Housing Assignments FAQ’s

How assignments are made?
Why I did not get my first hall choice?
I was assigned to an expanded housing space. What will be in my room? When will I get a permanent assignment?
Why I did not get my top ranked room choice? Why did I get assigned to a single when I wanted a double?
Why I did not get my requested roommate?
Why did I get assigned to Bailey hall when I do not have any classes on the St. Paul campus?
Can I move in early?
Is my hall open over winter break?
I got an assignment, but I do not plan on attending the University of Minnesota?
Can I still cancel my housing contract?
Can I request a room transfer? W hat are my chances?
How do I apply for parking?
Why I did not get in the Living learning Community (LLC) I choose?
Can I see my assigned room?
Can I come at a different time or day than listed on my assignment letter?
In order to manage the move-in process for Fall 2008 we have assigned move-in
I have not been able to reach my assigned roommate(s), what should I do?
Why are assignments not made until the end of July?

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1. How assignments are made?

Incoming first year freshman students are assigned after they have met the housing guarantee. The housing guarantee requires that a student has paid the $250 housing guarantee or requested an housing guarantee extension.

Assignments are based on the application complete date, which a student receives when they complete their housing application and submit the $25 application fee, and are made in the following priority order:

1. Student requests a Living Learning Community (LLC) and qualifies for the community and space permits
2. Student assigned to standard bed spaces in the residence halls on the Minneapolis campus
3. Students assigned to the expanded spaces on the Minneapolis campus
4. Students assigned to Bailey Hall standard bed spaces
5. Students assigned to Bailey Hall expanded spaces

2. Why I did not get my first hall choice?

There are a couple reasons you may not receive your first hall choice. The most common reason is that the hall was full before your assignment was made. Assignments are made in the order in which completed housing applications are received and some halls filled up as early as January . Another reason you may not have received an assignment in your first hall choice may be due to your LLC preference. If you listed an LLC preference and there was space available in that LLC, your assignment is based on the location of that LLC and not your hall preference.

3. I was assigned to an expanded housing space. What will be in my room? When will I get a permanent assignment?

What will be in my room? Every attempt has been made to equip the expanded rooms with furnishings similar to those in regular residential rooms. Each resident will have a bed, Ethernet jack, and a desk or table for studying and computers. They will also have closet (clothes rack) and drawer space, but less than a non-expanded space.

When will I get a permanent assignment? Expanded Housing is temporary. At this time, we are unable to predict when you will receive your permanent assignment since the factors that create vacant spaces (i.e. cancellations and no-shows) are difficult to predict in advance. As soon as a standard residence hall room becomes available, you will be assigned a permanent living space on campus. Your stay in expanded housing may be as short as a few weeks or for the entire semester.

4. Why I did not get my top ranked room choice? Why did I get assigned to a single when I wanted a double?

We make every attempt to honor a student’s request, however it is not always possible as some rooms fill up before others. Over the years student feedback has indicated that hall choice is more important than room type, therefore students are assigned a room type in a particular hall (if available) before going to their next preferenced hall, A common example is a student who selects Centennial hall (it has a lot of singles) as one of their top halls may get assigned to a single instead of a double in their next preferenced hall. Last year over 500 first year students were assigned to single rooms.

5. Why I did not get my requested roommate?

Every attempt is made to honor roommate requests. Here are the common reasons roommates may not be together:

• The request was not mutual.
• One of the requested roommates was in a Living Learning Community or reserved space program.
• One of the roommates may not have paid the housing guarantee or updated their housing application before housing assignments were completed.

6. Why did I get assigned to Bailey hall when I do not have any classes on the St. Paul campus?

Hall and room assignments are done according to your application complete date (the day you applied for housing and paid the application fee). If your complete date was later in the process (after March), there is a possibility that you will be assigned to a hall that was one of your lower preferences or to expanded housing. This means there is a possibility that you will be assigned to Bailey Hall even if you do not have any classes on the St. Paul Campus. The U of M Twin Cities campuses are set up so it is both possible and realistic to commute between the Minneapolis East Bank, West Bank, and St. Paul Campuses. The campus connector (Route 121) provides free transportation between campuses and runs throughout the day. The schedule can be found below.

Monday – Friday: Fall, Spring and Finals
7:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. every 5 minutes
6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. every 15 minutes
10:00 p.m. – midnight every 30 minutes

Weekends
9:30 a.m. – midnight every 40 minutes

Intercession & Breaks
7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. every 15 minutes

Summer Session
7:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. every 15 minutes

No weekend service during breaks, intercession and summer.

7. Can I move in early?

There are certain groups where coaches and/or sponsors arrange for early move-ins such as marching band, preseason sport teams, Multicultural Kickoff, etc. Please check with your sponsor of your group to see if they have made any early move-in arrangements. Other early move-in request are handled on a case by case basis and only allowed in extenuating circumstances. There is a $30 per night charge for approved early move in request.

