Upperclass Students

2019-2020 Application Dates*

Please pay particular attention to the application period designated for your class year, program or interest:

*Dates are subject to change. Any updates will be sent to your GW email account.

This information is not live but represents the availability at the start of the iHousing process. Each building is shown with the number of available beds in each room type, not the number of full units available. 

What is an RMS ID?

Your RMS ID is a 5-digit number that is assigned to you for housing purposes.  It is used by the Residential Management System (RMS) that manages our housing assignments and is not your GWid.  This number is unique to you and stays with you for the duration of your undergraduate enrollment at GW. It is used to identify you as a roommate in a roommate group should you wish to apply for housing with other individuals. This number is not shared by our office with your desired roommates and it is up to you as the individual to share it with those students that you wish to live with.

How can I locate my RMS ID?

First, log in to the GW Housing e-Services. You will then find the RMS ID Lookup under the menu item with your first name. It is available on each webpage.

You can also contact GW Housing if you are unable to locate your RMS ID.

I need my roommates' RMS ID numbers for my application. How do I obtain them?

You must contact the individuals with whom you wish to live to secure their RMS IDs. Our office cannot provide you with other students' ID numbers for security purposes.

Who else should have my RMS ID number?

Your RMS ID number should only be shared with your desired roommates in order to ensure that your roommate group is valid.

Second- and third-year students are required to reside in on-campus housing in compliance with DC zoning restrictions and GW policy unless they have been approved for a Residency Exemption. Exemptions are rarely granted; however, students can request an exemption under specific conditions.

• The Residency Exemption request form will be available via GW Housing e-Services in January 2019.
• Students who register for classes for the Fall semester, do not apply for housing, and are not approved for a Residency Exemption will be administratively assigned to housing and will be responsible for all related housing and dining charges. 

The following buildings are available for  second- and third-year students for the 2018-2019 Academic year:

• 2109 F Street
• District House
• Francis Scott Key (FSK) Hall
• Guthridge Hall
• International House
• Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (JBKO) Hall
• Lafayette Hall
• Mark Shenkman Hall
• Merriweather Hall (Women Only) - Mount Vernon Campus
• Mitchell Hall
• Munson Hall
• Philip Amsterdam Hall
• The Dakota
• West Hall - Mount Vernon Campus

The following building is available for third-year students:

• 1959 E Street (Fall Only & FOFAC housing)

GW Housing encourages students to preference all available buildings and room types from their highest to lowest preference. Students should preference a minimum of 10-15 room types; upperclass students are not placed on the Mount Vernon Campus unless they preference a building on that campus as one of their top choices. Any room types on the Foggy Bottom that are not listed in your preferences will be considered your lowest preference. Not preferencing a building or room type does not mean that you will not be assigned there. Please keep in mind that rising third-year students receive preference in the housing assignment process.

• Fourth-year students are not required to live on campus, are not guaranteed housing & should only complete an application if they wish to live on campus
• Fourth-year students are able to live in any residence hall and should apply from February 12-15, 2019 if they wish to live on campus.
• GW Housing encourages students to preference any and all available room types from highest to lowest that they would be willing to be assigned to, if available. 
• Prior to applying, students should review their student account to ensure that they do not have a financial hold. Any student with a financial hold on their account will be unable to apply for housing until that hold has been removed.

GW Housing will offer a limited number of Fall Only housing license agreements for the 2019 Fall semester. Students who are studying abroad in the Spring of 2020 or graduating at the end of the fall term should apply for a Fall Only license term. This application option is available to rising third- and fourth-year students only.

• Fall Only Applications will be available March 4-7
• Students who apply for a Fall Semester Only lease may not also apply for an academic year license agreement.
• Fall Only housing will be offered in 1959 E Street.
• Students may preference roommate(s) by using RMS IDs on their online application.
• All roommate requests must be completely mutual to be considered.

Students applying for a Fall Semester Only lease will be notified via e-mail of their room assignment on March 19. Information can also be viewed by logging onto GW Housing e-Services.

GW Housing and the Office for Study Abroad have partnered to offer the Focus on Fall Abroad Community (FOFAC).  This living and learning community is made up of students who studied abroad during the fall semester and return to campus for the spring semester of the same year to live with other study abroad returnees as well as exchange students. Participants in this program will be offered housing in 1959 E Street upon their return for the 2020 Spring semester.

Important Dates

You must apply to join the Focus on Fall Abroad Community by early February on the Office for Study Abroad website.

March 4-7: iHousing special application period for FOFAC participants

How to Apply

FOFAC Housing is currently full. If you would like to apply for FOFAC housing, you will have the opportunity to do so by completing the 2020 Spring Only housing application which will become available in Fall 2019.

Participants must apply via GW Housing e-Services & may preference roommate(s) on the housing application. Roommate requests must be completely mutual to be considered and prospective roommates must also be applying to live in FOFAC housing. Prospective roommate(s) should exchange RMS ID numbers to select each other on the online application.

Students wishing to cancel their FOFAC housing must do so by the published deadlines. If a student drops out of the FOFAC program after the published housing cancellation deadlines, they will still be required to live on campus.

