Assignment Rounds

Housing Application Deadlines, 2023-24

The First-Round Lottery Assignments

Who can participate?

All matriculated and non-matriculated students who apply for the Lottery must be enrolled and eligible to live in Student Housing.

Lottery Process

During the Lottery, a computer-based assignment program will try to place you into the first residence choice you've listed on your housing application. If your first choice of housing isn't available, the assignment program will try to place you in your second residence choice, and so on. You should create a robust list of choices, in your order of preference.

You will be assigned based on 1) your student status (new or continuing), 2) the number of priority years allocated for your degree program, 3) the number of years you have lived in housing and 4) your randomly assigned lottery number. See Assignment Guarantee and Priorities for more details.

After you receive your general residence assignment, you will be assigned you to your specific apartment and, if you are a single student in a shared apartment, your roommate(s) in a second phase of assignments.

If you do not need university housing until winter or spring quarter, you should still apply for winter or spring quarter by the First-round Lottery application deadline to receive a first-round number. This way, you will have a better application number than students who apply after the first-round deadline.

Your Application Number

The Lottery program randomly assigns application numbers to students who enter the Lottery, or who apply for winter or spring quarter by the first-round application deadline.

What You Should Know About Application Numbers:

• If you apply for housing with a group of friends, everyone in the group receives the same application number. This way, you have the best chance of being assigned to the same residence and apartment. See Applying in a Group.
• If you and your spouse/partner are both Stanford students, you may submit two housing applications for the Lottery. The application with the better assignment priority and application number will be considered for assignment, and the other will be withdrawn. To take advantage of this option, be sure that both applications include both Stanford ID numbers.
• If you apply for housing after the Lottery deadline, you will be given a sequential application number based on the date your application is received.
• If you receive an application number but are not assigned housing, you may retain your application number for the remainder of the summer or academic year, as long as you 1) do not refuse a housing assignment, and 2) apply by the next assignment round deadline for the same category of housing.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to check Axess to see if you have been assigned. Click on Once You’re Assigned for room/roommate information, or Cancelling your Housing to cancel an assignment.

Second-round Autumn Assignments

Who can participate?

You should apply for the second-round autumn assignments if:

• You weren’t offered an assignment in the Lottery and want to try again. Please note that you must log in to the Housing & Dining section of Axess under the My Information menu after the initial Lottery to join the second-round in order to maintain your guarantee and/or position for housing. Select Housing & Dining Login. Axess may require you to reauthenticate when selecting the Housing & Dining Login. You may also edit your housing choices at that time.
• You missed the first-round Lottery housing application deadline.
• You were assigned in the Lottery but need to apply for a different category of housing because of a change in your marital or family status.
• You were assigned in the Lottery but want to apply for reassignment within the same category of housing to a preferred choice.
• You were assigned in the Lottery, but refused your assignment and you want to reapply. You will receive a new position based on your priority and the date you reapply. 

Assignment Process

• The number of students who are assigned is based on the number of housing spaces available. Spaces become available after the first-round Lottery as students cancel their housing assignments (graduating, taking a leave, changing categories of housing, etc.).
• Students applying after the Lottery deadline receive a sequential application number based on the date they submitted their application. This number will be higher than the ones received in the First-round Lottery, meaning you will have a lower position on the waitlist.
• The reassignment in the second round are made based on your Lottery number. 
• The new assignments are made after the reassignments and are based on 1) your student status (new or continuing), 2) the number of years allocated for your degree program, 3) the number of years you have lived in housing and 4) your sequentially assigned number. See Assignment Guarantee and Priorities for more details.
• If you apply for a given quarter and are not assigned, you will retain your application number if you join the Rolling Assignments round for that quarter. Likewise, if you are unassigned in the Rolling Assignments round you will retain your application number if you apply by the deadline for the next quarter.
• Application numbers are assigned at the end of the application period after all applications have been submitted; therefore, they are not available until assignments are announced.
• If you refuse a housing assignment and then reapply, you lose your original application number and are given a sequential application number based on the date you applied therefore placing you at the end of the list within your assignment priority level.

First-round Winter or Spring Assignments

Who can participate?

