Welcome to Room Selection at Catholic University! 

Room Selection is the process for current Catholic University degree-seeking, undergraduate students to apply for an on-campus room assignment for the upcoming academic year.  The University strongly believes in the benefits that on-campus living has to offer to our students in terms of academic success, personal development and involvement within the campus community.  As such, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students are required to live on-campus for the first six semesters of enrollment.  More information on the Student Housing Policy is available on the University's Policy website.

Room Selection Overview

The following sections review policies and procedures including important dates and steps for successfully completing the Room Selection process.  Students are encouraged to read each section and contact Housing Services with any questions!

Have Questions?

Housing Services is available to answer any questions you may have! Please stop by our new office in Pryzbyla 207, call us at (202) 319-5615, or email us at cua-housing@cua.edu  and we will be happy to assist you.

  • Eligibility

    To participate in Room Selection, students must be currently enrolled undergraduate, degree-seeking students in good financial standing with the University who anticipate full-time enrollment with the University for the next academic year. 

    University standards for full-time status are outlined in the Academic Announcement publications.  A student whose course load falls below full-time status should petition Housing Services for permission to remain a residential student.  Other exceptions may be granted on a space-available basis. 

    Students who have an outstanding balance on their account must resolve the financial hold with Enrollment Services in order to access the Room Selection Intent Form in MyHousing.  The financial hold will need to be resolved approximately one business day prior to the Room Selection Intent Form closing to allow enough time for the account to update. 

    More information about eligibility is available in the Student Housing Eligibility Policy

  • Room Selection Intent Form

    The Room Selection Intent Form is the housing application for returning undergraduate students.  In order to participate in Room Selection, students must submit the Room Selection Intent Form in MyHousing. MyHousing is the online housing portal accessible via Cardinal Students.   Submitting the Intent Form conveys a student’s intent to live on-campus for the upcoming academic year. If a student has not submitted the Intent Form, they will not be able to participate in Roommate Matching and Selection Days.

    Students who have an outstanding balance on their account must resolve the financial hold with Enrollment Services in order to access the Room Selection Intent Form in MyHousing.  The financial hold will need to be resolved approximately one business day prior to the Room Selection Intent Form closing to allow enough time for the account to update. 

  • Selection Phases

    Room Selection is divided into three phases based on roommate group size.  Each Selection Phase has its own Roommate Matching Schedule and Selection Day.  Please refer to the Room Selection Schedule for dates. 

    Phase 1: 5-Person Roommate Group Selection - To apply for this phase, students must:

    • Resolve any financial hold on their student account, if applicable
    • Submit the Room Selection Intent Form by the advertised date
    • Properly form a Fully Matched 5-person roommate group in MyHouisng by the advertised date
    • Make sure everyone in their roommate group sees Fully Matched in MyHousing by the advertised date
    • Not have a confirmed assignment already 

    Phase 2: 4-Person Roommate Group Selection - To apply for this phase, students must:

    • Resolve any financial hold on their student account, if applicable
    • Submit the Room Selection Intent Form by the advertised date
    • Properly form a Fully Matched 4-person roommate group in MyHouisng by the advertised date
    • Make sure everyone in their roommate group sees Fully Matched in MyHousing by the advertised date
    • Not have a confirmed assignment already

    Phase 3: Small Group Selection - To apply for this phase, students must:

    • Resolve any financial hold on their student account, if applicable
    • Submit the Room Selection Intent Form by the advertised date
    • If interested, though not required, form a Fully Matched 2 or 3-person roommate group in MyHouisng by the advertised date
    • Make sure everyone in their roommate group sees Fully Matched in MyHousing by the advertised date
    • Not have a confirmed assignment already

    Students who have submitted the Room Selection Intent Form and do not select an assignment during Phase 1 or Phase 2 will automatically receive a selection time in Phase 3, if applicable. 

  • Roommate Matching

    The majority of assignments on-campus are in mutli-person units and the majority of students will receive an assignment with a direct roommate and/or suitemates.  Roommate matching is the step in which students form a group with others they would like to live with for the upcoming academic year. 

    All roommate groups are formed in MyHousing via Cardinal Students and must be mutually agreed upon by all involved students.  Rising Sophomores and Rising Juniors can form roommate groups together. Only fully matched roommate groups will be able to proceed through the phases. Every student in a roommate group must see "Your Group is Fully Matched" in MyHouisng.  There should be no pending requests for anyone in the desired group . 

    Room Selection is divided into three phases based on roommate group size:

    • Phase 1: 5-Person Roommate Matching
    • Phase 2: 4-Person Roommate Matching
    • Phase 3: Small Group Matching 

    Only roommate groups that meet the required group size for Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 will be eligible to apply for that phase.  For example, a 4-person roommate group will not be eligible to apply for Phase 1.  Additionally, if a 5-person roommate group applies for Phase 1 but is not able to select an assignment, the students in the group will need to divide into smaller groups and apply for the remaining phases.   

