General Housing Registration

2025-2026 General Housing Registration

After the Room Renewal period is complete, the majority of returning undergraduate students will register for housing and be assigned to a room through general housing registration.

Completing housing registration is simple:

General Housing Registration Timeline

Steps to Complete General Housing Registration

To manage this for multiple classes of returning undergraduate students, CLRE must create a structured process and provide students with long periods to make effective decisions around roommates. Choose Your Room Type is a three-step process:

Step #1: Roommate Matching and Roommate Group Creation

Available Beginning January 16

To get housing registration started, students will complete the following in their GW Home portal: complete required housing profile information, complete the roommate matching questionnaire (even if you know who you want to live with), and have the option to search for roommates or create roommate groups:

Already know who you want to live with next year?

Before creating a group during housing registration, communicate with your desired roommates and determine who will be the roommate group leader, then follow the steps below during housing registration via your GW Home portal.

1. Create A Group: The chosen group leader will click “Create New Group” and create a Group Name and Password.
2. Share Group Name and Password: The group leader shares the Group Name and Password they created, in Step 1, with their desired roommates.

NOTE: Do not share the Group Name and Password with people you do not want to live with.

1. Join A Group: After desired roommates complete the initial steps of their housing registration, roommate matching questions, and roommate search profile, they will click “Join a Group with Group Name and Password” and enter the Group Name and Password that was shared with them by the group leader.

NOTE: A group must be created prior to desired roommates being able to join a group with a Group Name and Password.

1. Accept Roommate Requests: The chosen group leader will click “Accept Request” after each of their desired roommates join the group.

NOTE: Only accepted roommate group requests will be considered when CLRE makes housing assignments.

Want to find a roommate for next year?

During housing registration via your GW Home portal:

1. On the Roommate Matching and Roommate Group page, click “Search for Roommates by Roommate Matching Questions”
2. Fill in Roommate Matching Questions: Answer how you would want a roommate to answer the roommate matching questions and the roommate gender identity questions.
3. Send Roommate Requests: Read through your search results and select “Add to Group” to send a roommate request to people you would potentially like to live with. You may also “Send a Message”, if you want to begin a conversation with the person before sending a roommate request.
4. Await Responses: If your roommate request is accepted you will form an automated roommate group and be notified via email.  If your roommate request is denied you will be notified via email and may enter the search process again.

Want Campus Living & Residential Education to pick your roommate?

1. On the Roommate Matching and Roommate Group page, click “Save & Continue” to skip the Roommate Groups page.
2. Continue with your Housing Registration.

NOTE: Not participating in Roommate Matching & Roommate Groups does not guarantee you will not have a roommate. It is highly likely CLRE will assign you a roommate based on your responses to the roommate matching questions.

Step #2: Complete General Housing Registration

Available Beginning February 20

Between February 20 at 12:00 PM EST and March 7 at 4:00 PM EST, students who didn't participate in Room Renewal will be able to complete their housing registration. During this period, students will complete the following via the GW Home portal:

• Indicate interest in upperclass living-learning communities (if eligible) or District House affinity living
• Rank residence halls room types
• Select a meal plan for the 2025-2026 academic year
• Sign your 2025-2026 Housing License and Dining Plan Agreement (HLA).

About Ranking Residence Halls & Room Types

• Rising second year students will rank a list of up to 26 residence halls with number 1 being the top preference. This ranked preference list is used to assign students to a hall and room size as high as possible on their list.
• Third and fourth-years are required to rank their top 7 options.
• When ranking halls and room types as a roommate group, only the Group Leader's ranked list will be taken into account for housing assignments.
• Students should keep in mind the size of their roommate group and their class year when ranking building and room size preferences. We prioritize keeping roommate groups together (not splitting them up) over rankings of building and room sizes, with our belief that who you live with is more important than where you live.
• All upperclass students not in living-learning communities are required to rank all possible room types. While CLRE does everything possible to ensure students are assigned to rooms near the top of their preference list, each year demand for specific halls and room sizes can outnumber the number of spaces we have in those room sizes. All students should prepare for the possibility that they and their roommates are assigned to halls and room sizes lower on their preference list
• Single rooms with private bathrooms are not eligible for ranking, as they are typically reserved for students with Disability Support Services (DSS) housing accommodations for that specific type of room. If a student receives a housing accommodation for a single with a private bathroom or kitchen, CLRE will use hall preferences in a student's housing registration to assign them to a single room that meets the DSS housing accommodation

Step #3: Learn of Housing Assignment

Coming April 2

On Wednesday, April 2, all students who completed General Housing Registration by March 7 will be notified of their housing assignment for the 2025-2026 academic year. Housing assignments will be released on a rolling basis throughout the day.

