Room Selection 2025-2026

All rising second, third, fourth-year and transfer students with a graduation date of December 2025 or later are eligible for Room Selection. 

Rising second-year and transfer students who entered in Fall 2024 as second-year students are expected to live on-campus as part of the Second Year Experience. 

Currently, we anticipate being able to house around 950 rising third- and fourth-year students.   In order to be eligible for a housing, any current second and third-year students, and fourth-year students graduating in December 2025 should complete the Rising Third- & Fourth-Year Room Selection application between November 4 and November 26 at 5 pm. 

All Rising Third & Fourth-Year Room Selection applications received by the closing deadline of November 26 at 5 pm will be randomized.  Applications selected by the randomization process will be eligible for Room Selection timeslots provided the Room Selection application is completed by February 10 at 5 pm.   

Those students with Rising Third & Fourth-Year Room Selection applications not selected during the randomization process are on the housing waitlist but can still complete their Room Selection application during spring’s process.  These students will be notified of their waitlist throughout the winter and into the spring semester.  Students remaining on the waitlist will not be able to select or be assigned a space during Room Selection.  The waitlist process cannot consider roommate group membership.  Students will have the ability to restructure their groups after Room Selection timeslots have been distributed. 

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. 

All students on the waitlist must complete their Room Selection application and submit it prior to the 5 pm deadline on February 10 to be considered for on-campus housing.  Students will be removed from the waitlist based on availability. If and when a student who is not on the waitlist with an active application chooses to cancel their Rising Third & Fourth-Year Room Selection application, we can activate another student from the waitlist. Students will be notified of their status throughout the winter and into the spring semester via email. 

Yes, applications will continue to be accepted from January 22 through February 10.  However, any rising third- or fourth-year student that first accesses the application in the spring will automatically be placed on the waitlist.  It is not anticipated that students who are added to the waitlist in the spring will be able to complete room selection.   When your application is complete and submitted, you will be added to the Third- and Fourth-Year Room Selection Waitlist. Housing Occupancy staff will notify students of their waitlist status on February 20 by 5:00 pm.  After selection has ended, any student on the waitlist will be able to keep their application active or cancel without penalty. 

All students admitted as members of the Class of ’28 and as second-year transfer students are expected to live on campus next year.  Exemptions can be requested for the following reasons:  married, living with dependents, living on campus at a previous institution (transfer students only), age 22 or older as of August 21, 2025.   

Students seeking an exemption from the housing requirement should submit a Housing Exemption request on MyHomeAtPenn no later than February 10, 5 pm.  Exemption requests are reviewed, and students will be informed of the decision within 10 business days of receiving all requested materials. Keep in mind, signing an off-campus lease or entering into a housing agreement with a fraternity or sorority does not exempt students from this policy.  

Students granted an exemption will not be able to complete any part of the Room Selection process.  Should these students want to live on campus next year, they will need to complete the Rolling Undergraduate Application process after Spring Break.  An assignment cannot be guaranteed for any student granted an exemption who later requests to live on campus.  

No!  Timeslots are assigned based on a few different factors such as your graduation date and how many semesters you have lived in your current College House (for Return to House timeslots only).  It does not matter if you submit the application on January 22 or the morning of February 10. So long as your application is submitted by the 5 pm deadline on February 10, those students not on the waitlist will receive a timeslot. 

All students admitted as members of the Class of ’28 and as second-year transfer students are expected to live on campus next year.  Exemptions can be requested for the following reasons:  married, living with dependents, living on campus at a previous institution (transfer students only), age 22 or older as of August 21, 2025.   

Students seeking an exemption from the housing requirement should submit a Housing Exemption request on MyHomeAtPenn. Exemption requests are reviewed, and students will be informed of the decision as quickly as time allows. Keep in mind, signing an off-campus lease or entering into a housing agreement with a fraternity or sorority does not exempt students from this policy.  