Spring-Only License Agreements afford rising third- and fourth-year students who are studying abroad in the Fall of 2019 and not participating in the FOFAC program or who simply wish to reside on campus for only the spring semester the opportunity to select a one-semester license agreement.

Students who apply for a Spring Only agreement may not also apply for an academic year agreement.

Students may preference roommate(s) by using RMS IDs on their online application. All roommate requests must be completely mutual to be considered. A student applying for Spring Semester Only housing is not able to live with a student applying for full academic year housing.

The application for Spring Only housing will be available beginning in early November 2019.

Students who wish to cancel their assignment may do so within the published deadlines.

Preferencing by Room Type

Students are able make building and room type preference choices on the application so that they are able to share more information with GW Housing about what type of housing assignment they would like. For example, students who wish to live in a double will be able to choose all double room options within each of the buildings available to them before selecting triple or quad options. We also recommend that students think about the housing experience they wish to have. For instance if it is most important to be in a particular building, list all room types in that building first. If it is most important to you to be in a particular room size, list all choices with that room size first.

Priority in the application process will be given to students who are able to fill an entire housing unit. For instance, a group of four who would like to live in a 4-person unit will be given priority over a group of three who preference a 4-person unit. Students who are looking for additional roommates should utilize RoomSync.

It is still recommended that students select all the preference types available to them from highest to lowest preference. Any buildings that are not listed as a preference will be considered as a student's last preference. Not listing a particular building or room type does not mean that you will not be assigned there.

**Due to a lack of availability, single apartments and single units with private bathrooms will not be available as a room preference on the general housing application. The only single options will be Mitchell Hall single with common bathroom or West Hall single suites.**

Requesting Roommates

Students are able to request up to four (4) roommates on the housing application. Please keep in mind the following when you are requesting roommates:

• Only share your RMSID with the people you want to share a room with
• All roommate requests must be mutual
• Make sure the number of roommates you are requesting matches the room size you are preferencing (for example, if you are a group of three, your top choices should be 3 or 4-person units)
• All roommates must apply by the deadline.

Common reasons roommate groups are split up:

• One person is a member of multiple roommate groups
• Everyone in the roommate group did not request the same people
• Not applying for housing by the deadline

The process for selecting roommates on the housing application has changed. Here is a guide with information on the new process.

GW Housing and our partner offices provide numerous living options for students on both the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses. A number of first-year Academic Residential Communities are located on the Mount Vernon Campus for students who are looking for an experiential living and learning experience.

• Affinity Housing (Upperclass students only)
• Academic Residential Communities
• Gender Inclusive Housing
• Substance Free Housing (First-Year Students Only)
• Greek Letter Organizations
• Focus On Fall Abroad Community (FOFAC)
• Fall Only License Agreements

GW Housing anticipates that there will be a number of rising second-year students who are placed on a waitlist for housing.  Offers from the waitlist will begin on a rolling basis in late May and will continue until all students have been assigned to housing. Any student who applies after April 18 will be automatically placed on the waitlist.

How Does The Waitlist Work?

Due to the large number of second- and third-year applications coupled with the uniqueness of preferences, a population of unassigned students are placed on a waitlist. As second- and third-year students are required to live in on-campus residential housing, all second- and third-year students will be assigned housing. Students on the waitlist are assigned as space becomes available. Each student on the waitlist will be assigned a professional staff liaison who will be their contact for any questions about their housing assignment. Students on the waitlist have first priority when assigning any vacant spaces that become available.

Typically, students who applied by April 18 and were placed on the waitlist receive a housing assignment by mid-June.

Where is the Housing Application located?

• The Housing Application will be available via GW Housing e-Services. There are multiple application periods, so make sure you are applying during the correct timeframe if you are taking part in a special housing program.
• The GW Housing e-Services link is always available on the GW Housing website.

I am having problems accessing the housing application.

• Ensure that you do not have any holds on your student account. If you do have a hold, you will not be able to apply for housing until this hold has been cleared.
• The application works on any browser, but from our experience it works best in the Google Chrome browser. Make sure you are running the latest version of any browser you are using and that pop-up blockers are turned off.
• If you continue to have technical issues, contact GW Housing at [email protected] or 202-994-2552. Our office is open Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm EST.

How do I find my RMS ID?

• You can find your RMS ID on GW Housing e-Services. Once you have logged in, select the "RMS ID Lookup" button.

How does the housing assignment process work?

• The housing system uses a random selection process, meaning that it will randomly select an application and then look at the preferences listed.  If your first preference is available at the time your application is pulled, you will be assigned to that space. If it is not available, the system will look at your next preference and see if that space is available and then assign you there. This process continues until you are assigned. If you have requested roommates, the system will assign you together as long as there are enough spaces together available.
• If a student only selects three or four preferences and they are unavailable at the time the application is pulled, the system will consider all unselected preferences as your last choice and place you into any available space in based on the alphabetical order of the buildings. Choosing to leave a building or room type off of your list does not mean you will not be assigned there. 

​Are housing assignments made on a first come, first serve basis?

