Exchange Students
Incoming Exchange Programs
The Office of Study Abroad’s Inbound Exchange Program fosters academic immersion via direct enrollment in our university from one of over fifty higher education exchange partners around the world. The exchange model provides an enriching cultural experience in Washington, D.C.
Exchange Student Housing
GW's Exchange Student Housing Application for the Fall 2026 semester became available starting in late Spring 2026.
Exchange students are not required to reside on campus during their time at GW.
Exchange students who wish to live on-campus for the academic year must complete their Housing Registration in the GW Home Portal by TBD.
There is extremely limited single-unit room availability and we will be unable to accommodate requests for private bedrooms. Students will be assigned randomly based on the availability of rooms throughout campus.
Before completing an application, students must create a UserID. It takes 24-48 hours for the application to become available after a student has created their UserID.
Students who wish to live on campus will submit a housing application through Campus Living GW Home Portal. The application will ask questions about lifestyle preferences (bedtime, study hours, cleanliness, etc.). Students are not able to make building or room preferences and are not required to have a meal plan. Exchange students will be housed in upperclass residence halls.
Exchange students may request specific roommates on their housing application but must have a mutual pairing in order for the request to be considered. Additionally, exchange students are able to participate in Gender-Inclusive Housing, should they wish to do so. Roommate requests are granted when space is available and the requests are mutual. Campus Living and Residential Education will do its best to accommodate any roommate requests; however, we cannot guarantee that we will always be able to do so.
Students who have a need for a housing accommodation should review the Disability Support Services Housing Accommodation Policy and register with DSS prior to applying for housing.
Assignments will be emailed to students at their GW email address on a rolling basis. Students will also be able to log onto Campus Living GW Home Portal to view their housing assignment and roommate information. After that, they are able to cancel per the cancellation policy in the Housing License Agreement.
Due to the unique nature of their assignments, exchange students are not able to use the online room swap portal and should email us at living
gwu [dot] edu (living[at]gwu[dot]edu) if they are interested in a room change. The ability to change rooms is limited based on the number of open spaces currently available on campus.
If you have any questions regarding the Exchange Student Housing Application process, please contact our office or the Office of Study Abroad.
Frequently Asked Questions: Exchange Student Housing Registration
- I already know someone I want to share a room with, can I select a preferred roommate?
Exchange students may fill out the “Roommate Request” Field in the GW Home portal to let us know who your preferred roommate is.
Students may only request roommates who are in their same class year; for example, 2nd-year students may only request to be roommates with another 2nd-year student, and upperclass (3rd, 4th, and 5th-year) students may only request a roommate who is also an upperclass student.
- Your class year is determined by how many credits you have. Check the GW Home portal to find out what your class year is considered at GW.
Campus Living & Residential Education cannot guarantee every roommate request. However, honoring roommate requests is our top priority when making housing assignments and we will do our best to place you with your preferred roommate(s), if possible.
- I will require housing accommodations to live in GW Residential Housing, what should I do?
Students who feel that they need a housing accommodation must register with GW Disability Support Services (DSS). Housing accommodations are reviewed by Disability Support Services, and if approved, sent to Campus Living & Residential Education. The CLRE team then uses the housing accommodation to place a student in a room that meets the accommodation.
- I registered for housing but later changed my mind. Can I cancel my GW housing?
If you change your mind about living on-campus, exchange students may cancel their housing in order to live off-campus, however, there is a deadline to do so.
Exchange students may cancel their housing without a fee for up to 5 days after receiving their housing assignment.
More information and specifics about cancellation policies and fees will be shared later in the Spring 2026 semester.