Returning Student Housing Selection

NOTE: This information is intended for returning students. New students should refer to their Admission materials for timelines and next steps.

What is Housing Selection?

Housing Selection is the process by which students declare their intention to live on campus, set their meal plan, and find their roommates and room for the following Fall semester. There are multiple ways in which students can get their room assignment, all of which are detailed throughout this website. Please be sure to check your Pitzer email and this website for updated information! Housing Selection for returning students has 3 main steps (Apply, Group and Explore, Selection). Residence Life reserves the right to pause and update the Housing Selection Process at any time to review room availability and/or procedures.

Fall 2024 Information

Please note that all dates and times are subject to change but will be regularly updated to the campus via email notification and website updates.

Housing Selection Updates

  • Housing Processes and Timelines for Fall 2024

    Housing Selection Processes

    • Off-Campus Housing – DUE APRIL 5TH AT 12PM
      • Students applying to live off-campus must fill out the off-campus housing application. Please review the qualifications listed below when considering your decision to apply.
    • Housing Accommodations – DUE APRIL 5TH AT 12PM
      • Students looking to request a housing accommodation must fill out the housing accommodation application. Please note if you fill out this application, you do not need to fill out the general application.
    • General Housing Selection – DUE APRIL 5TH AT 12PM
      • Students looking to live on-campus for the Fall of 2024 must fill out this application in order to participate in the selection process.

    Have questions about housing selection? Come to any of the following informational sessions or office hours!

    Info Session #1: March 19th at 12pm via zoom – https://pitzer.zoom.us/j/88558107695

    Info Session #2: March 20th at 10:30am via zoom – https://pitzer.zoom.us/j/87131966945

    Info Session #3: March 21st at 3pm via zoom – https://pitzer.zoom.us/j/89117045845

    Info Session #4: April 2nd at 1pm via zoom – https://pitzer.zoom.us/j/84084111472

    Open Office Hours:

    Weekdays March 25-April 4th from 3pm-5pm in the Residence Life Office (East Sanborn 300)

    Tabling Sessions:

    Weekdays March 25-April 4th from 11am-1:30pm outside of McConnell Dining Hall

    Upcoming Events:

    Roommate Socials – March 18th & March 21st 5:30pm-7pm @ Mead Lobby

    CCA Open House – More details coming soon!

  • Step 1: Applications - Eligibility, Sections, and Priority

    Who Applies?

    • ALL returning students (rising Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors) will complete one of the applications for the following Fall semester.
      • Only currently enrolled students planning to attend Pitzer College the following academic term are eligible to participate in Housing Selection.
      • Students currently on a Leave of Absence need to have declared their “Return from Leave” with the Registrar’s Office before participating in Housing Selection.
    • Off-Campus and Housing Accommodations applications will be reviewed and accepted or denied. Those denied will move into the Housing Selection process and must complete that new application.

    Parts of the Application

    • Resident Information – Will be auto-filled with your information
    • Unique Application Information – can differ depending on application (Off Campus, Accommodation, Housing Selection)
    • Meal Plan and Dietary Information – all students complete this and declare their meal plan (more info below).
    • Matching Profile – living preferences that will be searchable by other students looking for roommates and suitemates. All campus applications contain this information.
    • Residence Hall Agreement – Agreeing to live by the Pitzer Student Code of Conduct and Residential guidelines.
    • Document upload – for any documents (medical documentation, etc.) required for your application
    • Review

    Priority

    For the General Housing Selection process, a student’s selection time is prioritized by their class year, with Seniors being most prioritized.

  • Step 2: Individual Selection Times, Roommate Group and Room Explore

    Terms: Assign or Selection

    • Assign
      • For Housing Accommodations, and for any students that does not select a group or space, Residence Life will assist to match students together and assign them rooms.
      • Residence Life will use the information provided on the Roommate Matching Profile of the application to assign roommates, suitemates, and rooms to the best of our availability. As such, the information on this part of the application is very important! Those who are assigned into rooms will be notified via email of their room assignment.
    • Selection
      • Students seeking to choose their roommates, suitemates and where they will live.
      • These students will continue into Step 2: Roommate Group and Room Explore and Step 3: Selection.

