Housing Selection and Processes

Air Conditioned Rooms Accommodation Policy

• Air Conditioned Room Housing Accommodation has been updated. Please review. 

Requesting a Room Assignment due to religious practice

• Housing and Residence Life does not assign single rooms as a function of religious practices. Please review. Please email housing@pomona.edu to request a room assignment due to religious practice. 

Oldenborg Language Halls Selection

• Grouping (optional) and Selection phases will be supported by HRL via Residence. Please read more below. 

2 new Residential Themed Communities

• Lavender Gender and Sexuality Residential Themed Community
• Roaming Together: Outdoor Adventure Residential Themed Community

 

• Suite – rooms that share either 1) an initial entry or 2) a common room will be grouped together.
• Housing Assignment - the location that a student resides.
• Housing Selection – the process when a student is provided an Individual Selection Time and chooses their housing assignment.
• Housing Placement – the process when Pomona College will place a student in a housing assignment before or after selection. No Individual Selection Time provided.
• Individual Selection Time - Students participating in Housing Selection each get their own selection time. Students placed before selection will not recieve an individual time. 
• Group Selection Time - The time that the group leader will select. The earliest individual time of the (current) group. May change if the group changes.
• 'Rising' Classes - Class designation referring to the upcoming Fall. ex/ a current sophomore in Spring '23 will be referred to as a 'rising junior'.   

Informational Sessions (Zoom info on Residence and Engage)

• Tuesday, March 5, 2024 @ 12:00pm noon
• Thursday, March 7, 2024 @ 12:00pm noon
• Monday, March 18, 2024 @ 12:00pm noon
• Wednesday, March 20, 2024 @ 12:00pm noon
• Friday, March 22, 2024 @ 12:00pm noon
• Tuesday, March 26, 2024 @ 12:00pm noon
• Thursday, March 28, 2024 @ 12:00pm noon

General Housing Selection Timeline

• Housing Application Opens: (after Off-Campus process) March 19, 2024
• Application Due: March 29, 2024
• Group Creation Opens: April 1, 2024
• Pre-Selection Processes all resolved: April 4, 2024
• Room Search Opens & Selection Times Provided: (after all pre-selection steps) April 5, 2024
• Selection Dates
  • Rising Senior times: April 9, 2024 starting at 5:00 pm.
  • Rising Junior times: April 10, 2024 starting at 5:00 pm.
  • Rising Sophomore times: April 11, 2024 starting at 5:00 pm.

Step 1: Apply

• Everyone living on campus for Fall 2024 must complete a Housing Application on Residence.
  • Study abroad and Off Campus do not complete a Housing Application, but do complete a respective application.
• Location: The 2024-2025 Housing Application can be found on the home page of Residence (button above).
• Housing Application Content
  • Housing Agreement - policies and stipulations related to living on campus.
  • Matching Profile - information used by HRL when searching for room changes. This information can be updated at any point in Residence.
  • NOT meal plans - Pomona utilizes a "Off Campus Meal Plan" or the 'Ultimate Meal Plan'. No Meal Plan selection is needed.

Pre-Selection Processes

• The following processes result in students securing their housing assignments before the majority of campus participates in the Housing Selection process. Read more for policies and timelines for each pre-selection process below. Students housed will NOT receive Individual Selection Times or participate in the Group, Search, Select steps. 
  • Off Campus
  • Study Abroad/Away
  • HRL RAs, RA Suitemates, and Sponsors
  • Oldenborg Language Hall Selection
  • Fall Leaves of Absence
  • Housing Accommodations 

Step 2: Groups

• Students seeking to live in shared spaces (more than 1 occupancy per room, suites) must create groups in Residence.
• Students may send group invites using their Roommate Code (located in Residence).
• Only students participating in Selection can be in groups. Students with placements will lock up groups. Email housing@pomona.edu to unlock.
• Group size must exactly match the number of beds in a shared space. For example, a Sontag suite of 4 beds will only be selectable by a group of 4 students. These spaces will be marked in Blue text.
• Non-suite Single rooms (ex/Norton) only need a 'group' of 1 (no group) needed.
• Group Leaders are the only group member that selects the final spaces during Selection. Residence will default the group member with the best individual time, but the Group Leader can be changed independently of individual selection time.

