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Cornell University

Housing & Residential Life

Spring Housing Selection for Rising Sophomores

2026-2027 Rising Sophomore Selection 

Spring Housing Selection for Rising Sophomores is the process in which students submit an application to receive a timeslot to reserve a room in an upper-level residence hall or house.  

All rising sophomores are required to live on campus for 2026-2027 and must submit a 2026-2027 Housing Selection Application via the Housing and Dining Portal. The application will open at the start of the Spring 2026 semester.  

  • Application opens for rising sophomores in the Housing and Dining Portal on February 1
  • Application deadline is April 6
  • Timeslots will be released on April 9
  • Program House Priority Selection and SDS Room Selection will occur on April 13
  • Rising Sophomore Open Room Selection will occur from April 14 to April 17 

Housing information sessions

You can use these opportunities to learn about your options for living on campus, such as in traditional residence halls, in the West Campus House System, in one of the eight university-owned Co-operative Houses, a program house, or in university-approved affiliated housing, and ask any questions you have about the upcoming process.

Residential requirement

Rising sophomores can fulfill the second year of the residential requirement by living in university-approved qualified second-year housing (sorority, fraternity, and approved affiliated housing). The Office of Housing & Residential Life will receive rosters from the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life and affiliated properties to ensure compliance with the residential requirement.

Rising sophomore students who wish to be exempt from the second-year residential requirement for the 2026-2027 academic year must submit an individual exemption request via the Housing and Dining Portal. The deadline to submit an exemption for your second year on campus will be April 6, 2026. No request received after this date will be considered. 

SDS Accommodations

Students who already have approved accommodations do not need to get their accommodations re-approved by Student Disability Services (SDS). If you do not have approved accommodations, you must get approved accommodations from SDS by April 6, 2026, in order to receive a timeslot for the SDS Room Selection process which will occur on April 13, 2026.

Students with approved accommodations who receive a timeslot to participate in the SDS Room Selection Process and are allowed to pull in one student. During your timeslot, you will need to select a room and then contact the Cornell Housing office at (607) 255-5368, to have your preferred roommate pulled in. 

Housing Selection instructions

The instructions below will lead current undergraduate students through the process of submitting an application for Spring Housing Selection 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.

Need help during Spring Housing Selection? During all timeslot periods:  

STEP 1:  

Sign up for Spring Housing Selection in the Housing and Dining Portal between February 1 and April 6 in order to receive a Spring Housing Selection timeslot. Timeslots will be emailed starting April 9. 

Through April 6 at 11:59pm, you are able to register for Spring Housing Selection as an individual student or as a roommate group (called a block). 

If you plan to live in a Greek sorority or fraternity house, one of eight university-owned cooperative houses, or other approved affiliated housing, you will need to affirm this on your application no later than March 15, 2026. Please take a moment to review your 2026-27 academic year housing application in the Housing and Dining Portal.   

Are you interested in living in a program house? Priority Program House Selection will occur April 13 for any resident interested in living in a program house. You can indicate an interest in up to 3 different program houses to receive a timeslot for Priority Program House Selection. 

Does this step apply to me?  All current undergraduate students who are required to live on campus should sign up for Spring Housing Selection. This includes those who are participating in Sorority and Fraternity Life recruitment.  

STEP 2:  

Prepare for Spring Housing Selection by following the steps below.  

(1) Learn about your housing options. Visit Housing Options for Upper-level Undergraduate Students, to review your options, including buildings that offer Winter Break Housing. For information on the building and room configurations, visit Residence Hall Configurations to see what buildings have corridor-style, suite-style, or pod-style arrangements. 

(2) Decide if you want to live with people you know. Up to five students may choose rooms together in a block. Note: You may only join one block at a time.  

(3) If choosing to live with people you know:  

  • Establish a block leader who will create the block in the Housing and Dining 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. 
  • You may join roommate blocks with students who have a different gender marker than you. However, you will need to contact the Cornell Housing office during your timeslot to assist you with placing each other in the same room or suite. 

(4) Receive your timeslot. Timeslots will be emailed by end of day on April 9. 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 Spring Housing Selection system. Attend a Housing Selection Information Session before your timeslot, hosted by Housing and Residential Life in the weeks leading up to Spring Housing Selection   

(6) Review bed availability reports and floor plans. We encourage you to develop multiple housing plans.  

STEP 3: During Spring Housing Selection (April 14-17) 

Instructions regarding the Housing Selection Process will be released in March 2026.

(1) Log in to the Housing and Dining Portal at the beginning of your Spring Housing Selection timeslot. Block leaders: you should log in for your group at the beginning of your timeslot.  

(2) Navigate to the Spring Housing Selection page by clicking the Undergraduate tab on the Home page, and then clicking 'Continue' next to the '2026-2027 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. Only the block leader is able to assign other members of their block to 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.  

If you are in a multi-gender block, as the block leader, you will not be able to assign your blockmates. . You will need to contact the Cornell Housing office at (607) 255-5368  to assist you with placing your blockmates. 

(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 license. 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 licenses.   

(8) Select your meal plan. After signing your housing contract, you will select your meal plan for both semesters (Fall 2026/Spring 2027). Your available meal plan options will depend on the housing that you have selected. 

(9) On the Application Status page, review the information. Your application status will be complete if you have an assignment and have signed your housing license. Click 'Log Out.' 

**Each room listed will include information about whether the room is designated as a male, female, 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.  

Need help during Spring Housing Selection? During all timeslot periods:  

For further details and answers to frequently asked questions, visit Housing & Room Selection: FAQs.