Housing Lottery Information 2024-2025

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Housing Lottery Spring 2024

Residential Students:

We are excited to work with all students related to their housing for the upcoming year. Below is important information for you to know about the Housing Lottery, please read it thoroughly and carefully. 

Required Housing Contract:

  • The Housing Contract will be available via myCU on Friday, March 8th. 
    • Your number is already pre-assigned before you log in to view it. Numbers are in no way distributed based on how quickly you go in and complete the forms. 
  • To receive your lottery number, you must complete your Housing Contract in myCU.
    • You may access this by logging into your myCU account and selecting the housing link located at the bottom left of the main page. You will need to choose the 2023 – 2024 academic year.

Important Information and Deadlines:

  • Students who do not participate in the Housing Lottery, (unless they are otherwise approved for alternative housing through the Office of Residence Life) will be automatically signed up for housing where space is available. This is done at the discretion of the Office of Residence Life and students are subject to all housing/dining-related charges. 
  • All In-person Housing Lottery will occur in the Student Center MPRs.
  • Students who cannot attend the lottery will be able to complete a Proxy Form which will grant permission for another student to select their housing.  The student selecting their housing must have a completed copy of the Proxy Form (found on Knight Life) with them to select housing for the student not attending the lottery.  The form can be found on the Office of Residence Life KnightLife page. If you do not have a student proxy, the Residence Life Office Staff can select a room on your behalf. 
  • Housing Lottery Number (average group number for apartments & mixed cohort or the individual number for students without roommate request & same cohort roommate requests). Lottery Numbers are randomly assigned based only on the cohort you came into Clarkson as a part of. Numbers are not based on GPA, when you view your number/sign your contract, conduct history, academic credits, academic standing, or involvement/engagement. Lottery numbers cannot be changed once generated and cannot be “given or exchanged” with other students. 
  • University Student Regulations on Student Housing (section X).
  • Clarkson University is a 4-year residential campus which means that students are required to live on campus unless granted a housing exemption on a yearly basis by the Office of Residence Life. Students are required to be on a dining plan. 
  • Students entering their 5th year of housing are not required to live on campus but can be issued a lottery number upon request. 5th-year students will receive numbers after the rising senior class but before rising juniors. Contact the Office of Residence Life to request a lottery number or with questions. 
  • Students in Graduate programs are not required to live on campus but can be issued a lottery number upon request. Graduate students will receive numbers after the rising senior class but before rising juniors. Contact the Office of Residence Life to request a lottery number or with questions. 

Apartment Style Housing:

  1. All students who are in a group that would like to request to reserve an apartment are required to complete the appropriate Multiple Selection Form on Knight Life.
  2. All Multiple Selection Forms will open on March 8th and are due by March 20, 2024, at 4:30 pm through Knight Life (https://knightlife.clarkson.edu/) late forms will not be considered. 
  3. Students will be notified on March 25th via email of their group’s approval or denial. Only the primary contact of the group will be contacted and those approved will be invited to select the housing location for the group. Housing approvals or denials will be emailed out by 10 pm on March 25th. 
  4. Multiple Selection apartment assignments will begin on March 26 at 5:00 pm in the Student Center MPRs.
    1. Students may sign up in groups of 2, 3, 4, 6 or 7, regardless of their cohort.
    2. Once the group size is decided the group must submit the Multiple Selection Form on Knight Life.
      1. The group size indicated on your application will be the only size considered for that application.
    3. Students may only apply for two group sizes. This is done by applying for two separate apartment sizes on two separate application forms via knightlife. 
    4. Placement is based on an average of the collective lottery numbers. Groups cannot be increased or decreased in size after submitting an application.  
    5. Students who wish to partake in the exchange student or “individual student” option must select the size apartment that would include the exchange/random student and indicate as such in the “empty” student spot. Exchange students do not receive lottery numbers so their “number” is not considered in the average. “Individual students” will select housing upon their cohort night.
      1. Open bed spaces will be filled at the discretion of the Residence Life Office with little or no notice. 
      2. Housing spots will not be held for students who go on semester-long experiences (co-po, study abroad, leave of absence etc..)
  5. Students who submit the form will receive a Knighlife confirmation email signifying that their request has been received. If you do not receive the email from knightlife it means your form was not submitted/received and will not be considered. 

