Housing Selection

We’re excited to introduce our revamped Housing Selection process! Our goal is to make this process easier, clearer, and more transparent for students. If you have participated in Housing Selection before, much of this will be familiar. Key changes are outlined below, but regardless of your knowledge level, we highly recommend reading through our Spring Selection Guide (linked below).

If you have any questions after reading through the information and linked materials found on this page, please reach out to us at housing@bates.edu, or by stopping by our office in Chase Hall, Suite 001. It is much better to have your questions answered now, rather than waiting until Housing Selection begins.

Resources

There are several important documents, either new or updated since last year, that should be read and understood.

Selection Guide

The Spring Housing Selection Guide has all of the specifics you need for housing selection. It has dates, updates, FAQs, detailed explanations, and more! This guide should be useful to all students going through Housing Selection, whether this is your 1st, 2nd, or 3rd time navigating the process.

Video How To

Watch one of our “How To” videos to learn about a part of housing selection – whether for the first time or as a refresher.

Planning Worksheet

The Housing Selection Planning Worksheet is intended to help you stay organized and prepared as you plan for housing selection for the next academic year. By breaking down the process into manageable steps, it will guide you in identifying your top room preferences, backup options, and important deadlines.

The Selection Availability Website will show each room, some of the room and building features, and whether it has been selected or not. This website will update every 10 minutes during selection while timeslots are opening and will update daily outside of that.

The Housing Selection 2024 Data can provide students with insight to help establish general expectations for any given class year, by including historical data from the previous year. Based on the data, a student could make adjustments to their plan for housing selection, given the estimated likelihood of ending up in any given building or room type.

The Housing Tour section of our website has been revamped. Additional information about each building has been added. In addition, the following information regarding housing options has been created:

The Residence Hall and Dining Service Regulations (updated for 25-26) provides information about student rights, privileges, and responsibilities when it comes to living on-campus. You will be asked to sign an agreement during your Housing Application Process in HouseCat, confirming that you have read and understood the info in this document.

The Housing Accommodations web page has been updated and expanded to include more information. While it was designed for students with Housing Accommodations, the information can also be helpful in learning more about each building on-campus.

What is new this year?

While the info below is contained in the Spring Housing Selection Guide, we wanted to include it here as well, to provide a summary of changes that are brand new this year.

  • All group sizes will go at the same time: Unlike the past few years where selection nights were separated by group size, all group sizes will participate in selection in the same round of selection.
  • Selection Nights will be separated by class year:  All students in a class year will select in the same selection round.  Mixed class year groups will go at the beginning of the round of the lowest class year in the group. 
  • Selection Rounds will be longer: Instead of one night, selection rounds will last through the next day.  This is to give students more time to rearrange their groups, coordinate with other students, and talk to our office about options and questions.
  • Students will be able to make changes to groups during selection: New this year, you will be able to make changes to your group during selection.  For example, if an hour into the senior selection round, all of the suites of 6 in Hopkins and Rzasa have been selected, your group of 6 can break up into 3 double groups to try to select into another building together, like Smith.  In another example, if 30 minutes into the sophomore selection round there are no longer any singles to select, two people can create a new group so that they can select as a double.  
  • Availability Website: New this year is the Selection Availability website that will show each room, some of the room and building features, and whether it has been selected or not.  This website will update every 10 minutes during active selection rounds when timeslots and will update daily outside of that.  
  • No groups of 8: As previously announced, there are no longer blocks of 8 in housing selection.  All of Smith will be selected as doubles.  More information about building room type breakdowns can be found under Housing Options below and on the Housing Selection website.  

What do these changes mean for you?  Our goal is to give students more information about their housing options and provide more autonomy in the process.  With these changes, students should all be prepared to be in the HouseCat portal on selection nights in case you need to create a group or your group changes.  Also, students should be prepared with their top choices and back up plans in case there are limited or no options at their selection time. 