Helpful Information: Upperclass Residence Halls and Room Types

We know that seeing a list of residence halls and room types available for ranking is helpful during housing registration. The following table provides a full list of upperclass residence halls and room types. We encourage students to build their ranked preference list during General Housing Registration using this information.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: GENERAL HOUSING REGISTRATION

General Questions and Forming Roommate Groups

Is housing registration "first-come, first-serve" when room assignment are made?

No! Nothing is "first-come, first-serve" in housing registration and students who finish housing registration quicker than others are not more likely to receive a top preference in housing assignment. We encourage student to take their time completing their housing registration.

Do roommate groups that are exclusively rising 3rd- or 4th-year students get priority for housing assignments?

Yes, there is priority given to roommate groups that are exclusively made up of rising 3rd- or 4th-year students.

Are 4th-year students given priority to live in South Hall?

No. South Hall is open to rising to both 4th- and 3rd-year students. As third- and fourth-year students register for housing they will be able to preference South Hall among all available residence hall and room types.

I didn't participate in Room Renewal because I thought I'd get my desired building and room type, which is no longer available. Can I still participate in Room Renewal?

No. Unfortunately, once the Room Renewal period has concluded, that option is no longer available. Please plan accordingly based your desire to keep or not keep your current room through Room Renewal.

Creating Ranked Preference Lists

Why do students have to rank all available residence halls and room types?

We require students to rank all available residence halls and room types to highlight that students may get assigned to any available residence hall and room type. The ranked list is critical to ensure students get assigned to rooms as high as possible on their lists and Campus Living & Residential Education wants to ensure that students have evaluated all possible residence hall options.

What are the chances I'm assigned to one of my top choices?

While we wish we could guarantee that every student or roommate group will be assigned to a residence hall and room of their top choice, Campus Living & Residential Education must factor in the collective rankings of all students who register for housing. These vary from year-to-year. We do not guarantee that students will get any specific top set of choices (top 5, top 10, etc). Some residence halls are historically preferenced higher than others - for example, South Hall for rising 3rd/4th/5th year students. Students should be aware that when some residence halls are highly-preferenced, more students will be disappointed to not be assigned to that residence hall.

Campus Living & Residential Education believes that all students can thrive in GW residential living environments and can find success at college no matter what time of room they live in.

Can I rank fully single rooms in my preference list?

Only students with DSS-approved housing accommodations for fully single units with private bathrooms or kitchens will be able to rank single rooms in their preference list.

Cancelling Housing or Studying Abroad

Do I need to preemptively cancel or opt out of housing to live off-campus as a rising 3rd- or 4th-year student?

No. If you are a rising 3rd- or 4th-year student who does not desire to live on campus, no further action is required.

What happens if I registered to live on campus as a rising 3rd- or 4th-year student but now no longer want to?

For 5 business days after receiving their housing assigment, rising 3rd- and 4th-year students who registered for housing are able to cancel their housing through their GW Home Portal without a fee.

Rising 3rd and 4th-year students who miss the 5-day window, but cancel their housing to live off-campus before May 1st at 5:00 PM EST will be charged a $500 dollar cancellation fee. Rising 3rd- and 4th-year students who cancel between May 2nd and June 2nd at 5:00 PM EST will be charged a $1,000 cancelation fee.

Please note that after June 2nd, cancellations will not be permitted for any for any reason besides leaving the university, such as studying abroad, graduating, transferring, or taking a leave of absence. Also note that if you cancel your housing for any of those reasons, you will not be charged a cancellation fee. 

I'm planning on studying abroad in the upcoming Fall semester. Should I register for housing?

If you are considering or unsure about studying abroad in the Fall you should still register for housing for the next academic year, and then cancel your next academic year housing once your study abroad plan/program is confirmed. You can then register for spring only housing sometime in the upcoming fall semester.

If you are certain that you will be studying abroad in the fall semester of the next academic year, do not register for housing. Registration for spring semester housing only will open sometime during the upcoming fall semester.

I'm planning on studying abroad in the upcoming Spring semester. Should I register for housing?

Yes, please register for housing for the next academic year. During the upcoming fall semester you will then cancel your spring housing.

If I cancel my Fall semester housing because I'm studying abroad in the fall, am I guaranteed to be placed into the specific room and/or building I want for the following Spring semester?

We are unable to guarantee specific room placements for those returning from fall abroad for the Spring semester, though we will attempt to honor all requests we are able to.

I'm considering transferring from GW after this semester. Should I register for housing?

If you are considering or unsure about transferring after the spring semester, you should still register for housing for the upcoming academic year, and then cancel your academic year housing once your transfer is confirmed.

If you are certain that you will be transferring after the spring semester, do not register for academic year housing.