• Students seeking housing for winter or spring quarter
• Students who are currently living in university housing but need to apply for a different category of housing because of a change in marital or family status

Assignment Process

• The number of students who are assigned a space is based on the number of housing spaces available. Spaces become available throughout the year when students cancel their housing assignments (graduating, taking a leave, changing categories of housing, etc.).
• The assignments for winter and spring are made with the following priorities:

1. Students who are required to move for construction or renovation projects
2. First-year graduate students
3. Continuing students within their housing priority years
4. Continuing students who have used their housing priority years
5. Non-matriculated students

Your Application Number

• The first housing assignment round for any academic year is called the Lottery. The Lottery usually takes place in May preceding the academic year. Students who need housing should apply for housing by the Lottery deadline in order to receive a first-round application number. First-round Lottery numbers are the lowest (best) application numbers. Students who are unassigned during the Lottery will keep their first-round Lottery number if they apply by the winter or spring deadline.
• Students applying after the Lottery deadline receive a sequential application number higher than all the students with numbers in the first-round based on the date they submitted their application.
• If you apply for a given quarter and are not assigned, you retain your application number if you join the Rolling Assignments round for that quarter. Likewise, if you are unassigned in the Rolling Assignments round you will retain your application number if you apply by the deadline for the next quarter.
• Application numbers are assigned at the end of the application period after all applications have been submitted; therefore, they are not available until assignments are announced.
• If you refuse a housing assignment and then reapply, you lose your original application number and are given a sequential application number based on the date you applied, therefore placing you at the end of the list within your assignment priority level.

Rolling Assignments

The Rolling Assignments round begins each quarter right after the initial automated assignment round is announced and ends after the fifth week of the quarter.

Who can participate?

• Students seeking housing after the automated rounds
• Students who entered a previous round for any quarter but were not assigned need to join the Rolling Assignments round for that quarter in order to maintain their guarantee and/or position for housing. Please note that you must log in to the Housing & Dining section of Axess under the My Information menu after the first-round assignments and join the Rolling Assignments round in order to be considered. Select Housing & Dining Login. Axess may require you to reauthenticate when selecting the Housing & Dining Login. You may also modify your housing choices at that time.
• Students who would like housing for a particular quarter but missed that quarter’s first-round deadline as well as students who canceled or withdrew a previous housing assignment should enter the Rolling Assignments round right away. These students are no longer guaranteed a housing assignment and will be assigned a sequential application number based on when they submit their housing application.

Rolling Assignments Process

1. Rolling Assignments take place each quarter after the initial automated assignment rounds.
2. Unassigned students can join the Rolling Assignments round by filling out a housing application in the Housing & Dining section of Axess under the My Information menu and listing all acceptable residence choices in order of preference, as well as a preferred move-in date. Select Housing & Dining Login. Axess may require you to reauthenticate when selecting the Housing & Dining Login. Applications are not automatically carried over from the previous round to the Rolling Assignments round. Unlike other assignment rounds, in the rolling assignments round students are asked to indicate which is more important to them with regard to the housing assignment – the move-in date or the order of residence choices.
3. Assignments are made on designated days prior to the start of the quarter and on a more regular basis right before the quarter begins and through the 5th week of the quarter. Applications are reviewed in application number order.
4. If an assignment is made, students are notified by email and through Axess.
5. Students may edit residence choices on their applications through Axess until 11:59 p.m. the night before assignments are made.
6. Once an assignment is made, students are subject to cancelation fees if they cancel their assignment prior to move-in. If a student moves in and then wishes to cancel an assignment, he/she must file to terminate their occupancy in Axess, and may be held to contract for the remainder of the term. For more information on cancelations, see Cancelling a Housing Assignment.

NOTE: After the first week of the quarter, students taking an assignment through the Rolling Assignments round must wait five working days after being assigned before moving in. This allows time for the Housing Service Centers to clean the apartment and/or notify current residents that they should expect a new roommate.

Your Chances for Assignment

Housing Assignments cannot predict which residences will have space available in advance of the Rolling Assignments process. Your chances for assignment depend on:

• The number of spaces that become available.
• The number of students who apply.
• Which residences participants list on their applications.