Returning Students

Returning Student Housing Registration

*This is an informational page for students currently enrolled at GW for spring 2025. The housing registration process for new, incoming first-year and transfer students will begin in May 2025.

The George Washington University requires all first- and second-year students to reside on campus unless they are approved for a residency requirement exemption. All rising second-year students for the 2025-2026 academic year are required to live on campus unless approved for a residency exemption. 

Rising third- and fourth-year students may participate in the housing registration process, but are not required to do so. Campus Living & Residential Education (CLRE) anticipates being able to provide housing for every rising third- and fourth-year student who desires on-campus housing. If a rising third- or fourth-year student registers and is assigned to on-campus housing, they are bound to the terms and conditions of the Housing License Agreement.

Housing at GW is based on class year. This is determined using the year a student was admitted to the university, not necessarily the number of academic credits a student has. For the 2025-2026 academic year, the following class years register for returning student housing:

• Class of 2028 students = Rising 2nd-year students
• Class of 2027 students = Rising 3rd-year students
• Class of 2026 students = Rising 4th-year students
• Class of 2025 students = Rising 5th-year students

Housing Registration Process

We know that deciding where to live on campus can be a daunting and overwhelming task for students. The on-campus housing process for the academic year 2025-2026 begins in January 2025 for GW students currently enrolled in spring 2025. In addition to this overview, registration information will be sent directly to eligible students via email.

Housing Registration Timeline

Housing registration will only be available for access during its "open" time period. Once a specific registration period closes, registration will become unavailable to students. When planning to register for housing please ensure that you are registering within the right time period for your desired registration option.

Key Notes on Housing Registration

Myth: Completing Housing Registration Quickly is Better

Housing assignments are not given on a first-come, first-serve basis, and there is no incentive to register for housing quickly. There is no advantage or reason to complete an action right when that period begins. We want students to take their time deciding what direction they want to go and we’ve built lengthy periods of time into the process for this reason.
 

Helpful Advice: Students with DSS Housing Accommodations

Campus Living & Residential Education works collaboratively with Disability Support Services (DSS) to foster a climate of universal academic excellence, while also promoting disability culture and GW’s broader diversity and inclusion initiatives. If you need accommodations for housing and have not worked with DSS, visit the DSS Housing Accommodations page and follow the steps to request an accommodation with DSS. Students who already have approved housing accommodations from DSS do not need to contact the DSS team regarding their housing accommodation. All housing accommodations carry over from year-to-year.

If a student has an approved DSS housing accommodation and lives in a room that meets their housing accommodation(s), they may participate in Room Renewal to keep their room if their current residence hall is eligible for Room Renewal.

For students with housing accommodations who are not eligible / don’t participate in Room Renewal:

• Students with approved DSS housing accommodations will register in an early DSS-specific period: Jan 28 - Feb 11. Select assignment priority will be given to students with DSS housing accommodations when housing assignments are made by Campus Living & Residential Education. Priority is provided to students who have housing accommodations for specific room occupancy (ex: singles, singles in suites, doubles), private bathrooms and/or kitchens, accessible units. This priority ensures CLRE can assign students to rooms that meet their accommodation. All other DSS-approved housing accommodations will be met via eventual housing assignment, but do not receive priority in assignment over other students.
• Rising 2nd-year students whose DSS housing accommodations can only be met by living in specific residence halls may be assigned there.
• Rising 3rd and 4th year students with DSS accommodations for singles with private bathrooms that can only be accommodated in a 2nd year hall may be assigned there.

How it Works: Housing Assignment Priority

After the general housing registration period is complete on March 7, Campus Living & Residential Education will assign students in the following order of priority. The higher the priority, the more likely a student is to receive higher-preferenced residence halls and room types:

1. Rising 2nd year students and roommates groups led or made up of exclusively rising 2nd year students
2. Rising 3rd, 4th, and 5th year students and roommate groups made up of exclusively rising 3rd, 4th, and 5th year students

All students who register for housing by March 7, regardless of assignment priority, will learn of their housing assignments on Wednesday, April 2.

All processes and tasks for 2025-2026 housing registration will happen via the GW Home portal.

Enter GW Home Portal

Roommate Matching Questions and Discovery Period

Campus Living & Residential Education knows that roommate compatibility is of utmost importance to students that live together. For students who don't identify specific people to live with, these questions will help students be assigned with roommates that are as compatible as possible.

View the Roommate Matching Questions

The GW Home Portal

The GW Home portal is a user-friendly system to complete important housing tasks, like registering for housing, creating roommate groups, requesting exemptions to the residency requirement, viewing individualized housing assignment and meal plan information, and more.

