Each spring semester, rising students participate in the annual Housing Selection process where students choose their rooms, roommates, and suitemates. Housing is an important component of the Pomona experience, as such, Pomona Housing and Residence Life (HRL) is seeking to provide as much information as possible to assist students in this process. Please read below regarding the 2023-2024 timeline, changes, and processes. Should you have any additional questions, please contact housing@pomona.edu or at 909-607-2239.
Housing Process Information
Housing Selection Terms
- Suite – rooms that share either 1) an initial entry or 2) a common room will be grouped together.
- Housing Selection – where students select their room spaces in order according to a priority.
- Housing Placement – when Pomona College will assign a room/status to students before or after selection. No Individual Selection Time provided.
- Individual Selection Time - Students participating in Housing Selection each get their own selection time. Students placed before selection will not recieve an individual time.
- Group Selection Time - The time that the group leader will select. The earliest individual time of the (current) group. May change if the group changes.
Info Sessions
- Zoom Information Sessions
- Thursday March 23rd Lunch 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Monday March 27th Lunch 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Wednesday March 29th Lunch 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Friday March 31st Lunch 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
General Steps
Step 1: Apply
- Everyone living on campus for Fall 2024 must complete a Housing Application on Residence.
- Study abroad and Off Campus do not complete a Housing Application, but do complete a respective application.
- Housing Application Content
- Housing Agreement - policies and stipulations related to living on campus.
- Matching Profile - information used by HRL when searching for room changes. This information can be updated at any point in Residence.
- NOT meal plans - Pomona utilizes a "Off Campus Meal Plan" or the 'Ultimate Meal Plan'. No Meal Plan selection is needed.
Pre-Selection Processes
- The following processes result in students getting housing placements before the Housing Selection process. Read more for policies and timelines for each pre-selection process below. Students housed will NOT receive Individual Selection Times or participate in the Group, Search, Select steps.
- Off Campus
- Study Abroad/Away
- HRL Student Staff and pull-ins
- Oldenborg
- Fall Leaves
- Housing Accommodations
Step 2: Groups
- Students seeking to live in shared spaces (more than 1 occupancy per room, suites) must create groups in Residence.
- Students may send group invites using their Roommate Code (located in Residence).
- Only students participating in Selection can be in groups. Students with placements will lock up groups. Email housing@pomona.edu to unlock.
- Group size must exactly match the number of beds in a shared space. For example, a Sontag suite of 4 beds will only be selectable by a group of 4 students. These spaces will be marked in Blue text.
- Non-suite Single rooms (ex/Norton) only need a 'group' of 1 (no group) needed.
- Group Leaders are the only group member that selects the final spaces during Selection. Residence will default the group member with the best individual time, but the Group Leader can be changed independently of individual selection time.
Step 3: Search Rooms and Select
- Once all pre-selection processes are over, students going through Housing Selection will be assigned their own Individual Selection Time.
- Individual Selection times
- Each student will receive their own Individual Selection Time.
- For groups, ONLY the earliest Individual Selection Time is relevant. This becomes the Group Selection Time (when the Group Leader selects).
- Priority: Individual Selection times will be provided by 1) class and 2) random within each class. Students may review their Expected Graduate Term on Residence. Classes will be defined with the following Expected Graduation Terms:
- Rising Seniors – Fall 24, Spring 25
- Rising Juniors – Fall 25, Spring 26
- Rising Sophomores – Fall 26, Spring 27
- There will be about 4 students every three minutes, starting at 5:00pm each selection date.
- Selection Dates
- Senior times – April 9, 2024, Starting at 5:00pm (Seniors can group with Juniors and Sophomores)
- Junior times – April 10, 2024, Starting at 5:00pm (Remaining Juniors can group with Sophomores)
- Sophomore times – April 11, 2024, Starting at 5:00pm (All remaining students)
- Searching Rooms
- All group members can view rooms that will be available for selection.
- # of bed spaces that match the group # will be BLUE.
- The Group Leader will select the space for the group.
- Review housing tags
- Classed based housing
- In coordination with ASPC, the following buildings will be class-restricted.