Gender Inclusive Housing allows students to select an assignment without regard to sex assigned at birth. Students in Gender Inclusive Housing must opt in during the Room Selection application process. For a Roommate Group to secure assignments, all students’ Room Selection genders must match (male, female, or gender inclusive). Please note that if a vacancy becomes available in your Gender Inclusive suite or apartment, it will be filled by a student who also selected Gender Inclusive Housing.

Be sure you select “yes” for the Gender Inclusive Housing question when you apply.  Students selected gender must match and/or all students must opt-into the Gender Inclusive Housing option that they will be asked on their application.

Learn more about Gender Inclusive Housing here.

Rising third and fourth-year students may cancel their application prior to securing their assignment without penalty by emailing living@upenn.edu. Rising third and fourth-year students who have an assignment may cancel with a cancellation fee assessed. This fee increases the later we get into the spring and summer. The charge will be based on the date that written or electronic notice of cancellation is received by the Housing Occupancy Team.  Cancellation fees are as follows:

Through February 28, 2025: No Fee 

February 29, 2025 to April 30, 2025: $250 

May 1, 2025 to June 15, 2025: $500 

June 16, 2025 to August 21, 2025: $1,000 

After August 21, 2025, but prior to checking in, returning undergraduate residents who cancel their agreement will be charged 50% of the Fall Semester’s rent.  A resident is considered checked in when a University staff member has changed their status to in-room and door access to the assigned room has been granted. 

Room rates for all on-campus housing are reviewed each year by the University’s Board of Trustees and should be confirmed just before Room Selection. Room rates that you’ll see during the Room Selection process will be the costs for 2024-2025. Typically, room rates are increased approximately 3% to 4% each year.

Yes, if a Housing Accommodation Request Form is already on file, you should contact Disability Services to confirm next steps. You may be asked to provide updated comprehensive information, if needed. If a form is not on file, it must be submitted no later than January 22, 2025.  A delay in submission of documentation may impact the ability to accommodate your request.  Housing Occupancy may require you participate in the regular room selection process to try to obtain your preferred room type. If after participating in the process, your needs are not met, Housing Occupancy will work with you to find a suitable space.

If you are accepted to a Program Community, you will be assigned a room based on your preferences by Housing Occupancy staff. Students who apply for Room Retention will be able to select their current assignment for the upcoming academic year in MyHomeAtPenn at the time of their Room Selection timeslot on February21 through 8 am on February 24. 

For Return to House and Move to Any House, individuals will be assigned Room Selection timeslots. The student with the active timeslot is responsible for signing into MyHomeAtPenn at or after the assigned time to select the room for their group (or themselves). 

If group members have the same timeslot, only one member should log in to complete the assignment process.  Having multiple group members attempt to pick a room at the same time will not allow you to put all group members in the same room.  It will also slow down your selection process.  Make sure you talk to your group members and decide which member will be responsible for the selection process.  

Yes, Room Selection is divided into four processes:  Program Communities, Room Retention, Return to House, and Move to Any House.  You need to submit only one application regardless of which process you want to complete.  

• Program Communities are living-learning environments.  Membership in a PC is completely voluntary and requires a special step in the application process — most often an essay and perhaps House-specific requirements.  All students may apply to a PC.   

• Room Retention is available for rising third- and fourth-year students (based on expected graduation date) who are currently live in retainable rooms in Du Bois, Gregory-Class of ‘25, Gutmann, Harnwell, Harrison, Radian, Rodin, or Stouffer-Mayer. Room Retention runs February 21 through February 24. 

  • Retainable rooms are multi-space units that are not allocated as part of a Program Community.   

  • Single rooms and single apartments are not retainable. 

  • All spaces in a retainable room must be filled by group members in order to be selected.  For example, for a Quad-3BR/LR/KIT to be retained, the current resident must be in a 4-person group and assign everyone to that unit during the Room Retention process.   

• Return to House is available for current residents of Du Bois, Gregory, Gutmann, Harnwell, Harrison, Radian, Rodin, or Stouffer with completed applications and Room Selection timeslots.  Return to House selection takes place February 24 at 1 pm through February 27 at 8 am.   