    When a student forms a roommate group, they are giving the other group members permission to select on their behalf.  

    When searching for desired roommates, if the search results indiciate "No records", double check the spelling.  If everything is spelled correctly, then the student is likely not eligible for roommate matching.  Students can only form roommate groups with other eligible students.  A "spot" in a roommate group cannot be held for a student not eligible at the time roommate matching occurs. 

  • Selection Order & Time

    Housing Services will verify the eligible roommate groups for each Selection Phase.  To be eligible for a Selection Phase, the roommate group must be fully matched (meaning every student in the group must see "Your Group is Fully Matched" in MyHousing).  If any student within a roommate group has pending requests it could hinder the enter group's eligibility for the desired Selection Phase. 

    Once verified, a computer will order the eligible groups based on Rising Juniors groups, Rising Junior and Rising Sophomore groups, and Rising Sophomore groups, then assign a random selection time based on the order the groups fall.  This process occurs separately within each Phase. 

    Housing Services will announce the total number of spaces available to each Selection Phase and the total number of groups that applied.  If the total number of groups exceeds the total number of available spaces, not every group will receive a Selection Time.  Groups that do not receive a Selection Time will need to divide the group to fit into the remaining Selection Phases. 

    The Selection Time provided to each group is the earliest time the group can select an assignment on the Selection Day for the corresponding phase. Only one student in the group should log into MyHousing and make a selection on behalf of the entire group.  When a student forms a roommate group, they are giving the other group members permission to select on their behalf. 

    Please understand that due to the many fluid variables associated with space availability, Housing Services is not able to predict the likelihood of a specific room type being available to roommate groups and/or individuals during their Selection Time. 

  • Rising Seniors

    As is the case on most residential campuses, on-campus housing for Senior students is not automatically guaranteed.  However, each year, Housing Services reviews the demand for on-campus housing and initiates plans accordingly.  During the spring semester, rising seniors will be able to request on-campus housing for the upcoming academic year and will be provided with an opportunity to select from available spaces.

    The Room Selection Intent Form for Rising Seniors will open in MyHousing on February 12 and close on March 1.  Rising Seniors who submit the Intent Form by March 1 will receive a computer generated selection number associated with an individual selection time.  Rising seniors will have the option to form a roommate group with other rising seniors who have also received a selection time.  Selection will occur on March 19 between 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM.

    More information will be sent via email to rising seniors about the selection process for 2024-2025. 

  • Special Housing Circumstances & Requests

    Study Abroad

    Students who are studying abroad during the spring semester when Room Selection occurs can fully participate in the process.  All steps are managed online via MyHousing and through University email.  Students who are abroad during Room Selection are responsible for ensuring their participation and following the Room Selection schedule as advertised.  *All Room Selection times are Eastern Standard Time Zone. 

    The Office of Global Education will notify Housing Services when students commit to a study abroad program for the upcoming Fall semester or a full-year abroad.  Students who are committed to an abroad program and will not live on-campus for the upcoming fall semester are not eligible to participate in Room Selection.  Students who will be abroad for the upcoming fall semester and return to campus for the following spring semester will participate in the Spring Only Application process. 

    Upon returning from a study abroad program, students will be held to the residency requirement

    Applying to be a Resident Assistant or Residence Minister

    Students who are participating in the application process for Resident Assistant or Residence Minister should still submit the Room Selection Intent Form.  Residence Life and Campus Ministry will notify Housing Services when students have accepted a position with one of their offices.  In this case, students will be removed from further participation in the Room Selection process as their room assignment will be managed through Residence Life or Campus Ministry.  All students living on-campus must have a signed Residence Hall & Dining Services Agreement on file.  For this season, submitting the Room Selection Intent Form is still required. 

    Housing Accommodations 

    Students who may need to request a specific type of room to accommodate a documented disability should work with Disability Support Services for a housing accommodation review by the advertised deadline. 

  • Helpful Links & Resources

Disclaimer: 

The Office of Housing Services has made every effort to ensure optimal performance of MyHousing.  On Selection Days, Housing Services will monitor the database.  It is the responsibility of the student to ensure assess to MyHousing via personal computer and internet connection. Do not log into MyHousing before your group's selection time.  Doing so could unnecessarily slow down the server and impact selection not only for your group but all groups. In the case of mass technical difficulties on behalf of the University (i.e. network goes down, internet outage on campus, etc.), Housing Services will assess the issue and determine the best course of action to ensure Selection can continue in the intended order.  If necessary, Housing Services will reschedule the entire Selection Day and as a last resort may cancel room assignments that occurred as a result of the technical difficulties.