Housing lottery

The housing lottery is the first (and most important) phase of the Room Selection process. It can help a great deal to have a strategy, several of which are detailed here: housing strategies.

Registration

Students may sign up for either Group Suite Selection (for a double or suite) or General Selection (for a single in a corridor-style residence hall).

In Group Suite Selection, group sizes can range from 2 to 8. You'll only be able to pick a suite that exactly matches your group size. E.g., 2 people can only pick a double, or 5 people can only pick a 5-person suite. Groups of two can only have Columbia students. Groups of 3 or more must be at least 50% composed of Columbia students. As of 2011, you may no longer invoke the EC exclusion rule. EC exclusion suites are treated as any other suite would be.

In General Selection you may sign up as an individual or as a group with your friends (e.g. you want to be in a single near your friends). Group sizes can range from 2 to 10.

Notes

• Men and women may form groups together for Group Suite Selection and General Selection. However, doubles can only be assigned to students of the same gender.
• Groups in Group Suite Selection can only choose suites that are the exact size of their group. That is, a group of 6 cannot split up into 3 groups of 2 in suite selection - they can only choose 6-person suites (if available). If there are no remaining suites matching the size of the group, the group must drop to General Selection, where they can split up as they desire.

Point values

Once the registration period is over, each group or individual is assigned a point value ranging from 10 to 30 according to senior/junior/sophomore status as follows:

• rising seniors get 30 points
• rising juniors get 20 points
• rising sophomores get 10 points

Senior/junior/sophomore status is determined based on the year a student entered Columbia, not on the year he expects to graduate. If students form a group for a double or suite, the group point value is the average of its Columbia College and SEAS members (but not Barnard College members).

Lottery numbers

Next, each group or individual is assigned a random, computer-generated lottery number ranging from 1 to 3000. (Groups share a single lottery number.)

Implications for room selection

The order in which students select their room is determined by a combination of point value and lottery number. A student with 30 points and lottery number 1 gets to choose his room first, all the way up to a student with 30 points and lottery number 3000, who in turn gets to choose his room before a student with 20 points and lottery number 1, and so on down the ranks. Appointment dates and times are assigned accordingly.

Students then try to determine exactly what they'll be able to get, especially by referring to the cutoff history, though keep in mind that the cutoff history varies greatly from year to year, and cannot accurately predict what will happen.

Next phases

The next phases of the Room Selection process are described separately:

• Group Suite Selection
• General Selection
• Summer Transfer