*Going into the cohort housing lottery any open apartment spots not being utilized for exchange students will be available for selection at that time. Apartment spaces are not guaranteed to students going into Cohort Housing Lottery Nights. 

Ham/Pow Housing:

  1. FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS: If you receive a “high lottery number”, you may be interested in the “Ham/Pow Plan” which allows you to choose a double room in Hamlin-Powers without attending the lottery; by doing so you will avoid a long wait. The rooms on the fourth floor and center core of Hamlin Powers are not available for pre-lottery selection. You may sign up for up to 6 blocks of rooms with friends, the form will be available via Knight Life on March 8th. 
  2. The Ham/Pow Plan Multiple Selection Form can be found on the Residence Life page within Knight Life (https://knightlife.clarkson.edu/).
  3. The Ham/Pow Plan Multiple Selection Form will be due on March 20, 2024 at 4:30 pm.  
  4. Students will select their rooms on March 26, 2024, at 6:30 pm in Student Center MPRs
  5. Students who submit the form will receive a Knighlife confirmation email signifying that their request has been received. If you do not receive the email from knight life it means your form was not submitted/received and will not be considered. 

Same Room Selection Housing:

  1. All students who would like to reserve the same room that they are currently assigned to will need to complete the appropriate Multiple Selection Form on Knight Life.
  2. All Multiple Selection Forms will open on March 8th and are due by March 20, 2024 at 4:30pm through Knight Life (https://knightlife.clarkson.edu/)
  3. Students will be notified on March 25th via email of their approval or denial. 
  4. This will enable you to avoid attending the lottery; by doing so you will avoid a long wait. The Residence Life Office will automatically re-assign you the space if approved, no further action is required on the student’s part. 
  5. This option is only available for those in Moore, Hamlin, Powers, Donahue, Wilson, and Thomas *excluding suites larger than 4-person occupancy. or special group housing approved through Residence Life. 
    1. Students with existing housing accommodations (regardless of where they live on campus) can request their same room through the housing accommodation renewal.
    2. Students can re-reserve their own bed space in the above areas, and “pull in” one roommate (shared bedroom only) of the same cohort or above them. Pulling in a new student is only an option if the current roommate is not also staying.
      • If both roommates want to stay in the same room, both roommates must fill out the form. 
    3. Open bed spaces will be available for any student to fill during the housing lottery selection process.
  6. If you re-reserve your room, you are no longer eligible to enter other aspects of the lottery. 
  7. Students will not be able to store items in their room over the summer, all items must be removed for summer closing. Any left items will be subject to discard. 
  8. Students who submit the form will receive a Knighlife confirmation email signifying that their request has been received. If you do not receive the email from knight life it means your form was not submitted/received and will not be considered. 

Cohort Housing Lottery:

  1. If a student in any cohort does not participate in any process listed above then that student will use their individual Housing Lottery Number to select housing. 
  2. Students going through cohort housing lottery selection will not average group numbers. 
  3. Student groups, who are part of the same cohort, can use the lowest number to select their housing (outside of the apartments). 
  4. Students who are part of the group but not in the same cohort must wait until their cohort’s day to select housing. If the space with their selected group is still available they may request that space by visiting the Residence Life Office before their Housing Lottery selection night. 
  5. If you are planning on going on a CO-OP, abroad trip, or living in an approved campus theme house you should reserve a room on campus if you are not approved at the time of your housing selection night. Once approved for one of those options, Residence Life will remove you from your on-campus housing and may fill it out at any time with little or no notice per the Office’s discretion.
    1. Students who will be on co-op/study abroad for the Fall semester will receive an email from the Residential Housing Manager in November to connect about housing options for their return in the spring. 

Coed Housing:

  1. Outside of UNITY housing, students who share a bedroom must be both male or both female students.  
  2. Spaces with shared semi-private bathrooms such as suites or apartments, if coed, must contain an equal ratio of male/female students, and have the consent of all students in the space. 

2024 Housing Lottery Schedule 

All Housing Lottery events will take place in person in the Student Center MPRs. It is important you only come during your time slot as described below.