Step 3: Search Rooms and Select

• Once all pre-selection processes are over, students going through Housing Selection will be assigned their own Individual Selection Time.
• Individual Selection times
  • Each student will receive their own Individual Selection Time.
  • For groups, ONLY the earliest Individual Selection Time is relevant. This becomes the Group Selection Time (when the Group Leader selects).
  • Priority: Individual Selection times will be provided by 1) class and 2) random within each class. Classes will be defined with the following Expected Graduation Terms:
    • Rising Seniors – Fall 24, Spring 25
    • Rising Juniors – Fall 25, Spring 26
    • Rising Sophomores – Fall 26, Spring 27
  • Students may review their Expected Graduate Term on Residence. Please follow up with the Office of the Registrar for additional inquiries regarding Expected Graduate Term. 
  • There will be about 4 students every three minutes, starting at 5:00pm each selection date.
  • There will be 15 minute breaks every hour. (5:00 - 6:00pm, 6:15 - 7:15pm, 7:30 - 8:30pm etc.)
• Selection Dates and Times
  • Senior Selection – April 9, 2024, Starting at 5:00pm (Rising Seniors can group with Rising Juniors and Rising Sophomores)
  • Junior Selection – April 10, 2024, Starting at 5:00pm (Remaining Rising Juniors can group with Rising Sophomores)
  • Sophomore Selection – April 11, 2024, Starting at 5:00pm (All remaining students)
• Searching Rooms
  • All group members can view rooms that will be available for selection.
  • # of bed spaces that match the group # will be BLUE.
  • The Group Leader will select the space for the group.
  • Review housing tags
    • Classed based housing
      • In coordination with ASPC, the following buildings will be class-restricted.
        • Sontag and Dialynas Halls - Seniors and Juniors only.
        • Harwood - Sophomore priority - Harwood spaces will be provided on Sophomore selection day, not visibule during the Junior and Senior selection days. 
        • Wig, Mudd, Blaisdell, Lyon - First year priority – Returning students that select into First Year halls may be administratively moved throughout the summer to best support the incoming class' housing needs. 

    • Winter Break Housing - Walker Hall and Smiley Hall

       

Returning Student halls

Sontag and Dialynas

• Common Room Suites with 4 single rooms (Groups of 4)
• Common Room Suites with 6 single rooms (Groups of 6)
• Rising Juniors and Seniors only

Clark I

• Suites with 2 single rooms (Single-single-bath layout) (Group of 2)
• Common Room Suites with 2 double rooms and 1 single room (Group of 5)
• Triple Rooms (Group of 3)

Clark III

• Non-Suited Single Rooms (No Group needed)
• Double Rooms (Group of 2)

Clark V

• Shared Door Suite with 2 single rooms (Group of 2)
• Shared Door Suite Single rooms with 3 single rooms (Group of 3)
• Shared Door Suite Single room with 4 single rooms (Group of 4)

Norton

• Non-Suited Single rooms (No Group needed)

Lawry

• Common Room suites with 8 single rooms (Group of 8)

Walker

• Winter Break Housing: may be asked to host an approved Winter Break Stay student during winter break. Students that know they will participate in Winter Break Stay housing are recommended to select this hall.
• Non-Suited Single rooms (No Group needed)
• Suites with 2 single rooms (Single-single-bath layout) (Group of 2)
• Suites with 3 single rooms (Single-single-bath-single layout) (Group of 3)

Smiley

• New Transfer Housing Hall
• Winter Break Housing: may be asked to host an approved Winter Break Stay student during winter break. Students that know they will participate in Winter Break Stay housing are recommended to select this hall. 
• Single Rooms (No Group needed)

Gibson

• Double rooms, common bathrooms (Group of 2)
• Single rooms, common bathrooms (No Group needed)

Harwood 

• Sophomore Priority Housing (will be removed from view until after Junior Selection day)
• Single room (communal bathroom)
• Double room (communal bathroom)

Oldenborg

• Applications coordinated by Oldenborg Language Center. Suites of 2 or 4 (Friendship suites).
• Beds in suites of 2 can optionally be chosen by non-group single students.