• No, you can complete the application at any point before it closes and it will not affect the order in which you are assigned.
• If you apply after the deadline, you will be assigned after students who completed the application on time.
• If you are part of a roommate group and you do not complete your application on time, it is likely your roommate group will be split up.

Why it is suggested that I list so many room preferences?

• Selecting a higher number of room preferences gives you more control over where you are placed. If you have only selected three room preferences and they are all filled at the time your application is pulled, every other room type will be treated as your final choice and you will be placed into any available room. Having more room preferences means that our system has a better idea of your choices from top choice to last choice. If you do not list any preferences, you can get assigned to any space on campus.
• We also recommend thinking about the housing experience you would like to have. If it is important to you to be in a two-person unit, then list all two-person units before listing any larger rooms. If you would prefer specific buildings, list all room types available in that building before listing any from other buildings.
• Work with your roommates to ensure that you have listed your building and room type preferences in the same order. 

What are the most popular residence halls?

• The popularity of residence halls changes from year to year and each residence hall offers a unique housing experience.

I need special accommodations for housing, what should I do?

• GW Housing works closely with Disability Support Services (DSS) to find a configuration of space that fits the accommodation needs of students who have medical or disability concerns regarding their housing. Students must register with DSS prior to the housing application process.
• Students who have other accommodations questions or concerns should visit the Housing Resources page to find the correct staff person to contact.

Can I live off campus?

• All first-, second-, and third-year students are required live on campus. However, there are situations where students do qualify for a Residency Exemption. Exemptions are typically granted for students commuting from home, students who are married, student veterans who are over 20 years old, and students who have children. For more information, please review the Residency Requirement policy.
• Requests for Residency Exemption must be made prior to applying for housing and before a student receives their housing assignment.
• Once a student has completed a housing application, they are not able to apply for an exemption in the middle of the academic year.

I lived on the Mount Vernon Campus or in Thurston my first year. Do I get priority housing my second year?

• All students are given the same priority for housing. Only students who are participating in a special housing program (Affinity Housing, Academic Residential Communities, Greek Housing, etc.) have an earlier housing selection process. Housing assignments for all remaining students are made randomly based on the preferences in your housing application.

Why are some roommate groups not assigned together?

• There are many reasons that a roommate group may not be placed together. The most frequent reason is that the group is not valid. This means that not all of the people in the group selected each other on their application or someone in the group did not apply. If you have given your RMS ID number to someone you do not want to live with and they select you on their housing application, it will make your roommate group invalid as well.
• If someone in your roommate group has a hold on their account and will not be able to apply until after the housing application is closed, this will likely cause your roommate group to be invalid during the assignment process.
• If you and your roommates did not select the same buildings/room types in the same order you may be assigned separately. For instance, if someone in your group selects a single room as their first preference and receives it, the rest of the people in your group would not be assigned together. This is why it is important to make select your building and room type preferences in the same order as your roommate group.

Can I cancel my housing? Is there a fee?

• First-, second-, and third-year students are required to live on campus unless they have been approved for a Residency Exemption.
• Any student, regardless of class year, who is no longer attending GW is able to cancel their housing without a fee by completing the online housing cancellation form via GW  Housing e-Services and submitting the appropriate documentation.
• A fourth or fifth-year student or exchange student may cancel their housing assignment and be assessed the fee as follows: 1) Student has 5 business days from receipt of assignment to cancel for a $75 fee 2) Once the five day period has passed, Student has until Wednesday, May 29, 2019 to cancel for a $150 fee
• Students who leave the university mid-year will be subject to the terms and conditions outlined in the Housing License Agreement.

I am not happy with my housing assignment, how can I change rooms?

• GW Housing has a system called Room Swap, which is designed to give students the chance to find and swap to the room they have been looking for. The Room Swap process allows students to connect with other students on campus looking to change rooms.  Room Swap will be available beginning at 1pm on assignment release day through the first Friday in August. It will then re-open after the first three weeks of each academic semester. The Room Swap process is available to all students wishing to swap room assignments who do not live in a specialty housing option.
• These swaps are processed daily throughout the spring semester and summer.
• Housing will be extremely full for second-year students and there will most likely be a waitlist of second-, third-, and fourth-year students. It is unlikely  GW Housing staff will be able to move you into a vacant space in a different room  as we do not anticipate vacant spaces will be available. 

Why is there a waitlist when second- and third-year students are required to live on campus?

• After housing assignments are made, there is a certain portion of the second- and third-year class that will decide not to return to GW because they are taking a leave of absence, transferring, or not returning to the university.
• In the past, students on the waitlist who are required to live on campus have received housing by mid-June.
• Students on the waitlist will be assigned before students who have housing assignments are offered vacant spaces.

The following staff are available to answer your questions regarding living options at GW:

Kevin Gates:

• Housing Cancellations
• Residency Exemptions
• On campus housing for nontraditional students
• On campus housing for veteran students

Renee Kashawlic: Gender Inclusive or LGBTQIA+ housing

Seth Weinshel: Housing that meets religious needs and housing accommodations for students with disabilities (please review the Disability Support Services policy)

Harry Knabe: Greek Housing

Lauren Murphy: Affinity Housing and Academic Residential Communities

Off Campus Student Affairs: Off Campus Housing Options