Message to MIT Seniors | Fall 2020

July 14, 2020

Dear MIT Senior,

Following President Reif’s recent announcement about plans for Fall 2020, we are writing to share important housing information with all rising seniors including students who may have previously lived off campus or in FSILGs.  We are asking you to complete the Fall 2020 Housing Intent & Preference Form linked below by July 27.

With input and guidance from DormCon, Room Assignment Chairs, Heads of House and partners across the Division of Student Life, the team at Housing & Residential Services (HRS) has developed a housing assignment process for this fall.  Please take a moment to review all of the information below carefully.   

As noted in last week’s announcement about the fall, returning students should expect a very different on-campus residential experience that will include updated housing policies and community expectations to protect the health and safety of our on-campus students, faculty, staff as well as our neighbors in Cambridge (additional information below).  Also, students who are invited to return to campus in Fall 2020 are required to live on campus to access the Institute's buildings and campus facilities.

We know that returning to campus is a big decision. Housing is just one piece. Please know that staff from HRS and across the Institute (for example, academic advisors and student support professionals, among others) are here for you throughout this process.  Please don't hesitate to reach out!

Please visit the HRS webpage for Fall 2020 housing updates and email your housing-related questions by emailing ughousingfall2020@mit.edu.  Thank you in advance for taking the time to submit your housing intention for Fall 2020 by completing the Fall 2020 Housing Intent & Preference Form by July 27.   

Sincerely,

RICH HILTON
Director of House Operations
Housing & Residential Services

Fall 2020 Housing Intent & Preference Form

From Wednesday, July 15 through Monday, July 27 the Fall 2020 Housing Intent & Preference Form will be available within the MyHousing portal.  Undergraduate students who are invited to return to campus during Fall 2020 are requested to complete this form which captures information regarding students’ housing intentions for the fall semester.  

For those students who would like to return to live on campus, the form also collects residence hall and rooming preference information.  The form is not first-come, first-served, and there is no priority given to those who submit the form early.  Please note, however, that students who do not submit the form by July 27 cannot be guaranteed on-campus housing for the fall semester.   

Housing Assignment Details

  • Overview. Invited students who are interested in returning to campus this fall should indicate their living preference information within the Fall 2020 Housing Intent & Preference Form linked above. As you may have read within the recent set of FAQs, only one resident will be assigned to each available room during the Fall 2020 semester.  
     
  • Residence Halls. While HRS will make every effort to assign students to one of their top residence hall preferences, there is a possibility that a student may receive an assignment in any of the available residences based on space availability.  With the exception of Burton Conner and New Vassar, all other undergraduate residence halls are listed as options within the form, however, MIT may decide to operate fewer residences than a traditional academic year depending on students' housing preferences, building capacity and operational considerations. 
     
  • Group Selection. For students who would like to live in the same residence hall with specific classmates, each person in the group (of up to 6 students) must enter the names of the other students within the Fall 2020 Housing Intent & Preference Form.  
     
  • Room Assignments. HRS worked collaboratively with Room Assignment Chairs (RACs) to develop a process for the room assignment process this fall.  Once HRS receives the building preference and group selection information from students, these details will be transmitted to RACs to facilitate individual room assignments for each residence hall.  These assignments will be communicated to students by the middle of August.

A Different Campus Experience

To protect the health and safety of the MIT community, updated housing policies and new community expectations are currently being finalized.  Several of these changes include required COVID-19 testing, physical distancing practices and the use of face coverings in residential common areas, as well as restrictions on campus activities.  Once finalized, these new policies will be published and shared with students.  

Additional information about life on campus, assigned move-in times, and steps to return to campus, will be shared with returning students by the end of July.  The Fall 2020 Housing Intent & Preference Form will capture students’ preferred move date and time, however, students should plan to arrive on campus during their assigned arrival time on either Saturday, August 29 or Sunday, August 30. 

Fall 2020 Housing Updates

HRS recently launched a Fall 2020 housing dashboard where regular housing updates and FAQs will be shared with the undergraduate student community.  You may visit the webpage by clicking here.

Additional Housing Questions?

If you have any additional questions regarding on-campus housing for fall 2020, please contact the team at HRS via email at ughousingfall2020@mit.edu or by phone at (617) 253-2811.