Summer Transfer
A Summer Transfer of Fall Assignment, more commonly known as a Summer Transfer is a process in the Columbia Housing system. After room selection has ended, the application for a Summer Transfer of Fall Assignment becomes available online. Students who are unhappy with the housing they selected during room selection may apply for a transfer.
Key facts
- Once Group Suite Selection and General Selection are over, some space becomes available because students fail to sign their contracts, decide to study abroad, take time off, or transfer to a different school. These spaces are made available through the Summer Transfer of Fall Assignment process.
- Students apply for Summer Transfer of Fall Assignment online after General Selection has ended.
- The order in which summer transfer requests are fulfilled is determined by two numbers, as in the regular lottery. First, students are subdivided according to their point value. Second, however, students are subdivided according to their reverse lottery number from the regular lottery.
- Thus, a request from a student with 30/2999 is fulfilled before a request from a student with 30/1, while is in turn fulfilled before a request from a student with 20/2999, and so on.
Process
The transfers are processed by the Housing Assignments Office in 125 Wallach Hall. Transfers are processed first in order of seniority, then in order of reverse lottery number, which means students with a higher number will go first. For example, a senior with a lottery number of 2900 would receive a transfer before a senior with a lottery number of 2800, and both of these seniors would receive transfers before any juniors or sophomores.
The transfer process is binding; if you complete and submit the form, you will be required to move to your new assignment if you are granted a transfer. For this reason, you should be as specific as possible on the form when completing it. The more specific your instructions, the less likely the chance you will be placed in housing you do not want. For instance, you can request to transfer only if you can move to a Broadway single that has a window facing west on a floor higher than the 7th floor. This way, if an east-facing single on the 6th floor becomes available, you will not be moved.