- Senior and Junior only – Sontag and Dialynas
- Sophomore priority - Harwood
- First year priority – Wig, Mudd, Blaisdell, Lyon
- In coordination with ASPC, the following buildings will be class-restricted.
Winter Break Housing - Walker Hall
- Classed based housing
Residence Halls, Room Types and Programming
Oldenborg
- Coordinated outside of Housing and Residence Life.
Returning Student halls
- Sontag and Dialaynas
- Common Room Suites with 4 single rooms (Groups of 4 needed)
- Common Room Suites with 6 single rooms (Groups of 6 needed)
- Junior and Senior only Halls
- Clark I
- Suites with 2 single rooms (Single-single-bath layout) (Group of 2)
- Common Room Suites with 2 double rooms and 1 single room (Group of 5)
- Triples (Group of 3)
- Clark III
- Single Rooms
- Double Rooms (Group of 2)
- Clark V
- Common Room Suite with 2 single rooms (Group of 2)
- Shared Door Suite Single rooms with 3 single rooms (Group of 3)
- Shared Door Suite Single room with 4 single rooms (Group of 4)
- Norton
- Single rooms
- Lawry
- Common Room suites with 8 single rooms (Groups of 8 needed)
- Walker
- Winter Break Housing Hall
- Single rooms (Communal bathroom)
- Double rooms (Communal bathroom)
- Suites with 2 single rooms (Single-single-bath layout) (Groups of 2 needed)
- Smiley
- New Transfer Housing Hall
- Single Rooms (Communal bathroom)
- Gibson
- Double rooms, common bathrooms (group of 2 needed)
- Single rooms, common bathrooms (group of 1 needed)
- Harwood
- Sophomore Priority Housing
- Single room (communal bathroom)
- Double room (communal bathroom)
First Year Priority Halls
- Wig
- Double room (communal bathroom)
- Single room (communal bathroom)
- Mudd-Blaisdell
- Single rooms (communal bathrooms)
- Double room (communal bathrooms)
- Triple room (communal bathrooms)
- Lyon
- Double rooms (communal bathrooms)
Housing Accommodations
- Students seeking housing accommodations due to a disability must apply via the Housing Accommodations procedure, facilitated and reviewed by Accessibility Resources and Services (ARS) office. HRL does not review medical documentation.
- Students with Housing Accommodations approved before the priority deadline will be offered qualifying spaces by ARS and HRL.
- Students may rescind the Housing offer and continue throughout the Group, Search, Select steps of the Housing Selection Process.
- Housing Accommodations reviewed and approved after housing selection will be waitlisted, students will continue through the Group, Search, Select steps of the Housing Selection Process and offered qualifying spaces by HRL as they become available.
Study Abroad and Housing
- Fall Study Abroad
- Students seeking to study abroad must apply through the International & Domestic Programs office and be approved. The IDP Office will notify Housing and Residence Life of approved students.
- Students approved for Study Abroad in the Fall do not participate in Fall Housing Selection, do not complete Fall Housing Applications and are not provided selection times. Fall Study Abroad Students will be provided a Spring Housing Application in November to complete (see more below).
- Should a student rescind their Study Abroad plans, they must do so in writing at housing@pomona.edu AND the International and Domestic Programs Office. The date in which students do this will result in the following Housing Selection processes:
- Before April 1st - you will be provided a Fall Housing Application and you can participate in Housing Selection.
- After April 1st - you will be placed on a housing waitlist and administratively placed when space opens throughout the summer.
- Spring Study Abroad
- Students planning on Study Abroad only in the Spring will still partcipate in the Fall Housing Selection (Apply, Group & Search, Select) for their Fall housing.
- Students must apply and be approved by International & Domestic Programs. The IDP Office will notify Housing and Residence Life of approved students.
- Students must move all personal items out of their room at Fall Closing, no semester storage is offered by Pomona College. Please see the Fall Closing website for more information.
- Full Year Study Abroad - Students on full year abroad must be mindful that Housing Selection for the following year takes place in February - April.
Spring Housing Processes (November)
Who participates in Spring Housing?
- Return From Leave - Reviewed and communicated to HRL by the Dean of Students Office.
