The Office of Residential Services at Teachers College offers a variety of housing options for students interested in single or family living (married students, students with domestic partners, and single parents). All of our single and family student options feature furnished rooms with private bedrooms. Residents have access to fitness rooms, TV lounges, computer rooms, and study rooms. Unit prices include heat, hot water, electricity (Grant and Sarasota residents must pay the monthly electricity charges), internet access, and cable television service.
Single Student Halls: Bancroft Hall, Grant Hall, New Residence Hall, Sarasota Hall, Whittier Hall
Family Student Halls: Bancroft Hall, Grant Hall, Sarasota Hall
Applying for TC housing is an online process that takes 5 minutes to complete and costs $30. You can apply for TC housing once you have been admitted to TC. Applications for future terms open approximately 11 months prior to when the term begins.
(If you have a UNI and have paid your Tuition deposit - note: may take 1 business day from paying deposit to be active)
(If you have not activated your UNI or have not paid your Tuition deposit)
If you are interested in housing for Summer ONLY you should request Summer Conference Housing.
1) Submit Your Housing Application
Submitting a housing application does not guarantee housing. Submitting a housing application also does not require you to live on campus. The application only consists of whether you need family or single student housing, the application fee, and information about the process. You can not specify room preferences.
2) Await Application Processing
During this step we prioritize all applications before we send housing offers. Housing applications are prioritized by:
3) Housing Offers Sent
The first day of each round all applicants will receive an email with one of 3 statuses: housing offer, waitlist, or ineligibility for housing.
If you do not receive an offer during Round 1, it is still very possible to receive an offer in subsequent rounds. If you are offered housing you can decline.
A student will be ineligible to receive a housing offer if they:
Applying for Housing
Living in Housing
There are three eligibility checks that happen before housing offers are sent: academic, holds, and length of residency.
Academic
Holds
Length of Residency
Renewing Housing Contract
Contract renewal happens each year in the spring and extends housing contracts for 1 year. At that time we check resident eligibility above in addition to the following:
Academic
To be eligible for family housing, students must demonstrate that the applicant and the individual(s) with whom the applicant is applying to reside share a qualifying family relationship. One immediate family member is required to reside with resident in contracted space at least 50% of the contracted period. Qualifying family relationships under current policy include the following:
Relationships that do not qualify for family housing status include: parents, grandparents, or siblings of applicants (unless a minor sibling for whom the resident is the legal guardian).
All persons applying for family housing must submit proper documentation along with their application. The following are acceptable forms of documentation (Please note all forms must be in English or professionally translated into English):
Those who submit the Affidavit of Domestic Partnership must also include one of the following:
Housing Offers | Sent | Due |
---|---|---|
Round 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 11 |
Round 2 | Dec 11 | Dec 14 |
Round 3 | Dec 14 | Dec 18 |
Move-In begins Jan 11. |
The Renewal/Vacate Process takes place every spring semester. During the process, current residents will decide to cancel or renew their contract for the following contract year (Summer A - Spring).
All students living in TC housing must participate in the Renewal/Vacate Process. During this process you will determine whether you will be continuing in TC housing into Summer A or vacating at the end of the spring semester. You will also be able to indicate whether or not you wish to transfer rooms in early June.
The 2023 Renewal/Vacate Process will begin on April 3 at 9am and conclude on April 10 at noon
When you begin the process you will choose from 3 options:
Renewing Your Housing Contract:
Transfer Requests:
Vacating Housing:
Can I have an extension on the deadline?
Unfortunately, we are not able to give any extensions. Summer housing assignments rely on your timely response, so we need everyone to participate in the Renewal/Vacate Process by the deadline.
Is my decision final? What if I change my mind?
Once you sign your contract or submit your vacate form, your decision is final. If you selected that you will vacate housing and changed your mind, we cannot guarantee you a place in housing. If you renewed your contract and decided you now wish to vacate, you will incur a Cancellation Fee based on when you submit the request (see table below). Also, depending on when you cancel you may be held responsible for the housing charges for the following semester.
Date Vacate Form Submitted After April 10 | |
---|---|
1 - 7 days after the deadline | |
8 - 14 days after the deadline | |
15+ days after the deadline but before summer VNF* |
* Once the Summer A & B VNF deadline passes on May 4,
you will be held responsible for Summer A & B housing charges.
What if I want to move out at the end of Summer A or B?
You should submit a renewal contract and then submit a Summer Vacate Notification Form (VNF) on the last page of the process. The renewal contract will extend your time in housing past May (end of housing contract) and the VNF will indicate the date you will vacate. The summer VNF is due May 4.