    Selection Times

    • Individual Selection Time
      • Each student in the General Housing Selection process will receive an individual selection time.
      • Individual selection times are based on 1) class designation and 2) submission time of the approved Application.
      • This will only be used to inform the Group Selection Time.
    • Group Selection Time
      • The earliest individual selection time among the current members of a group will be the group selection time.
      • This will change according to the current members of the group.
      • This time represents when the Group Leader will make the final selection and room placements for each member in the group.

    Roommate Groups: Under the Roommates tab

    • Once the Housing Application is approved by residence life staff, students will be able to create Roommate Groups using their roommate code, or invitations.
    • Students will also be able to search and find available roommates by reviewing the information provided on the Matching Profile section of the Housing Application.
    • Students can only search and create groups within the same process. (Accommodation, General Housing Selection, etc.)
    • Once a Roommate Group has been formed, students will be able to review suites and apartments that are available for selection.
    • Roommate Groups will designate a Group Leader that will make the final housing selection.
    • The size and members of the roommate group will not be locked, membership in the group can change all the way through Step 3: Select.

    Room Explore: Under the Room Selection Tab

    • Students can explore what Suites and Apartments are currently available.
      • Beds still available in each Suite and Apartment will be viewable.
      • Each student can star favorite spaces for future reference.
    • The group leader can open each suite.

  • Step 3: Group Leaders make the finalized selection

    Final Selection – you made it!

    • Only 1-2 groups will be introduced into the Selection process every 5 minutes. So there is time to make small adjustments if needed.
    • The Group Leader will select the suite and place members of the group into each bed with dropdown menus.
    • Remember that groups must fill the rest of an apartment/suite. The group size must perfectly match the available spaces. These apartments will be highlighted in blue.
    • Click Finalize Selection!
    • Residence Life staff will monitor to ensure only those qualified for single spaces (e.g. Housing Accommodations approved, Sophomores only at CCA, Juniors, Seniors) will be placed there.

  • Off-Campus Qualifications, Financial Aid impacts, FAQs

    Qualifications

    All students seeking to live off-campus are required to submit an application to live off-campus for approval. This is regardless of class standing or previous housing arrangements (i.e. on or off-campus or abroad the previous semester). Only those students that receive written approval from the Residence Life will be permitted to live off-campus.

    Students are granted off-campus status following the priority criteria below:

    • Priority Qualifications
      • Students living locally with family (Documentation required)
      • Married students (Documentation required)
      • Students with children (Documentation required)
      • Students with verifiable medical documentation that warrants off-campus housing (Documentation required)
      • Students 24 years old or older
      • Rising Senior students
    • And (as space remains)…
      • Rising Junior students
      • Rising Sophomore students

    If an off campus application is approved, the student will be notified of their application status via Pitzer Housing email prior to Housing Selection and forfeits the opportunity to participate in the Housing Selection process.

    All students who fail to submit an off-campus application by the deadline, are denied off campus approval, and/or do not attend room draw will be automatically placed in campus housing and will be responsible for all room and board fees.

    Students opting to live off-campus are responsible for the terms of their lease agreements and related expenses.  For example, if a student determines they will break their off-campus lease, then the student is responsible for related financial costs and any related terms of lease agreements. Additionally, students currently receiving financial aid are encouraged to contact the Office of Financial Aid with questions as they plan for the upcoming year. More information below.

    Financial Aid Packaging

    • Students on financial aid are encouraged to review the updated Cost of Attendance (COA) calculation regarding how students’ financial aid packages change depending on their selection of campus housing, off-campus housing, or living at home/with relatives. Please see more here.

    FAQs

    • I am not a prioritized group for Off-Campus housing; should I still apply? 
      • You may still apply. Applications from non-prioritized groups will only be approved near the priority review date, as space allows, and in order of application submission.   
    • What if I am approved for off-campus and don’t find an off-campus place and I then want campus housing again? Please let [email protected] to notify Residence Life. 
      • Before Housing Selection Begins: We will cancel your Off-Campus housing application and provide an updated Campus Housing application for you to complete.  
      • After Housing Selection and during Summer: Let [email protected] know, you will be placed on the deferred housing waitlist. This means that Residence Life may not be able to offer a bed at that time, but will communicate to you when a bed becomes available (often during summer). A bed space will be assigned.   
    • What if I don’t like my campus housing options and would rather move off-campus? 
      • Off-campus applications after the initial deadline will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. An Off-campus Application must be approved in writing to be released from a signed Residence Hall Agreement, as well as associated financial obligations.  
      • Priority qualifications for off-campus housing are no longer automatically approved after the initial deadline. 
        • This does not apply to Off-Campus Accommodation due to a Disability (Documentation required).  
  • Single Rooms

    Who is eligible for a single room?