Enter GW Home Portal

Preparing for Housing Registration to Open

Here is information to help you prepare before housing registration opens for you:  

• We will send you an email on designated dates to notify you that the GW Home portal is open to accepting your registration.  The email will include a link to access the GW Home portal.  
• Please do not share the registration email with your friends as information provided may be customized to you.
• To avoid overwhelming the system resources, the GW Home portal only allows a limited number of students to enter the system at one time. 
• The GW Home portal will remain open hours of the day during designated registration periods.

Housing Rates

Review 2025-2026 housing costs. Meal plans and associated rates can be found at GW Dining.

Building Options

View our available residence halls for rising 2nd-, 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-year students. Learn more about the prevalence of various room types during returning student housing registration.

Roommate Groups

You will be able to form roommate groups throughout the 2025-2026 housing registration process. Important details on forming roommate groups.

• The person that starts the roommate group will become the “Group Leader.” The group leader has significant control over who joins the group and where the group may be assigned to live. Students should be thoughtful when determining who will be the leader.
• The Group Leader will create a Group Name and Group Password, and share the name and password with friends desired to be in the roommate group. Students should not share the Group Name and Group Password with people who they don't want in their roommate group.
• Individuals may join roommate groups using the shared Group Name and Group Password. The leader of the group will then accept each person’s place in the group. Once everyone desired is accepted into the group, the group is confirmed.
• Students cannot be a member or a leader of more than one roommate group.
• Students can form a roommate group with students who are not in their class year. However, rising upperclass students (classes of 2025, 2026,and 2027) cannot live with first-year students or second-year students (class of 2028 and 2029).
• Unaccepted roommate group invitations are one of the biggest drivers of desired roommates not getting assigned in a room together. Completely forming roommate groups is critical.
• Once all group members have joined, the group leader must Verify the group by clicking the Verify button in order for the roommate group to be valid. 

Note: All group members must individually complete the housing registration process and sign the Housing License Agreement after they have joined the roommate group. If you do not register for housing, you will not be assigned to a space.

Roommate groups could be split up if the group size doesn’t fit with any available rooms that we have of that size. In the rare instance that a group is split up and wants to undertake a swap of assignments to create more ideal small groups, please contact us. We’re happy to facilitate swaps that are occurring as a result of roommate groups getting split up.

For students who have a Roommate Group in mind for 2025-2026

• Complete your Roommate Matching Question form in the Home@GW portal.
• Complete your Roommate Search Profile in the Home@GW portal.
• Once you completed both forms: Create a roommate group.
  • Step 1: Create Your Group – A designated leader will select “Create New Group” and then create a Group Name and Password. After creating the group, the group leader will share this Group Name and Password with their desired roommates. Be selective about who you pick to be your Group Leader. Their ranked preferences will be prioritized for the whole group. NOTE: Do not share the Group Name and Password with people you do not wish to live with.
  • Step 2: Add Your Roommates - Desired roommates will then complete the roommate matching questions and Roommate Search Profile. Next, desired roommates will select “Join a Group with Group Name and Password” and enter the Group Name and Password that was shared with them by the designated leader. NOTE: A group must be created prior to desired roommates being able to join a group with a Group Name and Password.
  • Step 3: Accept Roommate Requests - The roommate group leader will accept each request after their desired roommates join the group. NOTE: Only accepted roommate group requests will be considered when CLRE makes housing assignments.
  • Step 4: Verify Your Roommate Group - Once all members have joined and the group is finalized, the group leader must click the “Verify Group” button to make their group official.

For students who do not have a Roommate Group in mind for 2025-2026

• Complete your Roommate Matching Question form in the Home@GW portal.
• Complete your Roommate Search Profile in the Home@GW portal.
• Once you completed both forms: Search for individuals based on the roommate matching questions.
  • Step 1: Request to be roommates or send them a message. If they accept the roommate request you will form an automated roommate group.
  • Step 2: create a roommate group.

For students who do not want to form a Roommate Group

• Completing your Roommate Matching Question form in the Home@GW portal.
• Complete your Roommate Search Profile in the Home@GW portal.
• Once you completed both forms:
  • Step 1: Select “Save & Continue.” This step bypasses Roommate Discovery/Creating Roommate Group. This allows you to continue with housing registration once that process opens.
  • Note: If you choose not to participate in Roommate Discovery/Choosing a Roommate Group, this does not mean you will be assigned a single room. Most likely, you will be assigned a roommate by the CLRE team based on the answers to your roommate matching questions.