What if I want to return to housing in Fall 2023 but I don’t wish to stay here for the summer?
You should select the option to vacate housing at the end of the Spring 2023 semester. You will be required to move out by May 13 at 11am. You will then need to apply for Fall 2023 housing, but will not be guaranteed a space. Fall 2023 housing applications are currently available in myTC.
What is the process for transfer requests?
Transfer offers will be sent on April 10. Priority will be given to those that submitted transfer requests in the fall semester that were not offered a transfer. New transfer requests are randomly assigned a priority. Due to high demand, we are typically not able to accommodate all transfer requests. If you do not receive an offer you will be given higher priority for a transfer in subsequent semesters.
Have any changes been made to the Housing Contract?
Any changes are detailed on the first page of the Renewal/Vacate Process.
To submit your Renewal/Vacate decision please follow the instructions below:
The Housing Contract is a legal contract that provides you housing until the end of the spring semester (mid-May), regardless of which semester you move in. It is expected that the resident reads the Housing Contract in its entirety before signing. It is also expected residents will reside in their assigned space for the duration of the contract period.
To view a copy of your contract or request to make changes, please login to our housing portal via myTC and click on Manage My Housing. While there, you will be able to:
Residents are liable for the semester housing charges up until the termination date specified in the Housing Contract, unless the Office of Residential Services terminates the contract earlier.
Resident may terminate Contract prior to the Termination Date only for the following reasons:
Request to terminate Contract includes submitting a Vacate Notification Form (VNF) by the specified due date in the contract.
In order to accommodate those residents who are unable to submit the VNF by the appropriate deadline, we have instituted a Cancellation Fee on the following schedule:
Submission of Form | Cancellation Fee |
1 - 7 days after the deadline | $250 |
8 - 14 days after the deadline | $500 |
15 or more days after the deadline | $750 |
In addition, our office reserves the right to hold residents financially responsible through the termination date of the housing contract if a VNF is not submitted by the deadline.
Occupancy beyond the indicated vacate dates, if approved, will result in a daily charge:
Single, Suite - Whittier Hall | $75 |
Two and three bedroom shares - Whittier Hall & Bancroft Hall | $80 |
Small & medium studios and efficiencies - Whittier Hall & New Residence Hall | copy00 |
Large studios - Whittier Hall & New Residence Hall | copy10 |
One bedrooms - Whittier Hall, Bancroft Hall, Grant & Sarasota Halls | copy20 |
Two bedroom family apartments - Bancroft Hall | copy35 |
Note: Extensions at the end of the spring term (non-graduating residents) and at the end of Summer B are very unlikely. Extensions at other vacate times are granted on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed.
Applying for Housing
Living in Housing
There are three eligibility checks that happen before housing offers are sent: academic, holds, and length of residency.
Academic
Holds
Length of Residency
Renewing Housing Contract
Contract renewal happens each year in the spring and extends housing contracts for 1 year. At that time we check resident eligibility above in addition to the following:
Academic
Residents may request a room transfer online during two periods of the year: in October for a January move and during the Renewal/Vacate Process for a June move. Students will receive an e-mail when the transfer process is available.
If a resident is offered a transfer, they can accept or decline the offer. If a resident receives an offer and accepts, they will sign a new contract and be given instructions on how to move to the new unit in the future. If a resident receives an offer and declines, they will remain in their current unit for the remainder of their contract. If a resident does not receive a transfer offer, they will receive priority for transfer requests in future semesters.
Residents are limited to one room transfer per academic year. Transfer requests will be honored only if a resident's student account is up-to-date.
The Special Cases Committee (SCC) considers appeals submitted by residents who are requesting exception to a policy or procedure established by the Office of Residential Services. The purpose of the SCC is to provide residents an avenue to have their individual circumstances considered by a group of student service professionals who are outside of the Office of Residential Services.
The SCC is comprised of individuals representing several student services offices including International Student Services, the Office of Access and Services for Individuals with Disabilities, Diversity and Community Affairs, Financial Aid, and the Registrar. The SCC is chaired by the Asociate Director of Residential Services for Housing. The SCC convenes on an as-needed basis and renders a decision after fully considering all of the submitted documentation. The decision is communicated to the resident in writing within five business days of the SCC meeting.
To submit an appeal to the SCC, please contact our office via e-mail
Office of Residential Services
Address: 525 W 120th St, Box 312
Phone: 212-678-3235 Email: housing@tc.columbia.edu