Undergraduate Room Selection

Room Selection Calendar in Brief

  • January 11: Residential Program application available at 9AM. For a list of available Residential Programs please click here.
  • January 20: Residential Program application due by Noon
  • February 3: In-House Process application available at 9AM
  • February 7: In-House applications due by Noon
  • February 15 9AM - 19 Noon: In-House priority room selection
  • February 20 9AM - 21 Noon: In-House general room selection
  • February 24: Inter-House Process applications available at 9AM
  • February 29: Inter-House applications due by Noon
  • March 13 9AM -15 Noon: Inter-House priority room selection
  • March 16 9AM - 19 Noon: Inter-House general room selection
  • March 20-26: Wait List applications available (forstudents who did not receive housing assignments)

To view the Room Selection At-A-Glance Brochure, please click here.

How to Apply

1. Select the Room Selection process you are interested in

2. Read the instructions that are relevant for your process: Residential Programs, In-House Process, or Inter-House Process

3. Submit your application on My Home At Penn by the appropriate due date.

Frequently Asked Questions

For additional questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for Room Selection.

Eligibility & Terms

1. Eligibility for on-campus housing is based on your being a registered full-time student in a degree program for fall 2012. The University may cancel an Occupancy Agreement if a student becomes ineligible for housing or has any outstanding University bills.

2. When you apply for housing, you are signing an Application/Occupancy Agreement. It is your binding contract for the full academic year. Your financial obligation begins from the moment you sign it. Read the terms and conditions carefully.

THE FEE SCHEDULE FOR CANCELLATION PRIOR TO OCCUPANCY IS :
Written cancellation received:
Prior to April 1: $250
April 1 - May 15: $350
May 16 - June 30: $450
July 1 - July 15: $750
July 16 - August 29: $950
August 30 - September 5: $1200
No shows will be cancelled on September 5 and charged $1200

No cancellations are accepted after a resident picks up keys or takes occupancy.

3. You may hold one room assignment for 2012-2013. If you receive a room assignment, and want to apply to another process, you must cancel your Agreement and be subject to cancellation charges in order to apply for another process. For example, if you have a room assignment from the In-House process, you must cancel the assignment in order to apply for the Inter-House Process.

4. If a roommate cancels, a new roommate will be assigned at any time during the year without prior notification to residents. We cannot guarantee that assigned roommates will match your personal preferences. Any attempt to discourage an assigned roommate will result in disciplinary action and possibly being charged additional rent.

Helpful Hints

While housing is not guaranteed, every effort is made to accommodate students on campus. We have a waiting list after room selection for students not able to select a room. Below are some helpful hints for increasing your chances of securing housing:

  • Consider returning to the same College House. There are several phases of the room selection process. Students returning to their same House select before those who want to change Houses. Consequently, chances of securing on campus housing are higher in the early phases of the process.
  • Be realistic with housing preferences. There are certain room types that are extremely popular and limited in number. Some examples include single rooms and apartments, two-bedroom apartments, three-bedroom triple apartments, and four-bedroom quad apartments. These are often filled early in the process by students returning to their same House. Have alternate choices as a back-up.
  • Do not select a room you will not live in. We do not accept room change requests at this time, and cancellation fees apply from the moment space is assigned.
  • Do not miss any housing deadlines.
  • Select your Captain carefully. Make sure it is someone who is available on the priority room selection dates for In-House or Inter-House .

Gender Neutral Housing

Gender Neutral Housing allows students 18 years of age or older to elect to assigned to a room without regard to gender. During Room Selection, students may form groups without regard to gender. All group members must complete the Gender Neutral Housing step within the application and resond "yes" to the question "I am interested in Gender Neurtral Housing." By responding "yes", a students room assignment gender changes to neutral. This allows students who responded "yes" to be assigned together. Students who respond "yes" to gender neutral cannot select rooms with students who have an assignment gender of male or female. Please review the Gender Neutral Housing policy prior to applying.

Sansom Place Undergraduate Community

The Sansom Place Undergraduate Community is located on floors 1-9 in Sansom Place West. Sansom Place is primarily a graduate community with a quieter, more private environment for students. Only those interested in a quieter, graduate lifestyle should apply. Rent for Sansom Place undergraduate residents is billed on a semesterly basis. To apply, go to My Home At Penn.

Current Sansom residents: Current undergraduates of Sansom Place West may apply during the In-House Process. Undergraduates in Sansom Place East may select a room in Sansom West during the Inter-House Process. Sansom Place East is not available for selection during the Room Selection process.

Study Abroad/Leave of Absence

Students currently abroad and planning to return for fall semester may apply during room selection. If you are interested in returning to your previous fall semester College House, complete your application atMy Home At Penn.

Students going abroad or on leave for fall 2012, are not eligible to apply for spring 2013 housing during room selection. Applications for January 2013 will be available from Housing’s web site on October 1. Typically, on campus housing is readily available for spring. You may request to live with a friend and we will try to assign you to their room if space is available at that time. You can try and facilitate this with some pre-planning:

  • Identify a student who wants to live on campus in the fall and is graduating in December 2012 or planning to study abroad spring 2013.
  • This student should apply to live with your friends during the room selection process.
  • By mid-November, this student should apply for early termination of their Housing Agreement. S/he must have a valid reason for termination such as December graduation or spring study abroad.
  • By mid-November, you should apply for housing requesting that specific room.
  • Please note that we will try to accommodate your request but cannot guarantee placement.

Medical Accommodation

If you are requesting special consideration because of a medical condition, please complete section I of the Request for Medical Accommodation form. Your physician must complete section II. The form must be received in the Assignments Office no later than January 18, 2012 regardless of the process to which you are applying. The documentation may be reviewed by Student Disability Services and Student Health to determine if special provisions are required. You must still apply during the appropriate room selection process and note on the application that you have submitted medical documentation.

Students requiring low floors for religious reasons may note this preference on their applications. We will attempt to place you on a low floor during the room assignment process. This cannot be guaranteed, as space is limited.