First Year Priority Halls

Mudd-Blaisdell

• Some rooms will be available for returning students, as needed. Rooms chosen may be moved during the summer due to first year programming needs or sponsor group placement. 
• Single rooms (communal bathrooms)
• Double room (communal bathrooms)
• Triple room (communal bathrooms)

Wig

• Double room (communal bathroom)
• Single room (communal bathroom)

Lyon

• Double rooms (communal bathrooms)

Who participates in Spring Housing?

• Return From Leave - Reviewed and communicated to HRL by the Dean of Students Office.
• Return From Study Abroad - Reviewed and communicated to HRL by International & Domestic Programs

Complete the Spring Housing Application

• All Spring returning students must complete a Spring Housing Application. Housing and Residence Life will contact students with a Spring Housing Application in November, to be completed via Residence.

Suite Pull-in Process

• HRL will collect which students are not expected to be on campus for the Spring (known Spring leaves of absence, Spring Study Abroad, Fall Graduates, etc.). These openings represent a Spring open bed. 
• Fall suites and double/triple residents with known Spring open beds will be notified by HRL and will be able to 'pull' Spring-returning students into a Spring open bed space.
• Non-suited single room residents will not be able to 'give' or 'hold' their rooms away to other students.
• Since Spring housing is coordinated in November, there are no formal 'holds' on Spring rooms during a Fall Housing Selection process (coordinated February – April), but informal planning for suites is suggested.

Spring Accommodations, Selection, and Assignments

• Students returing to campus in Spring with approved Housing Accommodations will be administratively assigned a qualifying space IF 1) they are not pulled-in to an existing suite and 2) there are qualifying spaces available. 
• Any Spring returning students without a housing assignement will be administratively assigned or participate in a small housing selection (Apply, Group & Search, Select).

Application and Approval Required

• Third and fourth-year students who wish to live off-campus must submit an off-campus housing application AND receive written approval from the Office of Housing and Residence Life (HRL).
• No student should sign an off-campus lease before receiving written approval.

Off Campus Application

• Off Campus Applications will be provided via Residence.
• Off Campus Applications will only be approved for a full academic year (Fall and Spring semesters). Spring-only requests will not provided an application in the Fall.
• The number of Off Campus approvals is dependent on occupancy needs of the college and will vary from year to year. Once the number of approvals has been met, additional approvals will only be extended only as needed by the college.

Off Campus Approval Qualifications

• Automatic Approval will be provided to the following groups of applicants:
  • Students aged 24 or older at the start of Fall classes.
  • Students who are legally married.
  • Students with children.
• Other than these groups, ALL first-year and second-year students are assumed to live in campus housing.
• Afterwards, as space requires, priority will be provided to the following groups of applicants. If applications exceeds availability, an individual randomized lottery will be used for the last qualifying group.
  • Previously approved Off-Campus students (must apply annually).
  • Rising Senior applicants
  • Rising Junior applicants

Once Approved

• Please note that those approved will be required to confirm their off campus address and contact information with Pomona College. HRL will initiate this process at the beginning of each academic year.
• Please be aware that your Off Campus status may effect your financial aid package and communication with the Office of Financial Aid is highly recommended before applying. Financial Aid does not offer approvals for Off Campus Housing.
• Should a student need to rescind an approved off-campus status, please contact housing@pomona.edu. The date in which this occurs will result in the following processes:
  • Before April 1st – Students will be provided a Housing Selection application and can participate in Fall Housing Selection process.
  • After April 1st – Students will be placed on a housing waitlist and administratively placed as qualifying spaces open throughout the summer.
• Off-Campus students will not be provided door access to campus residence halls other than Walker Loung (Health Vending Machine, Vending, free room, etc.)
• Off-Campus students are ineligible for winter break housing.
• Off Campus students must be on the Off Campus Meal Plan (10 Meals per week) with $100.00 Flex per Semester.
• Students approved and living off-campus must re-apply annually.

