Housing
Waitlist
The Basics
Excited at the prospect of living on campus? We are too! The Housing Waitlist is for students who do not have a housing assignment due to missing the Housing Intent Form deadline, a change of circumstance or academic standing etc.
Please note that we expect housing opportunities through the Waitlist process will be very limited given the high volume of students interested in living on campus who have already received assignments through earlier housing processes. Given the high demand for on-campus housing, we strongly encourage you to pursue alternative housing options.
Please visit our Dates & Deadlines webpage for details regarding the application period.
Please review who is eligible to live within on-campus undergraduate housing.
As noted above, assignments through the Waitlist process may be limited due to the typical high demand for on-campus housing and we cannot predict housing availability.
We recommend that students who apply through the Waitlist process also search for off-campus housing while awaiting a housing assignment. Please visit the MIT Off-Campus website for additional information about off-campus housing opportunities and resources.
MIT wants to ensure that no student is struggling with housing security. If you are experiencing concerns about your housing situation, we encourage you to contact your S3 dean. If you have any questions about the Waitlist Application process, please do not hesitate to reach out to our team, including drop-in virtual office hours.
To navigate to the Waitlist Application, please log into the Housing Portal (MIT certificates or credentials required), select "Forms" from the main menu and select "Undergraduate Housing Waitlist." Students who submit a Waitlist Application within their Housing Portal (please note the application period) will be offered a room assignment according to a randomized lottery process, subject to housing availability, which may be within undergraduate residence halls or designated undergraduate spaces within graduate housing. Housing & Residential Services (HRS) will begin making offers to Waitlist applicants through a randomized lottery process typically beginning in mid-May and continuing through the summer on a rolling basis according to housing availability.
Once an offer is extended, an applicant has two business days to accept or decline the offer.
If an offer is accepted, it is a binding commitment and you will be expected to occupy the assignment offered.
If an offer is declined, you will be removed from the Waitlist and must reapply to participate in upcoming waitlist lotteries.
If you decide to cancel after accepting an assignment, you must notify us by email at residence@mit.edu with the subject "Housing Waitlist Cancellation" and you will be charged a $250 cancellation fee.
If HRS is unable to make an offer, Waitlist applicants will be notified via email and will remain in the lottery pool until they receive a Waitlist offer or remove themselves from the waitlist. As a reminder, Waitlist applicants are not guaranteed a placement in on-campus housing and we strongly recommend that students make alternative housing arrangements.