Specific Rules Pertaining To Undergraduate Residences

• Eligibility
• First-Year Student Residency Requirement
• Assignments
• Changing Your Housing Assignment
• Undergraduate Vacancies
• Undergraduate Crowding
• Confirmation and Reconfirmation of Assignments
• Cancellation Prior to Beginning of Academic Year
• Cancellation During Academic Year
• Pro-Rating Rent
• Period of Occupancy
• Summer Housing
• Fines

This section applies to all undergraduate residence halls. These specific rules, although having counterparts in the graduate residences, are meant to apply only to the undergraduate residence hall. For information about policies and concerns regarding graduate housing please visit: http://web.mit.edu/housing/grad/index.html.

Eligibility[back to top]

Only registered MIT undergraduate students and transfer students are eligible for Institute House residence. Spouses, children or other relatives are not eligible for housing in residences designated for single undergraduates. During the academic year, students who are not registered at MIT are not eligible for housing in the residence halls.

A student’s eligibility for residence in approved Institute Houses terminates at the close of his or her eighth semester registered at MIT [excluding summer terms], or upon graduation or termination of student status at MIT, whichever comes first. Terms at another institution for which a college transfer is granted MIT credit are counted toward those eight terms. Terms on Junior Year Away, Domestic Year Away, and Co-op are also counted toward those eight terms, as are any other terms during which a student is registered at MIT. Students requesting a 9th term of housing must apply at http://web.mit.edu/housing/undergrad/9th.html and have that request approved by the Associate Dean & Director
of Housing.

MIT may mandate a leave of absence if a student’s illness or behavior, apparently resulting from illness, is:

• so severe that it threatens serious or permanent injury, illness or death;
• or interferes with the academic pursuits of the student or others;
• or interferes with other regular activities of the university community.

Students wishing to return to an Institute House after returning from an approved program away must notify the Housing Office before leaving on such a program in order to file an application for a return to residence hall housing.

An undergraduate who receives his or her degree at the end of the fall term, and who is continuing as a graduate student at MIT for the spring term as long as this is her or his 8th or fewer term registered, may remain in an undergraduate House for the spring term with permission from the Undergraduate Housing Office [E19-429]. A student who has been disqualified or withdrawn and who is petitioning this decision should notify the Housing Office at once.

Return housing is not guaranteed to students who have taken a leave of absence or withdrawn although, whenever possible, preference is given to students who have left for reasons beyond their control. Return to housing is also not guaranteed for students who leave Undergraduate Housing to pursue other off campus living opportunities and ask for return to housing within their 8 semesters of eligibility. Students who wish to reside back in housing must fill out a Housing Request Form, and then will be added to a waiting list for housing. Return housing into the residence hall system is guaranteed to students who are returning from an approved program away, but a specific House is not guaranteed. Contact the Undergraduate Housing Office to apply for housing as soon as you are sure of your return date.

First-Year Student Residency Requirement [back to top]

First-year students are required to live in one of the eleven on-campus Institute Houses. The Assistant Director for Undergraduate Housing may grant an exemption from this policy to a first year student in special circumstances upon submission of a petition. Exemptions are considered for freshmen who wish to commute from their family’s home, or who are married.

Assignments[back to top]

Assignments or reassignments to a House, changes from one House to another, or changes from an Institute House to an off-campus address are made and approved by the Housing Office. Responsibility for making room assignments and changes in room assignments within an Institute House is normally delegated to the student government of that House in consultation with the faculty member in residence and the House Manager. The House Manager must be notified of all assignments or reassignments within that House before they are made. No assignment is final until approved by Housing.

Housing reserves the right to move students at its discretion in order to consolidate or fill vacancies [especially if crowding exists], to meet the demands upon facilities, to reconcile personal problems, to resolve conflicts and discipline issues, or for similar reasons. Housing also reserves the right to make specific assignments in cases which it deems special or extraordinary, such as those involving medical or personal problems, etc. In such cases, guaranteeing the students’ right of privacy and confidentiality may require direct assignments overriding House lotteries. Please also see the section in this document regarding spaces designated for differently-abled students.