Timeline

• Application Opens: March 1, 2024
• Application Due: March 17, 2024
• Initial Approvals: March 18, 2024. rolling as needed

Students seeking to study abroad must apply through the International & Domestic Programs office to be approved. The IDP Office will notify Housing and Residence Life of approved students.

Fall Study Abroad

• Students approved for Fall Study Abroad do not participate in Fall Housing Selection, they do not complete Fall Housing Applications and are not provided selection times. Fall Study Abroad Students will be provided directions in November to complete (see 'Spring Housing Process' tab).
• Should a student rescind their Study Abroad plans, they must do so in writing at housing@pomona.edu AND the International and Domestic Programs Office. The date in which students do this will result in the following Housing Selection processes:
  • Before April 1st - Students will be provided a Fall Housing Application and can participate in Housing Selection.
  • After April 1st - Students will be placed on a housing waitlist and administratively placed when space opens throughout the summer.

Spring Study Abroad

• Students planning on Spring Study Abroad will still partcipate in the Fall Housing Selection (Apply, Group & Search, Select) for their Fall housing.
• Students must move all personal items out of their room at Fall Closing, no semester storage is offered by Pomona College. Please see the Fall Closing website for more information.
• Spring Study Abroad students must be mindful that Housing Selection for the following year takes place in February - April.

Full Year Study Abroad - Rising Juniors approved for full year abroad must be mindful that Housing Selection for the following year takes place in February - April.

Students with Approved Housing Accommodations

• Students with already approved Housing Accommodations do not need to reapply.
• Inquiries regarding existing accommodations can be made to disability@pomona.edu.

Apply for New Housing Accommodations

• Students seeking new housing accommodations due to a disability must apply via the Housing Accommodations procedure, facilitated and reviewed by Accessibility Resources and Services (ARS) office.
• HRL does not review medical documentation.

Housing Accommodations before the priority deadline.

• Students with new and existing Housing Accommodations approved before the priority deadline will be offered qualifying spaces by ARS and HRL.
  • Students may rescind the Housing offer and continue throughout the Group, Search, Select steps of the Housing Selection Process.

New Housing Accommodations after the priority application date.

• Students will participate through the Group, Search, Select steps of the Housing Selection Process. When new Housing Accommodations are approved after the priority deadline, those accommodations are waitlisted, with qualifying spaces offered by HRL as they become available (typically throughout the summer).

Rescinding Housing Accommodation offers.

• By declining your Housing Accommodation offer, Students will select their housing using the Housing Selection process. If the housing selection does not satisfy the approved accommodations, qualifying spaces may be offered as they become available throughout the summer.

Timeline

• Accommodation Application Opens: Rolling
• Accommodation Application Due: Rolling. Placements provided for applications received by March 29, 2024
• Rooms Placement Offers: April 3, 2024
• Rescind room offer deadline: April 5, 2024 at 2:00pm with Individual Selection Times provided April 5, 2024

Resident Advisors (RAs) and Sponsors are assigned housing by the HRL staff in accordance to programmatic needs. RAs assigned to suite spaces may pull in their suitemates. Once assigned, RAs, RA Suitemates, and Sponsors do not participate in the Group, Search, Select phases of the Housing Selection Process.

Timeline

• RAs Housing Assigned: Feburary 27th - March 5, 2024.
• RAs Suitemates Confirmed: Friday March 8, 2024.
• Sponsor Housing Confirmed: Monday April 1, 2024. 

