University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Housing & Residential Life
www.housing.umn.edu
(612) 624-2994

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Housing Assignments FAQs

1. How are assignments made?

Incoming first-year students are assigned after they have met the housing guarantee. The housing guarantee requires a student has paid the $200 housing guarantee by May 15 or requested a 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 order:

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

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

The most common reason is 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 fill up as early as January. Another reason is if you listed an LLC preference and space was available in that LLC, your assignment was 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 also have a closet or clothing 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 cannot 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.

For more information on expanded housing visit www.housing.umn.edu/expanded.

4. Why did I 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 preferred hall. A common example is a student who selects Centennial Hall (has lots of singles) as one of their top halls may get assigned to a single instead of a double in their next preferred hall. Last year over 500 first-year students were assigned to single rooms.

5. Why was I assigned to a University Apartment (University Village, Wilkins or Yudof)?

You preferred an apartment space in one of your hall/apartment preferences choices and based on your application date your preferences were not available when assignments were made; or based on your application date (typically after April 1) the only space available was an apartment space.

Are other first-year students assigned apartment spaces?
There are more than 200 incoming first-year students assigned to the apartment spaces.

What are my options if I don't want to live in an apartment or my assigned residence hall?

Complete a hall transfer request after August 1 (unlikely to occur for fall semester).
Change your housing request from the fall to the spring. This means you will not get housing for the fall and we cannot guarantee where spring placement will be.

6. Why did I 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.

7. 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 you will be assigned to a hall that was one of your lower preferences or to expanded housing. This means there is a possibility you will be assigned to Bailey Hall even if you do not have classes on the St. Paul Campus. U of M Twin Cities campuses are set up so it is 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 20 minutes

Intersession & Breaks (Mon-Fri; NO weekend service)
7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. every 15 minutes

Summer Session (Mon-Fri; NO weekend service)
7:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m. every 15 minutes

No weekend service during breaks, intersession and summer.

Estimated Transit Times
St. Paul to East Bank - 15 minutes
East Bank to West Bank - 5 minutes
West Bank to St. Paul - 20 minutes

For more information visit PTS at http://www1.umn.edu/pts/bus/connectors.html

8. Can I move in early?

There are certain groups where coaches and/or sponsors arrange for early move-ins such as marching bands, preseason sport teams, Multicultural Kickoff, etc. Please check with the sponsor of your group to see if they have made any early move-in arrangements. Other early move-in requests are handled on a case by case basis and only allowed in extenuating circumstances. There is a $22 per night charge for approved early move-in requests.

Requests for early move-in should be directed to www.housing.umn.edu/earlymoveinrequest. This site will be available beginning on August 1, 2013 at noon.

9. 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 $22.00/night. Dining facilities in these halls are not open during winter break.

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

10. What should I do if I got an assignment, but I do not plan on attending the University of Minnesota?

Prior to August 7, 2013 applicants assigned to residence halls and apartments may cancel their contract and receive a refund of the $200 (if applicable) guarantee payment at:

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

(Please include your University of Minnesota student ID in your cancellation request.)
Applicants assigned to residence halls and apartments who cancel on/after August 7, 2013 will be subject to a forfeiture of the $200 guarantee payment according to the terms of the housing guarantee agreement.

11. Can I still cancel my housing contract?

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 or apartment and paid the $200 Guarantee Payment:
Cancellations prior to August 7, 2013 - The $200 will be refunded according to the original payment method and the assignment removed.
Cancellations anytime on or after August 8, 2013 - The $200 is forfeited.

Assigned to a residence hall or apartment and completed a Housing Guarantee Payment Extension Agreement:
Cancellations prior to August 7, 2013 - The assignment is removed and the contract canceled.
Cancellations on or after August 8, 2013 - The assignment is removed and their student account will be billed $200.

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

12. Can I request a room transfer? What are my chances?

Transfer requests can be submitted through the online move-in guide beginning August 1, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.. The hall transfer request can be accessed through the online Move-In Guide. Students assigned to the Expanded Housing Program may request a transfer, but will not be considered until a permanent assignment 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. We will only be able to accommodate a limited number of transfer requests. The earliest transfers will most likely occur in the beginning of spring semester.

13. How do I apply for parking?

For information about parking, contact Parking and Transportation Services at 612-626-7275 or by e-mail at pts@umn.edu.

14. Why did I not get in the Living Learning Community (LLC) I chose?

LLC assignments are made in the 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 quickly as January.

15. 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 preparations 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 where you would be able to view a sample room. Tours will be available August 1-August 17 in the residence halls and August 1-10 in the Apartments. You can also view hall and apartment video tours and floor plans on the hall information pages at http://www.housing.umn.edu/halls/index.html. Please note the floor plans are provided for you to view the location of your room. The floor plans were accurate as of last year; therefor gender and LLC information may no longer be accurate for Fall 2013. Please contact the Housing & Residential Life office with any questions.

Hall	Summer Tours 2013 (after students are assigned) - Residence Halls August 1-16, Apartments August 1-9
Bailey	We encourage people to come at noon, Monday-Friday. At other times, if we are able, we will give tours as best we can during office hours 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Centennial	(Starting August 5 running through August 16) Monday 9:00 a.m.-noon, Tuesday 8:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m. *If additional hours are needed: Wednesday 8:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Comstock	Monday 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Friday 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Frontier	Monday 11:00 a.m.-noon, Tuesday 10:00 a.m.-noon, Wednesday 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. At other times, if we are able, we will give tours as best we can.
Middlebrook	Monday 2:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m., Friday 2:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Pioneer	Pioneer Hall will schedule appointments starting August 1 for assignment viewings on select dates and times between August 1 and August 17. Please call 612-624-9449 after 1:00 p.m. on July 31 to schedule.
Sanford	Meet tour guide in Wilkins Hall lobby due to Sanford being closed. Monday 10:30 a.m.-noon, Wednesday 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Friday 10:30 a.m.-noon.
Territorial	Monday 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Tuesday 9:00 a.m.-noon, Friday 9:00 a.m.-noon. Territorial Hall will give drop-in tours every 15 minutes (2:00, 2:15, 2:30, etc.)
University Village	From August 1-9 (since we open on August 15 apartments won't be available after that) at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. 102 (4 person, 4 bedroom), 113 (2 person, 1 bedroom), 115 (4 person, 2 bedroom)
Wilkins	Monday 10:30 a.m.-noon, Wednesday 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Friday 10:30 a.m.-noon.
Yudof	Monday and Friday 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

16. Can I change my meal plan?

Prior to move-in a meal plan can be changed on the move-in page until August 6, 2013. Between September 1 and September 14 meal plans for the fall semester can be changed in the University Dining Services or Housing & Residential Life web sites.

www.dining.umn.edu
www.housing.umn.edu

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

In order to manage the move-in process, we have assigned each student a specific move-in date and time. We request you arrive on your assigned date and time. Returning residents will not be allowed to move in prior to Saturday, August 31, 2013. If you need to request a change in move-in date/time, please e-mail housing@umn.edu.

18. 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 families so it may take a few days/weeks for students to get back to you.

19. 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 preferred halls. Historically, HRL gets a number of cancellations in June and July, and by waiting until the end of July an applicant has a chance to get a higher preferred hall if space permits.

20. What is my room/apartment rate? How am I billed?

Room rates are listed on your assignment letter and can also be found at http://www.housing.umn.edu/costs/index.html. Room rates are adjusted accordingly if you move or if a room goes from being expanded to a permanent space.

The balance of your room and board rates will be posted to your student account in mid August.

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