Office of Residence Life: Online Room Selection

• January 20: Roommate Search goes live in the Online Housing System
• February 20: Housing Accommodation Requests due to the Office of Disability Services by 5pm
• February 24: Housing Contract must be signed by 10AM to receive a Room Selection Number on this day
• March 6:  Room Retention, Honors Housing, and Super Single Forms due at 5pm
• March 13: Room Retention assignments made by Housing staff
• March 16:
  • Housing Contract Fees must be paid by 10AM to participate in Online Room Selection
  • Housing Contract must be signed by 10AM to receive Room Selection Number
  • Room Selection numbers sent to students who signed Housing Contracts between February 24 and March 16 
• March 17: Online Room Selection: Honors
• March 18 – 19: Online Room Selection:  Fill an Apartment, Suite, or Room
• March 20: Online Room Selection:  Fill a Bedspace
• April 15: Room Change Request form for 2019-2020 available in Online Housing System

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Returning students can select from any available bedspaces in the buildings listed below.  It’s important for students who sign Housing Contracts to understand that the Office of Residence Life cannot guarantee your ability to select a specific building, regardless of when you signed your contract. 

What kinds of rooms are available?

• Double Rooms: Most available rooms for upperclass students are double rooms, so you will most likely have a roommate next year.
• Single Rooms: Most single rooms are reserved for students with approved housing accommodations through the Office of Disability Services.  There will be a small number of super singles (double rooms that only one student will live in, which will involve an additional cost) and standard single rooms available during Online Room Selection.
• Triple Rooms: There are 16 triple rooms available in Gifford and Wampler Halls. These rooms are designed for three residents, so they are slightly larger than typical double rooms. 

I like where I live now. Can I stay in my room for next year?

Residents currently living in the Apartments on Grace, Converse, Gifford, Logan, or Wampler Halls can return to their same room next year if the following conditions are met:

• The student completes the Room Retention Form by 5 pm, March 6. This form will be available beginning January 22.
• The space being requested is in a double room. You may make such a request with or without a roommate, however Apartments on Grace residents are required to list a roommate when completing the form.
• Some double rooms may not be retained by current residents because of housing occupancy needs. This includes double bedrooms with private bathrooms. 
• In order to retain an apartment for next year, the current resident must completely fill the apartment. 
• Since Ashby Hall houses students in single rooms and super single rooms, it will be unavailable for room retention.

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What types of apartments are available during Online Room Selection?

There are 1 bedroom double apartments for two residents and 2 bedroom double apartments for four residents.  

How do I select a unit in the Apartments on Grace?

Students interested in living in the Apartments on Grace next year must be a part of a roommate group that is the same size as the apartment they are interested in.  For example, if you and two friends want to live in 2 bedroom double apartment designed for 4 residents, you will need to find another person to add to your Roommate Group.  The Apartments on Grace are an extremely popular option for our returning students.  Unfortunately, there is more interest in this building than available spaces.  This means that not all students who want to live in an apartment will be able to select one during Online Room Selection.  Be sure you have a back-up plan in case there are no available apartments when you are able to select a room.

Do apartment residents need to have a meal plan?

Yes, all residents of on campus housing, including the Apartments on Grace, must select a meal plan.  Students who select an apartment for next year will be able to select any meal plan (residential or commuter) offered by Card Services.

Does it cost more to live in the apartments than in a residence hall?

Yes, students living in the Apartments on Grace will be billed an additional $500 each semester in addition to the standard room rent.  The Board of Visitors will set the 2020-2021 room rent in early April.

I’ve never seen the Apartments on Grace? Can I get a look at the building?

If you are interested in seeing what makes the Apartments on Grace such a great living option, there will be Open Houses in the Fall and Spring for interested students. 

More apartment FAQs are available here. 

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Only students with signed Housing Contracts can go through Online Room Selection. If you want to live with someone and they don’t have a signed Housing Contract, they will need to sign their contract through the Online Housing System. Students must have a signed Housing Contract by March 16 in order to be eligible for Online Room Selection.

The Online Housing System is now open for students to begin searching and selecting apartment mates/ roommates/suitemates. You will need to create a group before you can search for apartment mates/ roommates/suitemates.

There are two ways you can search for people:

1. You can search for people who have similar answers to the Lifestyle Questions by selecting Browse Matching from the Roommate Group Management page.  This will bring up roommates who answered similarly to you.  The higher the percentage, the closer your answers were on the Lifestyle Questions. 
2. You can search for people based on what they have written in their profiles.  Enter a word that you’d like to be in other profiles, and the Online Housing System will return all students with that word.  You can then read whole profiles and see how similar others’ answers are to yours on the Lifestyle Questions. 

If you find someone you think could be a good fit for you as an apartment mate/roommate/suitemate, you can send them a message through the Online Housing System that will be sent to their JMU email.  If you determine that you want to live together, you will need to be in a Roommate Group with them, and any other people you want to pick an apartment/room/suite with.

I already know whom I want to live with. How do we make sure that we pick an apartment/room/suite together?

One of you will have to create a Roommate Group within the Online Housing System. This will make them the group leader. When someone creates a Roommate Group, they come up with a group name and password that should be shared with all apartment mates/roommates/suitemates.  Once the group leader has shared the group name and password with all apartment mates/roommates /suitemates, those people need to log into the Online Housing System to join the group. Interested apartment mates/roommates/suitemates must join the group with the group name and password in order to be placed in an apartment/room/suite together when someone from the group picks an apartment/room/suite. 

