
(8) On the Application Status page, review the information. Your application status will be complete if you have an assignment and have signed your housing contract. Click 'Log Out.'
**Each room listed will include information about whether the room is designated as a male, female, neutral* or dynamic* room, and the number of open beds left in that room. During the process, floor plans are viewable online.
*Dynamic rooms/suites have their gender changed to male or female based on the gender of the first person who reserves a bed in the room/suite.
*Neutral rooms/suites are mixed-gender rooms.
Need help during General Room Selection? During all timeslot periods:
- Call the Room Selection Help Desk at (607) 255-5368; send chat in the Housing Portal; or email to housing@cornell.edu.
For further details and answers to frequently asked questions, visit Housing & Room Selection: FAQs.