General Draw Information
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THE DRAW?
Any Princeton graduate student who will be enrolled for the 2013-2014 academic year is eligible to apply. Students who will not be enrolled for 2013-2014 (ETDCC) may submit a wait list application beginning April 3. Those students who are not enrolled cannot participate in Draw and should not be listed as roommates; this may disqualify your application.
PRE-DRAW RETENTION OPTION
This option is available to all first and second year graduate students currently living in an apartment and means that you can retain your current apartment for the next academic year. If you choose this option, you do not have to move out and you do not have to enter the room draw process. For first and second year graduate students living in a two bedroom apartment, you can retain your apartment, even if your current roommate does not wish to retain with you. In this case, you can pull in any other student (as long as they are a current first year through third year). You can also retain a two bedroom if your current roommate moves out and you wish to have a domestic partner, spouse or family member move in with you. WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE ALL FIRST AND SECOND YEAR STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN PRE-DRAW RETENTION. Students who decide not to accept the Pre-Draw Retention option will still be eligible for the regular Room Draw. All other students (those housed in the GC/Annexes, and those in their third year and above) should enter the regular Room Draw process.
If you have any questions, please be sure to view our Pre-Draw Retention Frequently Asked Questions or please email the Graduate Housing Office at gradhsg@princeton.edu.
SINGLE STUDENTS OR STUDENTS APPLYING FOR HOUSING WITHOUT FAMILY MEMBERS
Single Student housing applications may include any type of unit. You can apply with preferences for GC/Annex housing, for apartment housing alone (listing a studio or a one bedroom unit as one of your preferences) or for shared apartment housing by adding one or two roommates. If you do not apply with the correct number of roommates, that preference will be invalid. These roommate(s) must also apply to accept the same housing unit type preference. Keep in mind that housing type preferences and their ranking is independent for each person that applies, while location preferences for students applying as roommates for a specific unit type are related - modifications to location preferences and move in dates will affect the related group. The preferences of the roommate with the higher draw rank order will be used during the assignment process. You can also use your preferences to apply for the same type of housing, with different roommate combinations. All applicants in a group will receive an email if any changes were made to their group preferences. Please be sure to read this email carefully because you may be required to login to the system and accept the changes. IMPORTANT: If a roommate does not accept the application, your unit preference with that roommate will be invalid and not considered in your draw application.
FAMILY HOUSING
If you want to apply as a family (family = grad student with at least one of the following: spouse, approved domestic partner, children, or dependent who will live with you full-time during the academic year) you need to submit the required supporting documents by March 26. If applying as a family, you may select from apartment housing unit types. Families with children/dependents may apply for studio, one, two, or three bedroom units. Please keep in mind that children under the age of two on the start date of a Housing Contract will not be counted in the occupant number for maximum occupancy for the unit. When applying to draw as a family, your Draw application should reflect your anticipated marital status, domestic partner information, and child/dependent information as of the start date of a Housing contract. If you need to update your personal information, please email gradhsg@princeton.edu. Changes after the March 26 deadline cannot be taken into account for the Draw process. If the housing assigned to you is no longer suitable for your needs, you may cancel and apply to the wait list.
If you have not previously applied for housing as a family, you must provide documentation confirming the relationship of the spouse, domestic partner, and/or dependents by March 26 to the Graduate Housing Office, 5 New South, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544. Supporting documents are subject to approval and applications for family housing cannot be completed until supporting documents are approved. Applicants bear responsibility for presenting professionally translated versions of documents that are not in English. Acceptable documentation includes the following:
DOCUMENTATION NEEDED FOR A DOMESTIC PARTNER
For proof of domestic partner status, we need a copy of the following:
- A completed Application for Domestic Partnership Multiple Occupancy Housing found here (link)
- Copy of a joint bank account statement or a voided check with both names or a copy of a deed, mortgage agreement, or lease signed by both parties, or other proof of real property held in common (a contract for shared Princeton University Housing is not acceptable for this purpose); or proof that the parties are pension beneficiaries of one another or are primary beneficiaries of life insurance coverage of one another (other than coverage provided by Princeton University)
DOCUMENTATION NEEDED FOR SPOUSE
For proof of marital status, we need a copy of any of the following:
- Marriage certificate
- Copy of the most recently filed Federal Income tax return (Form 1040) containing joint marital filing status information
- A passport showing spouse’s name
- For those planning to be married by the start date of a Housing contract, a copy of their reception contract, a wedding invitation, or a letter from the ceremony officiate must be supplied
WHAT IF BOTH PARTNERS (MARRIED OR DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP) ARE PRINCETON STUDENTS?