Request for early move-in should be directed to www.housing.umn.edu/earlymoveinrequest. The site will be available beginning on August 4, 2009 at noon.

8. Is my hall open over winter break?

The 3 on campus apartment complexes (University Village, Yudof Hall and Wilkins Hall) are open during the winter break. There is no additional charge as it is included in the apartment rates.

Centennial, Middlebrook and Sanford Halls will remain open during the winter break. Residents of these halls are required to register for the break and will be charged $20.00/night.

Bailey, Comstock, Frontier, Pioneer and Territorial Halls are not open during the break and residents will be required to vacate these buildings.

9. I got an assignment, but I do not plan on attending the University of Minnesota?

Prior to August 10, 2009 applicants assigned to residence halls may cancel their contract and receive a refund of the $250.00 guarantee payment (if applicable) at:

housing@umn.edu or submit a letter of cancellation to:
Housing & Residential Life
210 Delaware St SE
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Applicants assigned to residence halls and apartments who cancel on/after August 11, 2009 will be subject to a forfeiture of the $250.00 guarantee payment and thte terms of the housing guarantee agreement.


10. Can I still cancel my housing contract?

Residence Halls

Requests for cancellation can be emailed to: housing@umn.edu – include student ID number and name on request. We also accept cancellations by letter and should include student ID number and name. The request can be sent to:

Housing & Residential Life
Attn: Cancellations
Comstock Hall-East
210 Delaware St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Assigned to a residence hall and paid $250 Guarantee Payment:
Cancels prior to August 10, 2009 - The $250 will be refunded according to the original payment method and the assignment removed.
Cancels anytime after August 10, 2009 - The $250 is forfeited.

Assigned to a residence hall or apartment and completed a Housing Guarantee Payment Extension Agreement:
Cancels prior to August 10, 2009 - The assignment is removed and the contract canceled.
Cancels after August 10, 2009 – The assignment is removed and their student account will be billed $250

In all cases the $25 Application Fee is non-refundable.

11. Can I request a room transfer? W hat are my chances?

Transfer requests can be submitted online through the move in guide page beginning August 4, 2009. Students assigned to the Expanded Housing Program are not eligible to submit a transfer request at this time. They will be notified when it is available. All other requests will be considered in the order they were received on a space available basis. Because we are currently at full occupancy there are a limited number of available spaces and we most likely will only be able to accommodate very few if any transfers. The earliest most transfers can occur will be the beginning of the spring semester.

12. How do I apply for parking?

The Parking lottery ended on July 24. For more information about parking contact Parking and Transportation Services at 612-626-7275 or by e-mail at parking@umn.edu.

13. Why I did not get in the Living learning Community (LLC) I choose?

LLC assignments are made in order outlined by the academic partner department or in which completed housing applications were received. Due to the limited number of spaces in each of these communities, some of these communities filled up as early as January.

14. Can I see my assigned room?

We do not allow students to see their assigned rooms as it would be difficult for staff to show each room and complete the required preparation for move-in. Additionally, many of our facilities have summer conference guests that will be in the rooms until a few days before the halls open for the fall semester. However, below is a list of tour times for each hall and you would be able to view a sample room if you go on a tour at the times indicated.

Hall	Summer Assignment Tours (July 30-August 21)
Bailey	Monday – Friday at Noon
Centennial	Monday noon – 2:30 p.m., Friday 10:30 a.m.– 2:30 p.m.
Comstock	Monday 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Friday 9:00 a.m.– 11:00 a.m.
Frontier	Monday, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10:00 a.m. – Noon
MiddleBrook	Monday, Friday 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Pioneer	Call for appointment and building access: 612.624.9449
Sanford	Monday, Tuesday, Friday 10:30 a.m. – Noon
Territorial	Monday 10:30 a.m. – Noon, Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Thursday 10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
University Village	Monday – Friday 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Wilkins	No Tours at this time
Yudof	Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

15. Can I change my meal plan?

Prior to move in a meal plan can be changed on the move-in page until August 10, 2009. Between, September 5, 2009 and September 18, 2009 meal plans for fall semester can be changed ton the University Dining Services or Housing & residential Life web site.

16. Can I come at a different time or day than listed on my assignment letter?

In order to manage the move-in process for Fall 2009 we have assigned move-in times. We request that you arrive on your assigned date and time. Non incoming freshman students will not be allowed to move in prior to September 5, 2009.

17. I have not been able to reach my assigned roommate(s), what should I do?

We recommend that you send them an e-mail and a voice mail if possible. Traditionally July and August are popular vacation times for family so it may take a few days/weeks for students to get back to you.

18. Why are assignments not made until the end of July?

Housing & Residential Life (HRL) waits until the end of July in attempt to increase the chances that an applicant will get assigned to one of their higher preferenced halls. Historically HRL get cancellations in June and July and by waiting until the end of July an applicant has a chance to get a higher preferenced hall if space permits.