• Move to Any House is available for all students with completed applications and Room Selection timeslots.  Students will be able to select bedspaces in Du Bois, Gregory-Class of ‘25, Gutmann, Harnwell, Harrison, Radian, Rodin, or Stouffer.  Move to Any House selection takes place March 3 at 1pm through March 7 at 5pm.   

• Both the Return to House and Move to Any House processes have two phases:  Fill a Unit and Fill a Bed.  

Both the Return to House and Move to Any House phases of Room Selection offer ‘Fill a Unit,’ and ‘Fill a Bed’ portions of each phase. The ‘Fill a Unit’ phase is designated for students with or without a Roommate Group who can occupy each vacant bed space in a suite or apartment. For instance, a group of three may select a suite or apartment with only three vacant beds to fill the unit completely. However, a student without a roommate would not be able to select into that unit since there would still be two vacant bedspaces. In the ‘Fill a Bed’ phase, the aforementioned rule is turned off and students may select any vacant bed, regardless of whether or not the room is filled once the beds are assigned.

Students who applied and were accepted by a Program Community will receive notification of their room assignment on February 20 via email from Housing Occupancy. Students who have not been accepted to their desired PC will receive an email that same day with timeslots to participate in Room Selection.

Students can assign a proxy to select during their timeslot if unavailable during their timeslot. Students should email living@upenn.edu with the name of their selected proxy, that student’s PennID, and cc their proxy in the initial email. The selected proxy should be a member of the student’s Roommate Group. Students not in a Roommate Group are able to have Housing Occupancy staff proxy for them.

Room changes cannot be made during Room Selection, so make sure you are satisfied with your selection when you click the confirm button during the selection process. Once Room Selection ends, you can keep your original assignment or submit a Room Change Request. The Room Change Request form will be available on MyHomeAtPenn starting April 14.  As spaces become available, they will be used for students who submit a Room Change Request.  Room changes will be made based on the preferences submitted, and you will not be able to return to your original room. It is important that you do not list preferences that you are not willing to live in.  If your preferences do not become available over the summer, you will keep the assignment chosen during Room Selection and you may submit a Room Change Request in the fall.

Roommate Groups are a way for students to enter the Room Selection process as a group of individuals who would like to live together in the same suite or apartment. Roommate Groups can range in size from anywhere from 2-6 students. Each Roommate Group is identified by a group name and password, so only those with the password are able to join the group.

You do not! Students can enter selection as a single to attempt to secure a single occupancy room or apartment, or to fill a vacant bed in a suite or apartment with other students.

Keep an eye out for more information pertaining to planned events and roommate matching socials! 

No, you can only be in one roommate group at a time.  You cannot create a new roommate group if you are already in one. You will have to leave your original roommate group in order to join or create a new roommate group.  

Yes, groups can be modified by students adding or deleting themselves, as long as they know the group name and password.  You can also join a group or leave a group at any time until you have been assigned a space OR March 7, whichever comes first.

All students with completed and submitted applications that are not on the waitlist receive a timeslot. It is up to each Roommate Group to discuss and decide which timeslot is best suited for the group to select and assign bedspaces. Often, groups may choose the earliest timeslot, or the timeslot of the student residing in their desired College House if selecting during the Return to House phase.

Residential Services encourages all students participating in Room Selection to have a backup plan should they be unable to secure their top choice of housing on campus. This should include different College Houses and room types. Students can make changes to their Roommate Group up until they select a space, so if you need to reshape your group to fit a specific room type, you may do so.

No!  Room Selection accommodates individual students and roommate groups ranging in size between two and six people. 

If you don’t have a roommate, you will be able to complete the Fill A Unit phase for any units that have one vacancy.  This means you can select from available single rooms or any multi-person units that have an empty space. 

You will also be able to complete the Fill a Bed phase and select any available bed space, even if there are vacancies remaining in the unit.