- Return From Study Abroad - Reviewed and communicated to HRL by International & Domestic Programs
Complete the Spring Housing Application
- All Spring returning students must complete a Spring Housing Application. Housing and Residence Life will contact students with a Spring Housing Application in November, to be completed via Residence.
Suite Pull-in Process
- HRL will collect which students are not expected to be on campus for the Spring (known Spring leaves of absence, Spring Study Abroad, Fall Graduates, etc.). This opens a bed in Spring.
- Fall suites and double/triple residents with known Spring open beds will be notified by HRL and will be able to 'pull' Spring-returning students into a Spring open bed space.
- Non-suited single room residents will not be able to 'give' or 'hold' their rooms away to other students.
- Since Spring housing is coordinated in November, there are no formal 'holds' on Spring rooms during a Fall Housing Selection process (coordinated February – April), but informal planning for suites is suggested.
Spring Accommodations, Selection, and Assignments
- Students returing to campus in Spring with approved Housing Accommodations will be administratively assigned a qualifying space IF 1) they are not pulled-in to an existing suite and 2) there are qualifying spaces available.
- Any Spring returning students without a housing assignement will be administratively assigned or participate in a small housing selection (Apply, Group & Search, Select).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to complete a housing application?
Everyone living in campus housing must complete the Housing Application, this includes students placed or selecting housing in the following processes:
- Oldenborg Selection.
- Placements for Accommodations.
- Placements for Resident Assistants, Sponsors and their Suitemates.
Only Study Abroad, Graduates, and planned Leaves of Absence do not complete a Housing Application.
I am a Fall graduate, will I have an individual selection time before Spring graduates of the same year?
No, Fall and Spring graduates will be randomized within the same pool. For example, Fall 25 graduates and Spring 26 graduates will be considered the same year for Housing Selection purposes.
Where will rising sophomores live?
A little bit of everywhere (except Sontag and Dialynas). Harwood Hall will be prioritized for Sophomores in the Selection process. Seniors and Juniors select first, and Seniors and Juniors can choose to group with Sophomores for most halls. As such, there are Sophomores that live in North Campus halls because they were pulled into a suite by a Senior or Junior with an earlier selection date/time. Sophomores also have the latest individual selection times, meaning Sophomores will fill all remaining spaces. As such, they tend to be spread out, (including halls that are primarily held for incoming first year students, but have extra space).
What additional resources will be offered?
Additional documents (maps, etc.) will be provided on the Residence home dashboard.
Can I have a housing accommodation and suite with my friends?
Housing Accommodations are primarily reviewed on an individual basis by Accessibility Resources and Services, and are placed on an individual basis by Housing and Residence Life. Please email disability@pomona.edu with questions regarding accommodations. Students wanting to live with friends go through the traditional Housing Selection process (Group, Search, Select).
What Class am I considered?
Students may view the Expected Graduate Term on Residence by selecting the "My Account" tab. Any discrepencies should be emailed to the Office of the Registrar.
I am a Rising Junior, will I get a single?
It differs slightly each year, and HRL will work to provide status updates after the Senior Selection date, however, rising Juniors selecting later on the Junior selection date are recommended to make plans involving groups and prepare for the possibility of a double room.
Timelines
Off Campus
Off Campus
- Application Opens: March 1, 2024
- Application Due: March 17, 2024
- Initial Approvals: March 18, 2024. rolling as needed
Housing Accommodations
Housing Accommodations
- Application Opens: Rolling
- Application Due: Rolling. Placements provided for applications received by March 29, 2024
- Rooms Placement Offers: April 2, 2024
- Rescind room offers: April 4, 2024
- Individual Selection Times Provided: April 5, 2024
HRL Student Staff: Resident Assistants, Suitemates, Sponsors
Oldenborg
Housing Selection
Housing Selection
- Application Opens: March 19, 2024
- Application Due: March 29, 2024
- Group Selection Opens: April 1, 2024
- Room Search Opens: April 5, 2024
- Selection Times Provided: (after all pre-selection steps) April 5, 2024
- Selection
- Senior times: April 9, 2024
- Junior times: April 10, 2024
- Sophomore times: April 11, 2024