New Undergrad Application Process
Welcome new students!
All the housing options for first-year students are located on North Campus, convenient to several dining rooms, a café, a convenience store and many recreational spaces and support services. North Campus is in walking distance of buildings where you will have classes, and the TCAT bus system, which is free for first-year students, picks up at several locations on North Campus. Most first-year students do not bring cars to campus. It’s easy to get around by walking, biking or riding the bus.
Housing options for new transfer students are located in each area of campus - West, North, South, program houses - within easy access to dining options, classrooms, and study spaces.
Newly admitted students for the 2025-2026 academic year are required to live on campus. Newly admitted first-year students will need their activated NetID to apply and are encouraged to apply within ten days of receiving their NetID. Transfer students should also apply for housing within ten days of receiving your NetID.
Log in to the Housing and Dining Portal to apply
When you're in the Housing and Dining Portal you’ll have these options:
- Decide whether you want to live in a program house or a residence hall. Program houses are living-learning communities that are either interest- or identity-based. Residence halls at Cornell vary in format, but all include support from staff and faculty.
- Indicate room type preferences. First-year and transfer students may request to live in a single, double, triple, or quad. We will do our best to assign you to your preferred room type.
- Tell us about yourself or your preference for a roommate. Complete a brief questionnaire about your lifestyle and habits to help us match you with a roommate; or you can provide a name of a particular student. We will attempt to fill your request but cannot guarantee it. Most students do not have roommates before they apply for housing.
In addition:
- You may indicate your interest in a female-only community.
- You may opt in to mixed-gender housing. First you’ll need to view a video and agree to the rules. Read more about gender-inclusive housing.
- If you require accessible housing for a disability/chronic health-related reason, you must register with Student Disability Services (SDS). In order to ensure that you are assigned to housing that is accessible to you, we recommend initiating the registration process with SDS as soon as possible to allow adequate time for SDS to review your request. For information on how to register with SDS, please visit sds.cornell.edu. Questions? Contact SDS (phone 607-254-4545, email sds_cu@cornell.edu)
NOTE: Unless you're applying to live in a program house, the decision about which residence hall you'll be in is determined by a random auto-allocation process, based on your preferences. You will not rank residence halls.
Over 500 first-year and transfer students will live in Program Houses
Program Houses – or themed residence halls – offer the chance to develop and immerse yourself in interests within an engaging community of residents and out-of-house members. These close-knit communities have a high level of involvement, with regular events, programming, and outreach opportunities, often in collaboration with related academic departments.
“I chose Ujamaa because I felt very much like an outsider at Cornell and wanted to connect more with a community I can relate to.” “I was passionate about environmentalism coming into college and wanted to learn more about what I could do to make a positive impact on our planet.” These are some of the reasons students have chosen Program Houses.
Being placed in a Program House is also a wonder opportunity to grow, explore new perspectives, and to make new friends in a close-knit and supportive environment.
Once you receive your housing confirmation
Beginning in mid-June, students will receive their housing confirmation, either a building and room confirmation or a confirmation that they are on the guaranteed waitlist. Students who are placed on the guaranteed waitlist will receive weekly updates as room assignments are finalized and their Fall housing is confirmed. They are guaranteed an on-campus housing assignment and will receive their housing assignment on a rolling basis throughout the summer as they become finalized.
Once a housing assignment has been finalized, the next step is to sign the housing license. We ask that you sign your license promptly so you can select your arrival timeslot for move in and finalize your travel plans. Should you need to change your plans, you may adjust your selected timeslot up to August 1 within the Housing and Dining Portal. All timeslots are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
Please note that we will be full for the 2025-2026 academic year and are not able to accept room change requests. Students interested in a different room are encouraged to participate in the direct room swap process. Room Swap is available to any student with a signed housing license and is available via the Housing and Dining Portal between mid-June and mid-July.
Guaranteed Waitlist
All first-year students are guaranteed on-campus housing. Room assignments will be finalized on a rolling basis throughout the summer as spaces are confirmed. For students whose room accommodations have not yet been assigned, you will be placed on the guaranteed waitlist and be emailed weekly regarding your waitlist status until your housing assignment is finalized.
Students will be able to select their specific move-in day and time as soon as they have a confirmed housing assignment and have signed their housing license. Because their building may not be finalized until later this summer, students who are on the guaranteed waitlist now should make travel plans at their convenience and will be allowed to select an available timeslot on either move-in day, regardless of the building they ultimately get assigned to, in order to accommodate their established travel plans.
Transfer Students
Transfer students may be placed in the West Campus House System, South Campus Residence Halls, North Campus Residence Halls, and Program Houses. Once you arrive, you'll have plenty of peers and a strong support system. Almost 15% of new incoming students are transfers.
There is no fee to apply for housing
The housing costs will appear on the bursar bill. Students will be billed in July or August for fall-semester housing, and in December for spring-semester housing. Prices vary based on type of room. Read about housing rates.