The leader is the person responsible for creating the group name and password, as well as sharing it with desired group members.  The leader of the roommate group can also:

• message other group members individually.  All messages are sent to a student’s Penn email.
• delete the whole group, which means that the former members will not be able to select a unit together and the group will no longer exist
• select a unit on behalf of the whole group, though the group leader should do this only if they have the earliest timeslot of all the group members

A member is anyone who has joined a roommate group by entering the group name and password.  A group member can:

• message other group members individually.  All messages are sent to a student’s Penn email.
• delete themselves from the group
• select an apartment/room/suite on behalf of the whole group
  • the group member with the earliest timeslot of all the members should do unit selection

No.  Any member of the roommate group can assign a bed space to everyone in the group.  It is suggested that the group member with the earliest timeslot for the appropriate process be in charge of completing Room Selection for all group members.

Yes, students applying for Program Communities can be in roommate groups.  However, it is important that all members in the roommate group apply for the same Program Community.  

Timeslots are what determines when you can log into MyHomeAtPenn during the Return to House and Move to Any House processes.  Students will get a timeslot for Fill a Unit and Fill a Bed phases of the selection processes.  Rising fourth-year students will get earlier timeslots than rising third-year students, who will get earlier timeslots than rising second-year students.   

For Room Retention, eligible students are assigned a timeslot randomly.   

For Return to House, eligible students are assigned a timeslot based on the total number of points they earn from their expected graduation date and the number of semesters in their current College House. 

For Move to Any House, eligible students are assigned a timeslot based their expected graduation date. 

Expected Graduation Date (as of February 10, 2025) 

• Students graduating between December 2025 and August 2026 earn 300 points 

• Students graduating between December 2026 and August 2027 earn 200 points 

• Students graduating as of or after December 2027 earn 100 points 

Number of Semesters in Current College House 

• The number of semesters a student has lived in their current College Houses is multiplied by 10 (for Return to House process timeslots only). 

Yes, through the proxy process.  If you are in a roommate group, you can designate a group member to select during your timeslot.  Both you and the student who will pick spaces for your group need to email living@upenn.edu.  Your message should include your full name and Penn ID and the full name and Penn ID of the student you want to use your timeslot.  The other student’s message should include their full name and Penn ID and your full name and Penn ID, as well as their intention to serve as your proxy.  Proxy emails must be received at least 48 hours before your timeslot. 

If you are not in a roommate group, we can help!  You can email living@upenn.edu with at least four College House and room type choices and a Housing Occupancy staff member will pick a space on your behalf during your timeslot.  Email requests must be received at least 48 hours before your timeslot. 

Yes!  You can log into MyHomeAtPenn after your timeslot until the system closes for each individual process. 

• Room Retention closes on Monday, February 24 at 8 am EST 

• Return to House:  Fill a Unit closes on Tuesday, February 25 at 8 pm EST. 

• Return to House:  Fill a Bed closes on Wednesday, February 26 at 8 am EST.  

• Move to Another House:  Fill a Unit closes on Wednesday, March 5 at 8 am EST. 

• Move to Another House:  Fill a Bed closes on Friday, March 7 at 5 pm EST.    

MyHomeAtPenn will close for Room Selection on Friday, March 1 at 5 pm EST.  Rising second-year and transfer students who entered in Fall 2024 as second-year students who do not select a room by this deadline will be assigned by Housing Occupancy staff and receive their assignment in mid-March.  

My Room Selection Preview displays real-time room availability to potential residents who have completed a Room Selection application.  Once a room has been selected, you will no longer be able to use the tool.  This tool is to preview room availability only, NOT select a room.

My Room Selection Preview will be available beginning on February 9.

Rising second-, third-, and fourth-year students can select from available bed spaces in the Upperclass and Four-Year College Houses below.

As you begin thinking about where you want to live next year, make sure you visit our website to learn more about the Upperclass and Four-Year College Houses.  Here you can see room layouts, 360 room tours, a list of House amenities, and more!