Campus view

Room Selection

Get Ready to #LivePenn

Room Selection

Housing Policy

All University of Pennsylvania undergraduate students are required to live in on-campus housing for their first four semesters (excluding summers), regardless of the number of course credits (CU) or class standing. Sophomore transfers are required to live in on-campus for their first four semesters. Junior transfer students are required to live in on-campus housing for their first two semesters.

  • Students who transfer to Penn from another institution with second year standing and who lived on campus their first year at their previous institution may count those semesters toward the Penn housing residency requirement.
  • Students who transfer to Penn from another institution with junior standing are required to live in on-campus housing for their first two semesters at Penn.
  • Students who study abroad during their sophomore year may include that time toward the requirement.
  • A student who has taken a leave of absence during their first two years living on campus may apply for an exemption from the residency requirement.  The exemption will be approved if a student lived on campus for three complete semesters. 
  • Signing an off-campus lease or entering into a housing agreement within a fraternity or sorority house does not exempt the student from this policy

For more information, click here.

Room Selection

First-Year

As an incoming student to the Penn community, we know that you’re excited to learn which College House is going to be your first home away from home. That’s why our application process is designed to match students with their ideal room. Through the information you share in the Lifestyle Profile and College House Preferences, our team helps find your first assignment. 

Important Dates

Fill out the Housing Application anytime between May 7 to May 31 at 11:59pm EDT. The date you submit does not impact your priority during this time period.

Important Info
  • All first-year students are required to live in a College House and purchase a dining plan. 
  • First-year students can live in a First-Year House or Four-Year House. 
Room Selection

Transfer

As a new member of the Penn community, we know that you’re ready to hit the ground running and make your mark at school. That’s why our application process helps your find your first place at Penn. 

Important Dates

The housing application will open on June 3.

The preferred deadline to complete the application is June 28.

The application deadline is July 31.

Important Info
  • All University of Pennsylvania undergraduate students are required to live in on-campus for their first four semesters.
  • Students are eligible to live in any of our Four-Year or Upperclass communities.
Room Selection

Exchange

We know that you want to make the most of your time at Penn, and we want you to be at the heart of campus. Our Exchange Student application is designed for you to share with us your housing and lifestyle preferences, so that our team can help match you with the College House that will soon become your home at Penn. 

Important Dates

The housing application will open on June 3.

The preferred deadline to complete the application is July 10.

The application deadline is July 31.

Important Info
  • All exchange students are required to live on campus and participate in a dining plan during their time at Penn. 
  • Students are eligible to live in any of our Four-Year or Upperclass communities. 
Room Selection

Second-Year

With the experience of living in the College Houses under your belt, you now have even more opportunities to expand your communities and design how you want to live during your second-year. As a returning undergraduate student, you have three phases of room selection to help you select your next – Program Communities, Return to House, and Move to Any House. 

Important Dates
  • October 31:  Housing Exemption form opens for current second year transfer students who have previously lived on-campus at other institutions 

  • January 23:  Room Selection application opens at 1 pm.  

  • January 23:  Housing Exemption form opens for any current first year and second year transfer students.  

  • February 2:  Program Community application closes at 1 pm. 

  • February 7:  Room Selection application closes at 5 pm.  

  • February 9:  Room selection timeslots and Program Community assignments emailed to all current first year and second year transfer students 

  • February 9 – March 1:  Room selection processes open to eligible students.  

Important Info
  • Members of the Class of ’27 and transfer students admitted as second year students are required to live on campus for the 2024-2025 academic year as part of Penn’s Second Year Experience.
  • Second-year students can live in our Four-Year and Upperclass Houses: Du Bois, Gregory-Class of ’25, Gutmann, Harnwell, Harrison, Radian, Rodin, and Stouffer-Mayer.
Room Selection

Third-Year & Fourth-Year

You know your College Houses, and our application process gets you one step closer to returning to our College House communities. As a returning undergraduate student, you have three phases of Room Selection to help you Select Your Next – Program Communities, Return to House, and Move To Any House. And a bonus – rising third and fourth-year residents are also able to participate in the Room Retention process.

We have space across campus for third and fourth-year students that want to live Penn, so we are offering the Third & Fourth-Year Room Selection application.  The Rising Third & Fourth-Year Room Selection application is an opportunity for these students to let us know they want to participate in the spring semester’s room selection process. 

Any rising third or fourth-year student that wants to live on campus next year should submit this application while it is available.  All applications received by the closing deadline of November 21 at 5 pm will be randomized, so it doesn’t matter when an application is completed!  

Applications selected by the randomization process will be eligible for Room Selection timeslots provided the remainder of the application is complete and submitted by February 7 at 5 pm. Those students with Rising Third & Fourth-Year Room Selection applications who have been placed on the housing waitlist will still be able to submit a Room Selection application during spring’s process.  Students will be removed from the waitlist and eligible for Room Selection dependent upon how many students fail to complete the remainder of their application by February 7 at 5 pm.

Submitting a Rising Third & Fourth-Year Room Selection application does not commit a student to housing until they select or are assigned to a room during the selection process in the spring semester.

 

Important Dates
  • October 31:  Rising Third & Fourth-Year Room Selection application opens at 1 pm for current second, third, and fourth-year students graduating in December 2024.   

  • November 21:  Rising Third & Fourth-Year Room Selection application closes at 5 pm 

  • December 1:  Notification via email about Room Selection eligibility to all students who submitted a Rising Third & Fourth-Year Room Selection application 

  • January 23:  Room Selection application opens at 1 pm. Any student who completed a Rising Third & Fourth-Year Room Selection application should complete this application to be eligible for room selection.  

  • February 2:  Program Community application closes at 1 pm. 

  • February 7:  Room Selection application closes at 5 pm.  

  • February 9:  Room Selection timeslots and Program Community assignments emailed to all eligible students 

  • February 9 – March 1:  Room selection processes open to eligible students.  

Room Selection

Spring 2024 Housing

Are you returning from studying abroad?  Are you returning from a leave of absence? We have on-campus housing available for you!

Important Dates
  • October 23 – Application opens 
  • November 30 – Preferred deadline for application 
  • December 12 – Spring housing assignments become available 
  • January 13 – Spring 2024 Move-In begins for undergraduate, graduate, and exchange students