Apply

• Students seeking to live in Oldenborg as part of the Oldenborg Center for Modern Languages and International Relations must apply and be approved according to their Room Draw application process and timeline.
• Friendship Suites - Cross language groups of 4 students (chosen during the Oldenborg application process) will be administratively placed by the Oldenborg Center Staff.
• All residential students must also complete the Housing Application on Residence.

Group (optional)

• Oldenborg contains Suites of 2. Students will NOT NEED to make groups of 2 like in the general housing application process.
  • No Group: An individual student may select their own bed space, even without a group member. They may be the first person in a 2 bed suite, or the second. If they are the second, students will see the first suitemate's name only during their selection time.
  • Groups of 2: can select any available suites of 2 during their group selection time. All students in a group must be approved for the same language hall. If a suite of 2 isn't available at the time of a group's selection, students will be able to de-group and choose rooms individually. 
• Oldenborg Waitlist students are not eligible to make a group. They will be offered available spaces at the end of the Language Selections.

Select

• Once approved, students will be be provided a unique selection for their approved language hall in Residence. 
• Individual Selection Times will be provided to each student and priority will be determined according to the Oldenborg Center (not class based, like the general selection). 
• Follow the same Selection process as listed above.
• For students that do not select during their Selection Time, they will participate in the general Housing Selection process (see above).
• At the end of Language Hall Selections, Oldenborg waitlisted students will be provided available room offers. 

Timeline

• Oldenborg Application: See Oldenborg Room Draw Website
• Friendship Suites Assigned: Week of March 25, 2024.
• Oldenborg Individual Selection Times: Monday, April 1, 2024.
• Oldenborg Language Hall Selection: Thursday, April 4, 2024.

Lavender Gender and Sexuality Community

Partnership between Housing & Residence Life and the Queer Resource Center

• The Lavender Gender & Sexuality Theme Community provides a living and learning environment to raise awareness and engage students around topics of gender, sexual/romantic orientation, sexual health, and social justice. This community creates a supportive space that welcomes and celebrates every intersection of a student’s identity.  
• All students, regardless of identity or major, are invited to participate in the Residential Themed Community as topics of gender identity and sexual orientation are discussed in an inclusive, and supportive environment. 
• Application and Additional Information

Roaming Together: Outdoor Adventure Community

Partnership between Housing & Residence Life and the Outdoor Education Center 

• The Outdoor Adventure Residential Theme Community provides a living and learning environment for students in a community to engage and explore interests in various outdoor topics including recreation and skill-building, local outdoor opportunities, fostering interest, and discussions surrounding environmental conservation, sustainability.  
• Outdoor Adventure allows students to explore various aspects of the outdoors at their own pace. All students, regardless of outdoor experience or major, are invited to participate in the Outdoor Themed Community.  
• Application and Additional Information

Timeline

• Informational Session: Wednesday, February 21 @ 7PM in Rose Hills Theatre
• Applications Due: Sunday, March 3 @ 11:59pm.
• Housing Placements Confirmed: by Thursday, April 4

Everyone living in campus housing for the following Fall must complete the Housing Application in Residence.

Please note this includes Housing Accommodations, Residential Themed Communities, Oldenborg Language Halls, RAs, RA Suitemates, and Sponsors.

Only Fall Study Abroad, Spring Graduates, and planned Fall Leaves of Absences do not complete a Housing Application for the following Fall.

Students may view the Expected Graduate Term on Residence by selecting the "My Account" tab. Any discrepencies should be emailed to the Office of the Registrar.

No, Fall and Spring graduates will be randomized within the same pool. For example, Fall 25 graduates and Spring 26 graduates will be considered the same year for Housing Selection purposes.

It differs slightly each year, and HRL will work to provide status updates after the Senior Selection date, however, rising Juniors selecting later on the Junior selection date are recommended to make plans involving groups and prepare for the possibility of a double room. 