    • Resident Assistants, approved Housing Accommodations, Rising Seniors are eligible for single rooms in WES, PAS, CCA and Mead halls.
    • Rising Sophomores are not eligible for main campus single rooms regardless of credits recorded in the Registrar’s Office. Sophomores are eligible for single rooms at CCA.
    • Please note single and double rooms are all charged the universal room rate

    How can I secure a single room?

    Single rooms are available in a variety of ways including:

    • Housing Selection process with a Roommate Group.
    • Assigned by Reslife due to approved Housing Accommodations.
    • Assigned by ResLife to Resident Assistants to fulfill their position requirements.

    How many single rooms are there?

    • Only 23% of main campus residence halls rooms are singles.
    • CCA is all single rooms and a few studio apartments.
  • Gender-Inclusive Housing

    Gender-inclusive housing options are available campus wide. Gender-inclusive housing provides a living environment where student housing is not restricted to traditional limitations imposed by gender and/or sex definitions. This option is ideal for students who believe that their gender expression, identity and/or biological sex should not be limiting or predictive factors in roommate decisions. No student will be restricted by traditional limitations of gender identity, gender expression, biological sex, or other identities pertaining thereto.

    • Roommate and Suitemate Selection
      • For students choosing their own roommates, suitemates, and room assignments, there will be no gender limitations on student-made roommate groups imposed by Residence Life.
    • Roommate and Suitemate Assignment by Resident Life
      • All students will have the option to designate roommate/suitemate gender preferences on their Roommate Matching profile of their Housing Application. Residence Life will use this data to inform matching and assignments to the best of room availability.
  • Housing Accommodations

    Any student who is seeking an accommodation in their housing arrangement (i.e. single room, ground floor, allergies notice, etc.) must apply via the Housing Accommodations Application on the Residence site each year.  Residence Life will work with  Academic Support Services to make determinations on each application submitted.

    As noted above, approved Housing Accommodation applications will be able to be assigned a space by Residence Life. Approved students with accommodations may choose one other student to make a group for ResLife to assign within a suite together.

    Students with approved Housing Accommodations seeking to choose their own space may opt out of the Housing Accommodation assignment process and participate in General Housing Selection.

    For more information regarding housing accommodations, and documentation standards please visit the Pitzer Academic Support website here: https://www.pitzer.edu/student-life/academic-support-services/. Housing Accommodations applications will be available on Residence according to the Housing Selection timeline detailed above.

  • Roommate Groups

    What if we don’t have enough people to fill a full suite?

    In the case your Roommate Group loses 50% of its participants after a suite is secured, the open spaces in your suite will be filled by Residence Life.

    What if someone in our suite does not return to Pitzer in the fall or spring after we secure housing with a Roommate Group?

    In the case one of your applicants pulls out of your Roommate Group because they will not be on campus (i.e. taking a leave or late abroad decision), your Leader may be able to meet with the Residence Life Office to explore the different options available for the space.

    If the Residence Life Office is given official notice from the College that someone will no longer be attending Pitzer BEFORE the specific dates below, the suite may have the opportunity to replace the person vacating the space.

    • Fall occupancy – July 1st
    • Spring Occupancy – November 1st

    In the case the Residence Life Office is notified AFTER the dates above, someone will be placed in the space that will be vacated for the next semester.

  • Meal Plans

    All students living in the residence halls are required to commit to a meal plan on their Housing Application. Students may also submit dietary needs on the application for communication with the Dining Hall staff. Any necessary medical documentation may also be attached to Housing Applications. Requests to decrease meal plans are accepted until two weeks before the first day of classes of the semester.

    Financial aid on-campus budgets will include the cost of the 19-meal plan. For more information visit Cost of Attendance.