March 26th, 2024:Approved Apartment & HamPow Plan Selections

Begins at 5:00 p.m. Student Center MPRs

Approved Groups Selecting Apartments 

  • Riverside
  • Westons
  • Woodstock
  • Townhouses
  • Hamlin/Powers Plan 

Groups that qualify to select an apartment will be contacted to attend the in-person selection. The Primary Contact of the group will be the ONLY student invited to select the housing location. Other students will be asked to leave. Students must come prepared with locations in which they wish to select, as well as all of the names and student ID numbers for their approved group. Students are offered the apartment size, no location is promised.

April 1, 2024: Cohort-based Rising Seniors and Rising 5th Years
Begins at 5:00 p.m. Student Center MPRs
Individual Lottery Numbers (1-999) 

  • 1 – 500 at 5:00 p.m.
  • 501+ at 6:00 p.m.

April 2, 2024 : Cohort-based Rising Juniors
Begins at 5:00 p.m. Student Center MPRs
Individual Lottery Numbers (1000-1999)

  • 1000 – 1250 at 5:00 p.m.
  • 1251 – 1500 at 6:00 p.m.
  • 1501+ at 7:00 p.m.

April 3, 2024 : Cohort-based Rising Sophomores
Begins at 5:00 p.m. Student Center MPRs
Individual Lottery Numbers (2000-2999)

  • 2000 – 2250 at 5:00 p.m.
  • 2251-2500 at 6:00 p.m.
  • 2501+ at 7:00 p.m.

For questions related to Housing Lottery students should contact their RA/HA, Area Coordinator, or the Residential Housing Manager. The Office of Residence Life will also be hosting drop-in tabeling sessions throughout March in the Student Center. Keep an eye out for our table to stop by and ask general questions. 

Roommate Matching

  • If students are having trouble filling an apartment or finding people to live with for next year, they can complete the Find My Roommate Form 
  • Based on the answers, students will receive an email from the Office of Residence Life that will contain the contact information of students who responded to the form similarly. 
  • This will help students initiate contact with students who have similar living styles or interests to them. 
  • This form will close on March 14th at noon. 
  • Emails will be sent in the afternoon of March 18th. 
  • Multiple selection forms are due on March 20th. 
  • The Ross Brooks RA staff will be hosting an in-person Roommate Search event for any students on campus to attend on March 27th, 2024

Housing Accommodations

  • All housing accommodation requests and renewals for the 2023-2024 academic year are required to be submitted to the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) by March 1, 2024. 
  • Questions should be addressed to the OAS office at oas@clarkson.edu 
  • Renewals should be submitted via the housing form sent to you form OAS.
  • Additional information and forms regarding Accessibility Services can be found on their website. clarkson.edu/accessibility-services 

Off-Campus Housing Requests (nonmedical and not FSL)

  • Housing exemption requests should be made by logging into Knightlife and completing the Housing Exemption Request form, due by March 15th, 2024. Please note Clarkson is a four-year residential campus, and students who complete the Off-Campus Housing Exemption Form must meet one or more of the criteria to submit. Criteria can be found in the Student Regulations. 

Meal Plan

  • Students residing in University residence halls are required to select a University dining plan. 
  • Students cannot change dining plans after the first 10 days of the semester. 

Where can I expect to live?

Clarkson housing styles are intended to evolve as the students spend more time on campus. No style of housing is guaranteed to any student, however, the general concepts for housing placements are as follows:

  • Second-Year Students – Hamlin & Powers
  • Third-Year Students – Suite-Style Housing
  • Fourth-year and above students – Apartments

Housing placements depend upon students following housing lottery processes, construction, space availability, enrollment, and university needs related to housing. Post housing lottery the Residence Life office will maintain waitlists prioritized by student cohorts. 

Vacancies

The Office of Residence Life reserves the right to make changes to housing assignments at any time, with little or no notice, in response to facility limitations, changes in enrollment, conflict resolution, etc. or to address the needs of the overall residential community. This includes reassigning students to any vacant spaces. 

Residential Area Layouts

  • You can view the residential areas layouts/locations etc.
  • These can be found through the work order system.
  • To help determine where you may be interested in living, access the residential area layouts.
  • To see general photos and get information about the residential areas by visiting https://www.clarkson.edu/residence-life

Questions or concerns should be addressed to the Office of Residence Life at reslife@clarkson.edu or (315) 261-6642.

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