PLEASE NOTE:  You cannot be in more than one Roommate Group, and you cannot create a new Roommate Group if you are already in one. You will have to leave your original Roommate Group in order to join or create a new Roommate Group.

What can the leader of a Roommate Group do?

The leader is the person responsible for creating the group name and password, as well as sharing it with desired apartment mates/roommates/suitemates. The leader of the Roommate Group can also:

• Message a potential apartment mate/roommate/suitemate. All messages are sent to a student’s JMU email.
• Delete member(s) from the group.  When someone is deleted from the group, they will receive an email saying that they are no longer in the group.
• Delete the whole group, which means that the former members will not be able to select an apartment/ room/suite together and the group will no longer exist.
• Select an apartment/room/suite on behalf of the whole group - the Group Leader should do this only if they have the lowest room selection number of all the group members
• The Group Leader also is sent an email when someone new joins their group.

What can a member of Roommate Group do?

A member is anyone who has joined a Roommate Group by entering the group name and password. A group member can:

• Message any other group members. All messages are sent to a student’s JMU email.
• Delete themselves from the group.
• Select an apartment/room/suite on behalf of the whole group – the group member with the lowest room selection number of all the members should do the room/suite selection.

Can only the Roommate Group leader pick an apartment/room/suite?

No. Any member of the Roommate Group can assign a space to everyone in the group. It is suggested that the group member with the lowest room selection number be in charge of completing Online Room Selection for all group members. 

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All students with signed Housing Contracts will be assigned a room selection number. All room selection numbers are associated with a time to log into the Online Housing System.  If you want to receive a room selection number and go through Online Room Selection, you must sign a Housing Contract by March 16 at 10AM.  Any student who signs a Housing Contract after March 16 at 10AM will not be assigned a room selection number, but can be pulled into a roommate group and assigned as long as their contract is signed by when the group leader logs in to select a room. The room selection schedule will be posted on the ORL website on February 25.

How will my room selection number be assigned to me? 

Room selection numbers are assigned based on the date and time a student signed the Housing Contract. 

When will I get my room selection number?

Room selection numbers will be distributed via email at two times:

• February 24:  Room selection numbers sent to all students who signed a Housing Contract by 10 AM that day
• March 16: Room selection numbers sent to all students who signed a Housing Contract between February 24 and March 16 at 10 AM

I have a friend (or a group of friends) that I want to live with. Whose room selection number should we use to pick an apartment, suite, or room?

The general rule is the lower the room selection number, the earlier you can log into Online Room Selection. So, if you are living with someone, it makes sense that the person with the lower room selection number logs in to select a room for next year.   

I not available to log into the Online Housing System at my appointment time based on my room selection number.  Can someone else pick a bedspace for me?

Room selection numbers and appointment times are non-transferable.  Therefore, if you are unable to access the Online Housing System during your assigned time, you can submit a Proxy Form and the Office of Residence Life can pick a space on your behalf.  Forms are available in the Office of Residence Life in Huffman Hall, C101.  Forms must be submitted no less than 24 hours before your appointment time.

I missed my appointment time!  Can I still go through Online Room Selection?

You can log into Online Room Selection beginning at your appointment time.  You can continue logging into the system until you have chosen a bedspace or the system closes.

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I have an air-conditioning accommodation on file with the Office of Disability Services. Do I have to do anything different for Online Room Selection? 

All buildings available during Online Room Selection are air-conditioned.  You will not have to do anything additional to make sure that you pick an air-conditioned space. 

I have a housing accommodation on file with the Office of Disability Services.  Do I have to do anything different for Online Room Selection? 

If you have a housing accommodation (not including air-conditioning), you will be contacted by the Office of Residence Life by the end of February with information about selecting a room for next year. 

I am a member of the Honors program. Do I need to go through Online Room Selection?

Yes.  In addition, you must complete the Honors Housing Form by March 6 at 5pm in order to live in Honors housing in Shenandoah Hall or the Apartments on Grace.  This form will be sent via email to all eligible students on January 25.  Students who complete this form by the deadline will be able to select an apartment/room on Tuesday, March 17.  Non-honors roommates are allowed in both Shenandoah Hall and the Apartments on Grace.  In order to live in the Honors designated apartments, you must fulfill the following conditions:

• You must fill the entire apartment with 2 or 4 occupants. 
• At least 50% of the occupants must be a member of the Honors program. This means that in a 2 bedroom apartment with four residents, at least 2 occupants must be in the Honors program.

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There are the three different parts of Online Room Selection.  Students can only complete one process. 

Honors Housing and Super Singles – Tuesday, March 17:  Only students who have completed the appropriate form by the set deadline will be eligible to select a room on this day.

Fill an Apartment, Suite, or Room – Wednesday, March 18 and Thursday, March 19:  

• Groups of 2 or 4 students can select an apartment in the Apartments on Grace
• Groups of 4 students can select a suite in the Bluestone area
• Groups of 1, 2, or 3 students can select single, double, or triple rooms in Jennings Hall, Shenandoah Hall, or in any upperclass building in the Bluestone Area

The Online Housing System will not allow you to complete the selection process if you do not have the same number of members in your roommate group as beds in the apartment.

Fill a Bedspace – Friday, March 20:  Students can select any available bedspace in an upperclass residence hall.

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