    All students living in CCA and those approved to live off-campus have the option to select a 5, 12, 14, 16, or 19 meal plan.

    Please note that the default meal plan will be a 19 for the 2024-2025 school year. Students have until August 12, 2024 to change their meal plan for the upcoming year. No changes will be accepted after August 12, 2024. 

    Please note that meal plans are only active when classes are in session. You can find more information on Meal Plans on our website.

  • Housing Waitlists

    Sometimes there is a Housing Waitlist generated prior to each semester.  This list is for students who still need housing (or have housing and need a different kind of space) for the coming semester and will be placed by Residence Life once a relevant space becomes available.

    Housing Waitlist means that these students will typically get a housing assignment in early August after all the summer movement is complete or, for spring semester, in mid-December.  Housing is freed up over the summer due to: study abroad, leave of absences, first-year class enrollment, etc.  The Residence Life Office will contact students on the Deferred Housing list to give them their housing placement as soon as something becomes available.

  • Students Going Abroad/Declared Return from Leaves of Absence

    Fall 2024 Only Leave/Abroad

    • Spring 2025 Return – Off Campus Housing 
      • No current application required – Residence Life and International Programs offices will be in coordination regarding your Fall Study Abroad Plans.
      • Pitzer will follow up in Fall regarding a Off Campus Application for Spring. 
    • Spring 2025 Return – Campus Housing 
      • No current application required – Residence Life and International Programs offices will be in coordination regarding your Fall Study Abroad Plans.
      • Pitzer will follow up in Fall regarding a Housing Application for Spring. 
      • Actions during Fall 
        • Group Leaders with suites that are slated to have spring openings will be contacted if they would like to pull in any Fall Abroad students for Spring Semester. 
        • If you know a suite that has an opening for Spring and wants you in for Spring, please communicate to [email protected] so we can coordinate that easy placement.  
        • If you are not pulled in to a suite, complete an updated Housing Application in November 
          • Assignment by Reslife process 

    Spring 2025 Only Leave/Abroad (Not Graduating)

    • Fall 2024 – Off Campus Housing 
      • Current application required – Please complete an Off Campus Application now, indicating on the form you will seeking off campus for Fall only due to a Spring Study Abroad. 
        • Must be approved according to the current Off Campus Application process detailed in the Housing Selection timeline. 
        • Please note that if you did not participate in the Off-Campus Application process, you are not eligible to apply for Off-Campus housing later. 
      • Actions during Spring
        • You may continue to move forward with your off-campus housing plans. 
    • Fall 2024 – Campus Housing 
      • Current application required – Please complete a Housing Selection Application.
        • Move forward with Roommate Matching/Group Explore and Final Selection steps. 
      • Actions during Spring 
        • You will have to submit a housing application for the following year (Fall 2024) since you are returning to Claremont.  
        • Be up to date on your Pitzer email for communication regarding the following year’s (Fall 2024) Housing Selection process (typically begins each February) 
        • Complete your Housing Application online for the following year (Off Campus, Housing Accommodation, or Housing Selection).  
        • You must complete your own Housing Application according to the Housing Selection timeline. 
        • Find a roommate group in Residence. 
        • Once in a roommate group, your Group Leader will be responsible for your room/bed selection. 

    Full Year Abroad (Not Graduating)

    • No current application required – Residence Life and International Programs offices will be in coordination regarding your Fall Study Abroad Plans.
    • Actions while abroad 
      • You will have to submit a housing application for the following Fall (2024) since you are returning to Claremont.
      • Be up to date on your Pitzer email for communication in spring regarding the following fall’s Housing Selection process (typically begins each February) 
      • Complete your Housing Application online for the following fall (Off Campus, Housing Accommodation, or Housing Selection).  
      • You must complete your own Housing Application according to the Housing Selection timeline. 
      • Find a roommate group in Residence. 
      • Once in a roommate group, your Group Leader will be responsible for your room/bed selection. 

     

    What happens if my Plans change?

    • If you now need Campus Housing, please notify us by emailing [email protected] as soon as possible.  
    • Depending on timing in relation to the the Housing Selection process, you may search to see what groups/beds are still available. If no beds are available at that time you will be placed on the Double Deferred Housing List, to be assigned by Residence Life when space becomes available.