Cancelling Housing After Registering

Rising 3rd, 4th, or 5th Year Students Cancelling Housing to Live Off-Campus

• Rising 3rd, 4th, and 5th year students may cancel their housing in order to live off-campus, however, there is a deadline to do so.
• Rising 3rd, 4th, and 5th year students may cancel their housing without a fee for up to 5 business days after receiving their housing assignment.
• Students who miss this 5-day window but would still like to cancel housing in order to live off campus may cancel their housing by May 1st at 5:00 PM EST with a $500 cancellation fee.
• Between May 2nd and June 2nd, rishing 3rd, 4th, and 5th year students may cancel their housing with a $1,000 cancellation fee.
• After this deadline, it will not be permitted for any rising 3rd, 4th or 5th Year students to cancel their housing for any reason besides leaving the university.
• Cancellation fees do not apply at any time for any other approved reason for cancelling housing, such as leaving the university to transfer, withdraw, take a leave of absence, or study abroad.

Students Studying Abroad in Fall 2025

• If a student is considering or unsure about studying abroad in Fall 2025, they should still register for 2025-2026 housing and then cancel their 2025-2026 housing once their study abroad plan/program is confirmed. They can then register for spring 2026 only housing sometime in fall 2025.
• If a student is certain that they will be studying abroad in Fall 2025, don't register for 2025-2026 housing. Registration for spring 2026 housing only will open sometime during fall 2025.

Students Studying Abroad in Spring 2026

Please register for 2025-2026 housing. A student will then cancel their spring 2026 housing sometime in fall 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions: 2025-2026 Housing Registration

Housing Registration and Assignment Priority

Are rising 4th or 5th year students given priority in housing assignments over rising 3rd year students?

No, the only priority given in housing assignments based on class year is that rising 2nd year students are given priority in housing assignments over rising 3rd/4th/5th 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 add South Hall room types to their ranked preference list.

I didn't participate in Room Renewal because I thought I'd get assigned to a more preferred residence hall, and didn't get assigned there. 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.

Residence Halls and Class Years

Will all rising 2nd-year students live in a 2nd-year residence hall?

Yes, 100% of rising second-year students will live in a designated second-year residence hall for the 2025-2026 academic school year. 

As a rising 3rd, 4th, or 5th year student, can I live in a residence hall designated for only 2nd-year students?

Generally, no. Rising 3rd, 4th, or 5th year students will live in residence halls they are eligible for. The only exception to this may be rare instances when a DSS housing accommodation must be met and the only room available is in a 2nd-year residence hall.

Registering for Housing with a DSS Housing Accommodation

Do students with DSS accommodations register earlier?

Yes, students with approved DSS accommodations will register earlier than the General Housing Registration period. Students with DSS can register for housing between Tuesday, January 28 and Tuesday, February 11.

The only other period of housing registration that happens earlier is Room Renewal. Room Renewal offers students the chance to keep their current room for the upcoming year, if eligible and desired. Those who register through the DSS or Room Renewal process will receive their housing assignment on  Wednesday, February 19.

Once Room Renewal and DSS applications are complete, all other returning undergraduate students in need of housing or required to live on-campus register for housing at the same time (General Housing Registration)

Do I have to go through the Room Renewal process as a student with a DSS housing accommodation?

No. Students with DSS housing accommodations on file are not required to participate in Room Renewal, and many students aren't eligible to participate. If Room Renewal is not a student's desired outcome, or available to a student, CLRE will work to find a room that fits a student's needs.

My needs aren't on file through DSS. Will this be a problem when I go to register for housing?

All students who believe they have a need for housing-based accommodation need to request an accommodation with Disability Support Services.

Can I create a roommate group with students who do not have a DSS housing accommodation in this process?

Yes. The student with the DSS housing accommodation on file should create a roommate group and can invite any students to their roommate group regardless of DSS accommodations.

Why aren't students with approved housing accommodations for animals given priority in housing assignment?

Over the past year, we have seen an increase in the number of students who are approved for room-type based housing accommodations. Examples of these can include: fully single room, rooms with private kitchens, rooms no larger than doubles, or fully accessible rooms.

We must prioritize those accommodations during housing registration to ensure we can meet their need through their room assignment.

Campus Living & Residential Education and Disability Support Services jointly determine that students whose only housing-based accommodation is for an approved animal will not be provided priority in housing assignment. Should you have a housing accommodation for an approved animal and are eligible for Room Renewal, we encourage you to keep your room if desired.

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 assignment, 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.