In cases where both partners are eligible for Room Draw you have a few options:
- Register as a Family in the Housing Office - One student is responsible for the entire amount of the monthly rate. The monthly rate will not be split between two students who are registered as a family in the Housing Office. On the Draw application, families are only eligible for family housing preferences (apartment housing).
- Apply as single students and select each other as roommates. The monthly rate will be split between each roommate. If you have gone through the Draw in the past as a “family”, you will have to contact the Housing Office to let us know that you want to apply separately prior to March 26 and prior to entering the application online.
DOCUMENTATION FOR DEPENDENT CHILDREN
For proof of dependent children, we need a copy of any of the following:
- A copy of a birth certificate for a dependent child or
- A copy of the most recently filed Federal Income tax return (Form 1040) containing dependent status information
- Families with a child(ren) and who have birth certificate(s) on file with the Housing Office by the Draw deadline will be given a “child adjustment” that will bring that applicant to the top of their year of study.
Children under the age of two on the start date of a Housing contract will not be counted in the occupant number for maximum occupancy for the apartment. However, documentation is still required. A child over the age of 23 (or 25 with college enrollment status) no longer qualifies as a dependent for family housing.
HARDSHIP/MEDICAL NEEDS HOUSING APPLICATIONS
Housing policy has been developed to ensure that the program for graduate student housing continues to respond to the needs of both students who require single occupancy and those who require accommodations for families. In balancing these program priorities, nothing should be construed as limiting access to housing unit types. Therefore, students who wish to be considered for exception to our general policies due to hardship, medical needs, special circumstances, or because they may not be successful in the Draw, may receive priority over other returning students if they submit the following information to James Poole, Manager for Graduate Housing, 506 New South Building by March 7:
1. A statement explaining your situation (financial or personal)
2. A completed hardship application (link here)
3. A copy of your Federal Income Tax Return.
4. Medical Documentation (If applying for Medical Housing)
Hardship applications can be found here or at 5 New South. The following items will be taken into consideration when determining eligibility for hardship status: the student's stipend or other income, loan fund availability and previous borrowing record, spouse's income, number of dependents, ability of spouse to work, outside income, and relevant personal information. Hardship applicants will be notified of a decision by March 21. Please remember you also need to submit your on-line Draw application by March 26. Notification of the assignment will occur by March 27. The contract for the assigned room must be signed by April 2 in order for this room to be withheld from the list of available rooms for the Apartment Room Draw or the GC/Annex Room Draw. A copy of the Hardship/Medical Needs Application is located here.
MEAL CONTRACTS
All students successful for the Graduate College are required to accept a meal plan in order to accept their contract. There are 4 meal plans offered that the student has to choose from. The plans and their costs are as follows:
- Unlimited: $5,885
- Block 235 $5,655
- Block 190 $5,415
- Block 95 $3,250
Students may reduce their meal contracts only once per semester, during the third full week of classes in the fall and during the first full week of classes in the spring. Exemption or termination of a meal plan requires written approval from the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School and is processed at the Housing Office. Adding a meal plan or making changes that increase the number of meals may be made at any time during the semester. See your Housing/Dining Contract and Terms and Conditions for more information.
WAIT LIST
Students who were unsuccessful in Room Draw, will automatically be placed on the Wait List. We will keep your preferences from Room Draw in rank order and do our best to offer you an assignment that matches your preferences. Students who did not apply to the Draw may submit a Wait List application beginning on April 3. Wait List students will be considered for the housing type selected on their Draw or Wait List application (as applicable and/or available) after all successful Draw participants have been assigned. As openings arise for a housing type, the first person on the wait list that has indicated that unit as a preference will be offered that unit type. Please note that being placed on the Wait List does NOT guarantee housing. If you no longer need housing, please contact the Housing Office to remove your name from the wait list. ETDCC, GEXC and VSRC students can apply to the wait list beginning April 15, but will only be offered housing (if available) after all enrolled students have been housed.
CANCELLATIONS
A student who accepts a housing contract and then wishes to cancel it will have 10 business days after acceptance to do so without penalty. After 10 business days, a $300 fee will be assessed and the student may be held responsible for the full contract value if the space cannot be reassigned by another eligible person from the wait list for housing.