Apartment Housing Assignment Process
SUCCESSFUL APARTMENT APPLICANTS
If you are successful in the Draw to retain the apartment you currently live in, we will email your apartment renewal contract by April 22. If you are not currently in an apartment or will be switching units based on the Draw results, the Housing Office will make an assignment and email your new apartment contract to your Princeton University email address in late April. You must reply to the email contract offer by the deadline indicated in the email. If you do not currently live in an apartment and do not have a security deposit with Princeton University, you will need to submit your security deposit separately as per the instructions in your email offer. Security deposits must be paid prior to moving into your apartment.
APARTMENT RENEWALS
If you currently live in an apartment and want your contract renewed you should apply for the appropriate housing unit type. If you are successful in obtaining a unit of this type, you will be allowed to retain your apartment. If you are a single student signing up to share with another single student, and you are both successful for the unit type that you both currently occupy, you will have to decide which unit you will retain and enter it in the application. The preferences of the person with the higher draw rank order will be considered first.
TRANSFER REQUESTS (Unit change)
If you are currently in an apartment and are successful for the same unit type, as a rule your apartment contract will be renewed. Apartment transfers are discouraged and should be reserved primarily for major life circumstances, such as domestic partnership, marraige, separations, divorces, or having children, and secondarily for other lifestyle issues, such as a roommate conflict or financial issues. However, if you are a first-year student that was assigned to an apartment, you may be eligible for a transfer after your first year. If you would like to request a transfer, you must complete the Unit Change process found here in addition to applying to the Draw.
ASSIGNMENTS PROCESS
Assignments will be made on a rolling basis beginning in April; students should anticipate an offer no later than May 15. There are three primary factors that impact what apartment a student is assigned to:
- preferred move in date
- preferred location
- current inventory
The first step in assigning the student is to see which of the assignment preferences they selected: preferred move in date or preferred location. This information provides Housing the necessary parameters to begin the assignment process. In this example, the student has chosen move in date as their preference. The assignment is made by checking the inventory of available units for the requested move in date. The next step is to compare the available units to the location preferences listed by the student. If any of the preferences match the inventory then an assignment is made. IMPORTANT: Housing makes every effort to assign students to their top preferences. However, instances can occur that, due to limited inventory, a student may either receive a lower location preference or a different move in date. In situations such as these, the assignment preference is the determining factor.
For current apartment residents that were successful in the Draw for another unit type, contracts with a move-in date of July 1st will be offered, as possible, to coincide with the June 30th vacate date of the current unit. In cases where the student has July 1st as their preferred move in date and it is not possible due to lack of availability of that unit type for a July 1st move-in, Housing will grant an extension in the current unit and offer a move-in date on the new unit, in most cases by August 1st.
Contract offers for apartment assignments will be sent via email and must be accepted within seven calendar days. Once accepted, the security deposit must be paid to the Housing Office prior to the move-in date. If the offer is rejected and Housing is still desired, students should immediately place themselves onto the wait list by applying online.