Important Dates

Monday, March 10thSenior Applications Due by 11:59pm
Tuesday, March 11thSenior Timeslots Released by 8:00pm
Wednesday, March 12thSenior Selection Begins at 4:30pm
Thursday, March 13thSenior Selection Ends at 4:30pm
Monday, March 24thJunior Applications Due by 11:59pm
Tuesday, March 25thJunior Timeslots Released by 8:00pm
Wednesday, March 26thJunior Selection Begins at 4:30pm
Thursday, March 27thJunior Selection Ends at 4:30pm
Wednesday, April 2ndSophomore Applications Due by 11:59pm
Friday, April 4thSophomore Timeslots Released by 8:00pm
Saturday, April 5thSophomore Selection Begins at 9:00am
Monday, April 7thSophomore Selection Ends at 4:30pm

In addition to reading and understanding the documents linked on this web page, please feel free to either:

  • Join us in-person for an Info Session or to ask questions!
    • Info Session: February 26th, 4:30pm-5:30pm, Chase Lounge
    • Commons Tabling: February 27th, 11:30am-1:30pm, Commons Fireplace Lounge
    • Rising Sophomore Info Session: March 4th, 6:30pm-8:00pm, Memorial Commons
    • Commons Tabling: March 5th, 11:30am-1:30pm, Commons Fireplace Lounge
    • Info Session: March 5th, 7:00pm-8:00pm, Chase Lounge
    • Virtual Info Session: March 6th, 9:00am-10:00am (EST), Zoom
    • Info Session: March 6th, 12:00pm-1:00pm, Commons 226
  • Stop by our drop-in hours either in person or virtually!
    • March 5th, 6:30-7:30pm (SCBC)
    • March 10th, 12-3pm (ResLife Office or Zoom)
    • March 24th, 12-3pm (ResLife Office or Zoom)
    • April 2nd, 12-3pm (ResLife Office or Zoom)
  • Flip through our Housing Selection 25-26 Presentation on your own time. Note that this is the same presentation as presented in our first Info Session listed above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Students must submit an application and agree to the Residence Hall and Dining Service Regulations to participate in Selection.  To be eligible for Selection, you must be enrolled as an active student for the upcoming Fall semester.  Your class year and enrollment eligibility will be confirmed with the registrar on the day your class year’s applications are due.  For more information regarding eligibility, check out the Selection Guide.

New this year we have a roommate matching event for students looking for roommates! 

  • March 4th, 8-9pm in Memorial Commons

We also highly suggest reaching out to your JA or CA to see if they know of anyone who is looking for a roommate.  Additionally, talking to others in your social circles, clubs and orgs, or teams to see if they are looking for roommates or know others who are can be the most helpful.

We’ve also created this Roommate Matching Guide to assist students seeking roommates in their class year.

Currently studying away: Selection occurs online through the HouseCat portal and most students will be able to participate while studying away without issue.  If you believe that accessing the portal while away will be an issue for you, please reach out to Residence Life at housing@bates.edu.  

Studying away for the upcoming Fall semester: For students who are not enrolled at Bates in the upcoming Fall Semester but will be returning to campus for the upcoming Winter Semester, you will not participate in Spring Housing Selection.  You will participate in Winter Placement which typically occurs in November and December the Fall prior to your return.  

Studying away for the upcoming Winter semester: You may participate in the current Housing Selection process.  Once your study abroad program is confirmed and processed by the Registrar, you will be removed from housing.

It is possible to have mixed class year groups in Selection.  However, you will be unable to make a mixed class year group on your own in the HouseCat Portal.  Instead, you must contact housing@bates.edu so that a group can be manually created for you.  

Process

  • At least 48 hours prior to the application deadline for the housing selection round you are participating in, email housing@bates.edu and copy each student that wants to be in the group.
  • Everyone must reply all to confirm that they want to be in the group.
  • Residence Life will then create the group for you.

NOTE: Mixed class year groups will go at the beginning of the round of the lowest class year in the group. We highly suggest you check out the other important information in the Mixed Class Year Groups section of the Selection Guide.