Online Room Selection

• January 22: Roommate searching goes live in the Online Housing System
• January 25: Room Retention Form is emailed to all students with contracts in Apartments on Grace, Ashby, Converse, Oak, Shenandoah B, Wampler, and Willow.
• January 25: Honors Housing Form goes live for current Honors students with signed housing contracts. Eligible students will be emailed the survey link.
• February 20: Students with new Housing Accommodation Requests must submit completed paperwork to the Office of Disability Services by 5 pm in order for approved accommodation to be considered for Online Room Selection
• March 1: Room selection numbers sent to all students who signed a housing contract by February 28
• March 2: Students wanting to retain their current room for next year must complete the Room Retention Form by 5 pm
• March 2: Honors students interested in living in Shenandoah B section or Apartments on Grace must complete the Honors Housing Form 5 pm
• March 15: Room Retention Day for pre-authorized students who completed the Room Retention Form
• March 19: Room selection numbers sent to all students who signed a housing contract between March 1 and March 19
• March 20 - March 29: Online Room Selection
• March 29: Last day to sign a housing contract and be eligible to complete Online Room Selection. Contract must be signed no later than 5 pm
• April 16: Summer room change request process opens in Online Housing System

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Where can I live next year?

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?

Almost all available rooms for upperclass students are double rooms, so you will most likely have a roommate next year. There are less than 12 single occupancy rooms available for returning students. These rooms are typically assigned to students with approved housing accommodations through the Office of Disability Services. There will not be any single rooms available during Online Room Selection. There are 4 triple rooms available in Wampler Hall. These rooms are designed for three residents, so they are slightly larger than typical double rooms. Two of these rooms are for men, and two are for women. In the Bluestone areas, approximately one half of the rooms will be set aside for students who want to live in suites with their friends. The other half will be available for students who have preferred roommates and students who will be picking individual bedspaces. 

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

Residents currently living in Ashby, the Apartments on Grace, Converse, Oak, Shenandoah B section, Wampler, or Willow can return to their same room next year if the following conditions are met:

• The student officially notifies the Office of Residence Life by completing the Room Retention Form by 5 pm, March 2. This form will be available beginning January 25.
• The space being requested is in a double room. You may make such a request with or without a roommate except for the Apartments on Grace.
  • 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 come back to the same apartment next year, the current resident must completely fill at least one bedroom in the unit with a roommate.

Example: If you currently live in a 2 bedroom double apartment that has 4 residents, you can retain the apartment as long as you fill one of the bedrooms with a friend who has a signed housing contract. If you live in a 1 bedroom double apartment, you can retain the apartment if you have a friend with a housing contract to join you in the unit.

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What types of apartments are available during Online Room Selection?

There are 1 bedroom double occupancy units for 2 residents and 2 bedroom double occupancy units for 4 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 occupancy unit 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.

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 pick 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 2018-2019 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, current members of their Community Activities Board will be offering building tours throughout the spring semester for interested students.

More apartment FAQs are available here.

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Only students with housing contracts can go through Online Room Selection. If you want to live with someone and they don’t have a housing contract, they will need to apply for a contract through the Online Housing System. Students must have a signed housing contract by March 29 in order to be eligible for Online Room Selection.

The Online Housing System is now open for students to begin searching and selecting apartmentmates/roommates/suitemates. You will need to create a group before you can search for apartmentmates/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.  If someone chose to fill out a personal description, that information will also be shown when you view their profile. 

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 apartmentmate/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 apartmentmates/roommates/suitemates.

Once the group leader has shared the group name and password with all apartmentmates/roommates/suitemates, those people need to log into the Online Housing System to join the group. Interested apartmentmates/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. 

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 apartmentmates/roommates/suitemates. The leader of the Roommate Group can also:

• message a potential apartmentmate/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:

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.

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.

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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 19.

Any student who signs a housing contract after March 19 will not be assigned a room selection number, but will be able to 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 March 1.

When will I get my room selection number?

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

March 1: Room selection numbers sent to all students who signed a housing contract by February 28

March 19: Room selection numbers sent to all students who signed a housing contract between March 1 and March 19

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. 

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 can't log into the Online Housing System at my appointment time based on my room selection number. Can someone else pick a bedspace for me?

If you are in a roommate group with someone else or multiple people, anyone in that group can assign all group members to bedspaces. However, their log in time is based on their room selection number. 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.

Room selection numbers and appointment times are non-transferable.

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 for a specific type of housing (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, you will need to complete Online Room Selection. You must be an accepted member of the Honors program AND complete the Honors Housing Form by March 2 at 5pm in order to live in Honors housing in Shenandoah Hall or the Apartments on Grace.

This form will be available beginning January 25, and eligible students will receive information on this date about how to complete it. You will need to indicate if you want to live in a double room in B section of Shenandoah Hall or on the 2nd or 3rd floor of the Apartments on Grace. 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 1 bedroom apartment, 1 occupant must be in the Honors program, and in a 2 bedroom apartment, at least 2 occupants must be in the Honors program.

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Online Room Selection is made up of different processes.  These are the different parts of Online Room Selection.  Students can only complete one process. 

Room Retention Day, Thursday, March 15: Current students that are currently living in the Apartments on Grace, Ashby, Converse, Oak, Shenandoah B section, Wampler, and Willow can return to their same room next year if they have a signed housing contract and complete the Room Retention Form that they received a link to in their email.

Honors Day, Tuesday, March 20: Only students accepted into the Honors community can pick during this process. Students must be pre-authorized to take part in this process to select a space on the B side of Shenandoah Hall or designated units on the 2nd and 3rd floors of Apartments on Grace. 

Fill an Apartment Days, Wednesday, March 21 – Thursday, March 22: Students can select a 1-bedroom or 2-bedroom double occupancy unit for 2 or 4 residents.   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.

• Wednesday, March 21 is the selection day for 2-bedroom double occupancy units for 4 residents.  One student will pick the apartment for all students. 
• Thursday, March 22 is the selection day for 1-bedroom double occupancy units for 2 residents.  Based on availability, there may also be individual double bedrooms in 2 bedroom units for pairs of roommates.  One student will pick the apartment for both students. 

Fill a Suite Day, March 28: Students can select a 2-bedroom Bluestone suite for 4 residents. One student will select for a group of students. 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 suite.

Fill a Room Day, Wednesday, April 5: Students can select double and triple rooms. One student will select for a group of students for double or triple rooms. 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 room. 

Fill a Bed Day, Thursday, April 6: Students can select a bedspace in any upperclass residence hall.

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