Changing Your Housing Assignment[back to top]

A change of residence is occasionally desirable because of personality distinctions, or because a student discovers she or he would like to try a different living arrangement. Here are the steps you must take to request a change:

1. If a move to another area in the same living group will solve the problem, contact your Room Assignment Chair within the residence hall.
2. If you wish to move from one residence hall to another, go to: http://web.mit.edu/housing/undergrad/application.html to fill out an application to be placed on the waiting list. Reassignments are granted on a date-applied basis and are made throughout the semester as vacancies occur and once a semester via a transfer lottery. When possible, all requests for change are granted, although space shortages can cause delays depending on where you want to move.
3. You may not move off-campus during your first year without the approval of the Housing Office.
   
   Students who commute during their first year and then decide to move on campus may also apply for on-campus accommodations. On-campus housing is not guaranteed.
4. If you wish to move into a fraternity or sorority from an Institute House, you may wish to contact the Housing Office to discuss the timing of the move. It is not possible to move at any time during the year and receive a full refund on housing fees as we prorate housing fees. Otherwise, complete the cancellation form at http://web.mit.edu/housing/undergrad/cancellation.html.
5. Residence in an Institute House is for the academic year. If you wish to move off-campus, your rent will be prorated up to the last two weeks of the semester. Contact the Housing Office if you want to pursue the move. If you think you might wish to change residences but are not sure, you should feel free to go to the Undergraduate Housing Office to discuss your specific circumstances.

Undergraduate Vacancies [back to top]

As a general rule, students may not occupy doubles as singles, triples as doubles, and so forth. If extra spaces are available, students may occupy rooms at the Institute’s discretion with the understanding that new residents may be assigned to the room at any time. Attempts to dissuade prospective roommates from moving in are not acceptable and may result in lost privileges, suspension from the House, additional rent charges or fines, or other disciplinary action.

Undergraduate Crowding[back to top]

In many houses, it has been necessary to “crowd” rooms designed for fewer occupants. This usually affects first-year students in some of the larger rooms. The rent for residents living in crowded rooms is reduced accordingly. Once vacancies occur, students in crowded rooms are given priority over un-crowded first-year students in moving to these vacancies, subject to room assignment policies in each House. If one student in a crowd elects to ‘de-crowd,’ then the rent for the students remaining reverts to full rate. Residents may be required to ‘de-crowd’ if vacancies exist in their House. Voluntary crowding may not be permitted if vacancies exist in the House.

Confirmation and Reconfirmation of Assignments[back to top]

All students who are currently or newly assigned in their housing assignment must confirm housing by filling out the form at http://web.mit.edu/housing/undergrad/confirm.html. Filling out the form means that the student has read the “Standard and Procedures” for students, agrees to abide by its stipulations, and is liable for the rent for both the Fall and Spring semesters while they are a resident.

In the Spring semester, students will be asked to reconfirm their housing assignment for the following year using this process. A student for whom no confirmation is received by the given deadline will automatically lose his or her housing assignment and will be fined $100. An assignment is not valid until the student fills out the confirmation form and receives in return a copy in email. It is the student’s responsibility to see that this entire process is completed.

Cancellation Prior to Beginning of Academic Year [back to top]

A student who has confirmed his or her intent to reside in an Institute House for the following academic year and who wishes to cancel that assignment must notify Undergraduate Housing by filling out the online cancellation form at: http://web.mit.edu/housing/undergrad/cancellation.html by June 15th. Cancellations received after the stated deadline may be subject to a Cancellation Fee of $100.

An upperclassman who does not take up a confirmed room assignment by 4pm on Registration Day of the fall term will be charged $500 and the assignment will be cancelled unless prior arrangements have been made, in writing, with both the House Manager and the Undergraduate Housing Office to occupy the room at a later date.

Although housing contracts are for the academic year, some students may wish to cancel their assignments prior to the beginning of the spring semester. Cancellations for the spring term must be received before Registration Day; otherwise cancellation fees may be assessed as for the Fall term.

Cancellation During Academic Year [back to top]

A cancellation fee may be charged for cancellations in the first two weeks of either term in addition to any rent charges which have accrued. Rent for the semester will be prorated to the day that the student turns in their keys and checks out of their assignment. If you cancel your housing assignment, or withdraw from MIT, you must move out of your residence hall/house.

