Undergraduate Housing Selection & Lottery

These webpages contain information pertaining to all areas of the 2013-2014 Housing Selection & Lottery process. The information in these pages pertains to current undergraduate students who are interested in living in RLH Housing next year. Incoming First Year and Transfer students, and Graduate Students have different selection processes and do not participate in these selection processes. For 2013, we have reworked many of the processes, especially those surrounding Housing Lottery, based on feedback collected from Lottery 2012. Housing Selection and Lottery has many exciting aspects to it, hopefully making the process easier, faster, and more transparent. In addition to technology like My Lottery which allows for completing forms online and process updates, you will also find tools like Roommate Finder, Rooms Available For Lottery, and Lottery Number status tracking.

Changes for 2013-2014

There are some housing changes that you need to be aware of for next year.

Lifestyle Housing Packages: Room and Board Plans at Clark have been combined for 2013 into three Lifestyle Packages, Apartment, Suite, and Traditional. For the first time Sophomore students have Lottery priority over Juniors and Seniors when selecting Traditional Lifestyle Housing (standard singles, doubles, and triples). Juniors and Seniors may live with a sophomore in Traditional Lifestyle Housing, or they may request to be assigned to Traditional Lifestyle Housing through the Summer Housing Assignment list. All students living in Traditional or Suite Lifestyle Housing are required to have a full meal plan, including Juniors and Seniors. Juniors and Seniors living in Apartment Lifestyle Housing may opt out of a meal plan. Sophomores in Apartment Lifestyle Housing must have at least the included 5 Meal Plan. All Apartment Lifestyle Housing includes a free winter break housing option (see contract for details). There is no longer a price difference between Blackstone Hall and the RLH Houses.
See Lifestyle Housing Packages for details.
Lottery Groups: In response to concerns expressed in recent Housing Lottery surveys regarding the practice of randomly assigning Lottery Numbers by class year, RLH has created a new system to distribute Lottery Numbers. While still random by group, instead of fitting into one of three classes (Rising Sophomore, Rising Junior, or Rising Senior), students now can earn their way into one of 10 different Lottery Groups. You can even get into a better group by applying early!
See Lottery Groups or your My Lottery account for details and your Lottery Group standing.
Register For On AND OFF Campus Housing: All current residential students are presumed to be remaining on-campus next year unless they indicate otherwise. Students who choose to move off-campus must register for Off-Campus Housing through their My Lottery account. This process collects basic information about where you will be living which helps the University to meet the Missing Student Notification requirements of the Clery Act. Current resident students who do not submit a request for either on-campus or off-campus housing will be assumed to be staying in housing and will get a lottery number automatically.
Paperless My Lottery Process: My Lottery, already a very easy application tool, just got easier by allowing students to apply entirely online. No more printing and signing forms, no more mailing applications in from abroad, it's all online.
Sorry! No More Lottery Buy-Outs: Due to expected enrollment increases, RLH will not be able to offer any Vacancy Buy-outs through the Housing Selection and Lottery process. Vacancy Buy-outs will only be offered where medically necessary, or if space allows after the Fall Semester begins. We anticipate we will offer buy-outs for the Spring Semester.

You should also be sure to understand the following about the Housing Selection process:

It is important that all students applying for Housing Lottery understand that by selecting a room at Housing Lottery, you are committing to a one-year housing contract. Students who are ASSIGNED a room at Lottery, and then go abroad for the fall will be charged a $300 contract cancellation fee. Students who select a room and then elect to live off campus will be charged a $1000 contract cancellation fee. Students who receive a Lottery Number but who do not select a room at all will be charged a $100 contract cancellation fee. Students who withdraw or take a leave of absence from Clark before the start of the Fall Semester will be charged a $100 contract cancellation fee.
Current undergraduate students participating in a 5th year or graduate study program can participate in the undergraduate room selection process for Blackstone Hall only. These students will have to apply using My Lottery and will need to agree to the terms of the Undergraduate Housing Contract. They may also choose to instead apply for Graduate Housing. Graduate Housing Applications will be available in March.
Each year a number of students are unable to select rooms at Lottery for the fall and will be deferred to the Summer Assignment List These students are guaranteed a space on campus, and every effort is made to assign them with the roommate of their choice when possible. The Summer Assignment process is an essential part of our housing process and is needed to ensure that we can make the best possible housing placements for First Year and returning students during the summer when students withdraw from housing and/or Clark, or decide to study abroad, etc. This year RLH has a number of rooms withheld for first year, transfer, and returning students which we expect will be transitioned into returning assignments for the Summer Assignment process as the summer progresses. This allows us to assign more students to their preferred hall and room type than we could by offering all of our rooms at Lottery.
Students who decide after Lottery to apply for housing will apply for the Housing Waitlist. The Housing Waitlist is different than the Summer Assignment process in that students on the Housing Waitlist are assigned after students in the Summer Assignment process. Unlike the guaranteed Summer Assignment list, Clark does not guarantee housing for the waitlist (but likely will be able to house everyone regardless). If you are concerned about having housing next year, be sure to apply on time!
Please remember that all students are required to live in housing for four semesters. All sophomores are required to live on-campus unless participating in a study abroad program. Your My Lottery account will indicated whether you are permitted to live off campus by displaying the off-campus application option if you meet the necessary criteria.

If you have questions about the Room Selection Process, please contact Kevin Forti, Director of Residential Life and Housing at 508-793-7453, or via email.