Harwood will be prioritized as a Sophomore hall. As such, it will be hidden until after the Junior Selection concludes. Sophomores selecting bed spaces on Sophomore Selection night will be able to see and select Harwood.

A little bit of everywhere (except Sontag and Dialynas). Harwood Hall will be prioritized for Sophomores in the Selection process. Seniors and Juniors select first, and Seniors and Juniors can choose to group with Sophomores for most halls. As such, there are Sophomores that live in North Campus halls because they were pulled into a suite by a Senior or Junior with an earlier selection date/time. Sophomores also have the latest individual selection times, meaning Sophomores will fill all remaining spaces. As such, they tend to be spread out, (including halls that are primarily held for incoming first year students, but have extra space).

Additional documents (maps, etc.) will be provided on the Residence home dashboard.

Housing Accommodations are primarily reviewed on an individual basis by Accessibility Resources and Services, and are placed on an individual basis by Housing and Residence Life. Please email disability@pomona.edu with questions regarding accommodations. Students wanting to live with friends go through the traditional Housing Selection process (Group, Search, Select).

It is recommended to participate in only one pre-selection process.

Students participating in a pre-selection step (Off Campus, Accommodations Placements, Oldenborgs, etc.) will already have their housing confimed, so there is no need for them to continue into the general housing selection process. As such, they will not receive an inididual selection time. 

ONLY if students change their mind and DENY that initial assignment, in writing to housing@pomona.edu, will they be provided an individual selection time in the general housing selection:

• If that denial happens before Individual Selection Times are provided to the campus (see timeline), they will be provided a time as normal. 
• If that denial happens after Indiviudal Selection Times are provided, but before selection starts, they will be provided a Individual Selection Time at the end/last time of their Class.  

Smiley and Walker Halls are used for Winter Stay Housing, students expecting to need Winter Stay housing are encouraged to select Smiley or Walker Halls so no temporary moves will be required.  

 

Selection Days

• Senior Day: 342 Rising Seniors chose spaces, pulling 49 rising Juniors and 15 rising Sophomores as suitemates.
• Junior Day: 232 Rising Juniors chose spaces, pulling 11 rising Sophomores as suitemates and roommates.

Last Selection Times (Fall 2024)

Building	Last Suite	Last Non-Suite Single
Sontag/Dialynas	Senior Day 5:06pm (suites of 6) Senior Day 5:33pm (suites of 4)
Lawry	Senior Day 8:24pm
Clark V	Senior Day 5:54pm (suites of 4) Junior Day 5:12pm (Suites of 3) Senior Day 6:33pm (Suites of 2)
Clark I	Junior Day 8:27pm
Clark III	Junior Day 8:06pm	Senior Day 9:53pm
Walker	Junior Day 7:12pm	Junior Day 5:24pm
Norton		Junior Day 5:57pm
Smiley		Junior Day 8:24pm
Harwood	Soph Day 5:45pm (Suites) Soph Day 6:42pm (Doubles)	Soph Day 6:51pm

Class Makeup per hall

	Senior	Junior	Sophomore	First Year
Dialynas	94%	6%
Sontag	88%	12%
Lawry	32%	56%	11%
Clark I	31%	56%	11%
Clark III	64%	34%
Clark V	83%	15%
Norton	28%	69%
Walker	18%	76%	6%
Smiley	2%	53%	17%	28%*

Last Selection Times (Fall 2023)

Building	Last Suite/Double/Triple	Last Non-Suite Single
Sontag	Senior Day 5:21pm
Dialynas	Senior Day 5:25pm
Lawry	Senior Day 6:36pm
Clark V	Junior Day 5:12pm
Clark I	Junior Day 6:30pm
Clark III	Junior Day 8:27pm	Senior Day 9:45pm
Walker	Junior Day 7:06pm	Junior Day 5:48pm
Norton		Junior Day 5:33pm
Smiley		Junior Day 7:03pm