Pro-Rating Rent[back to top]

If a student leaves the Institute House system as provided above or is assigned to the system after the start of the term, rent will be prorated. Stays of more than two weeks will be prorated over fifteen weeks of occupancy consistent with the policy under Cancellation During Academic Year. For example, a stay of three weeks would result in a charge of one-fifth of the term rate, and so on. No refunds will be made for students who leave during or after the last week of classes or who are removed from housing for disciplinary reasons. For purposes of prorating, occupancy is considered to begin when a student moves in, or in the case of residence continuous with a previous term, the day following the last day of occupancy for the previous term. Please contact your House Manager if you have any questions regarding your housing bill.

Period of Occupancy[back to top]

Returning residents may begin occupancy of their rooms on the weekend prior to the Fall term Registration Day. Residents participating in Orientation week activities may return earlier only in accordance with the specific procedures of, and approval from, Housing. Occupancy ends at 12 noon on the day following the last day of the scheduled spring term final examination period for all students except those graduating, who may continue in residence without charge until noon on the day after Commencement. Students desiring to occupy rooms later than these dates may do so only by making prior arrangements with Undergraduate Housing Office.

Fall term occupancy ends on January 15th. Students leaving school or leaving the Institute House system must vacate their rooms by this date. Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Housing Office. Any student still in his or her room will be charged a fine and will have all belongings removed from the room. [Occasionally, students planning to graduate in February require additional time to complete their theses or other academic work and are therefore unable to move by the mid-January deadline. These students should contact the Undergraduate Housing Office to request permission to remain in their halls during a portion of the IAP period.]

Summer Housing[back to top]

Applications are restricted to [in order of priority] full-time MIT undergraduates, graduated seniors, Wellesley undergraduates.

Summer housing is not guaranteed. Summer housing is assigned to qualified applicants as space is available. Applications are sorted in the following order of priority:

1. Academically involved MIT students, and special programs [Interphase, UROP, MITES, RSI, recently graduated Undergraduates staying at MIT for Graduate School]
2. Students who have jobs in the area related to their work at MIT, possibly upon the request of their professor and/or advisor
3. Department Programs and Special Programs
4. Affiliated students
5. Conference Services

Undergraduate MIT students who are not eligible for registration in the Fall are not eligible for summer housing in the residence halls. Students who, during the summer, become ineligible for Fall registration must move out of their summer assignment upon notification of their change of status.

Eligible students may apply for the entire ten-week summer session. Graduated seniors not continuing at MIT for Graduate studies may apply to stay in residence through June 30th. The housing application is a contract which binds the applicant to pay the full rent for the length of stay applied for. There will be no other prorating of partial stays. The fine for late cancellation of summer housing is $200. Rent continues to be charged until a student formally checks out at the House desk and turns in his or her keys.

Fines [back to top]

The housing contract for students living in the undergraduate housing system is for the entire academic year. A student who has confirmed his or her intent to reside in an Institute House for the following academic year and wishes to cancel that assignment must notify, in writing, the Undergraduate Housing Office, E19-429, 617.253.2811.

Students who agree to live in Institute Housing are required to submit a Confirmation Form, the sending of which indicates that the student has read, and agrees to abide by, “Standards and Procedures for Students at MIT.”

Those students who fail to comply with the housing policies stated in this document are subject to the following fine[s]:

Prior to Beginning of Academic Year

• Missed Cancellation Form deadline: $100.
• Failure by Upperclassman to take up a confirmed room assignment by 4pm on Registration Day: $500 [and assignment automatically cancelled].
• Unauthorized Early Return: $350.

During Academic Year

• Leaving housing system after four weeks into the term: In most cases, if student leaves in the first 12 weeks, rent is prorated.
• Cancellation of room within first two weeks of academic term: $100 plus payment of prorated rental charge.
• Late Cancellation of Spring Term Room assignment: $100.
• Late or no submission of Confirmation Form: $100.
• Missed Summer Housing Cancellation Deadline: $200.

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