Housing Application Info

Housing Application

2012-2013 GSAS Housing Application

*Newly admitted graduate students: Please note that the priority deadline for the housing application is April 25, 2012. We will not be making any room assignments prior to early May, and do not operate on a first-come, first-served basis; therefore, please do not be concerned about submitting your application earlier rather than later.

Eligibility

All full-time registered Harvard graduate students are eligible to apply for a room in the GSAS Residence Halls. Most of the 411 rooms are assigned to first-year degree candidates in GSAS. Students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Design, the Graduate School of Education and the Kennedy School are given higher priority than students in other professional and graduate schools at Harvard University.

Important Dates

February/March 2012
Application information sent to incoming students with admission packets. Admitted students are encouraged to apply online.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Deadline for applications to be included in the initial housing lottery for the 2012-2013 academic year. Online applications must be received by GSAS Housing Services by 5:00PM, EST, April 25, 2012, in order to be included in the first round of the housing lottery. **Please note that we do not assign housing based on a first-come, first-served basis to incoming graduate students. As long as you submit the application by the priority deadline, you will be included in the first lottery round.**
Mid June 2012
Waiting list notification e-mailed to applicants who did not receive housing in the first round of assignments.
Ongoing
Rooms assigned on a rolling basis as cancellations are received. Waiting list updates e-mailed at least once each month.

Application Process

Completing the GSAS Residence Hall Application Online

All eligible applicants are encouraged to apply online for GSAS Housing.

Online applications will not be considered complete until ALL sections of the online application is completed. To be considered in the first round of housing assignments, the online application must be received by April 25, 2012.

Any applications that are INCOMPLETE OR LATE will not be included in the initial priority lottery and students will be placed on the waiting list.

Please Note: Any student who knowingly falsifies an application will automatically lose the room s/he may have already been assigned, and may not be considered for an assignment in the future.

Assignment/Lottery Process

GSAS Students

The first round of housing assignments for incoming and continuing GSAS students is completed in late May or early June and notification of assignments is expected to be sent via e-mail during this time. Assignments are based on lottery number, room availability, and preferences indicated on the application form. GSAS Housing Services makes every effort to accommodate the desires of students, but cannot guarantee that a student will receive their top choice in the assignment process.

GSD, GSE and HKS Students

GSAS Housing Services distributes information about housing applicants from the GSD, GSE, and HKS to each of these Schools, and they determine which students will be housed and what the waitlist order will be. Priority is typically given to those students whose current address is farthest from campus (e.g., international students and domestic students residing on the West Coast). Assignment/waiting lists are forwarded to GSAS Housing Services by the Housing contact at each school and GSAS Housing Services then sends out formal room offer contracts and wait list numbers. All inquiries regarding the application process and lottery or your eligibility should be directed to the housing contact at each school, indicated below.

HKS Student and Financail Services
Harvard Kennedy School of Government
79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-1152

GSE Office of Student Affairs
101 Larsen Hall
Appian Way
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-8035

GSD Office of Student Services
422 Gund Hall
48 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-5453

GSAS Special Students/Visiting Fellows

Incoming Special Students and Visiting Fellows should apply directly to GSAS Housing Services using the online application. Application information will then be forwarded to the GSAS Special Students and Visiting Fellows Office, which runs a lottery to guarantee a certain number of rooms for Special Students/Visiting Fellows. The majority of Special Students and Visiting Fellows who applied for either fall term or spring term housing were offered rooms during the 2011-12 academic year. All inquiries regarding the initial lottery or your eligibility should be directed to the Special Students & Visiting Fellows Office (617-495-5392, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

Any student who was a GSAS Special Student or Visiting Fellow during the 2011-12 academic year and who has been admitted to a degree program for the 2012-13 academic year is included in the lottery for continuing students. Students continuing to enroll as Special Students or Visiting Fellows are included in the lottery for special students.

Students with Disabilities

Special preference for a room may be given because of a medical problem or physical disability. GSAS students should submit a letter describing his or her condition, as well as a letter from their physician to the FAS Accessible Education Office at http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~aeo/. Students from other Schools should submit documentation to the Disability Coordinator at their School. These requests are due by April 25, 2012.

Waiting List/ Late Room Offers

Any applicants who do not receive an assignment in the first round of housing assignments, or, applicants whose applications were late, will be placed on a waitlist. Over the years many wait-listed applicants have been offered rooms as early as June as cancellations, room declines, and "no responses" have been quickly processed by the housing officers so that the rooms could be on the market to re-offer wait-listed applicants. Applicants will be notified of their waitlist numbers after the first round of housing assignments and will be updated periodically throughout the summer.

Terms and Conditions

Correspondence

GSAS will use e-mail as the primary form of correspondence with applicants. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that s/he receives and follows up on information provided by GSAS Housing Services. GSAS Housing Services cannot be responsible for missed deadlines or cancelled rooms caused by problems with the applicant not receiving email (or mail). Please notify GSAS Housing Services of any changes in your e-mail or mailing/permanent addresses.

Occupancy

The rooms in the GSAS Residence Halls are designed for single-resident use only and cannot accommodate a married couple or students with children. Students who plan to be at Harvard for only half a year, plan to move during the academic year, or expect children or a spouse to join them, should not apply to live in a GSAS residence hall.

Duration of Contract

The room contract for the Residence Halls extends from noon, Friday, August 24, 2012 to noon, Thursday, May 23, 2013. The residence halls remain open during the recess periods. Occupants who will be receiving a degree on May 30, 2013, may remain in occupancy until 12:00 noon on the day after Commencement, Friday, May 31, 2013, subject to the right of GSAS Housing Services to move the occupant to a different room for the period from May 24, 2013 until May 31, 2013, if necessary.

Dudley House Meal Plan

All residents are required to enroll in the Dudley House Meal Plan, which consists of any four (4) meals a week, lunch or dinner, plus 16 floating meals each semester for a total of 160 meals during the academic year. The meal plan provides an excellent opportunity for residents to meet and interact with fellow students in a variety of disciplines and schools. The cost of the meal plan for the 2012-13 Academic Year is $2,268. Additional information about the meal plan is available in the GSAS Residence Halls Handbook or online.

All applicants must indicate on their Housing Contract that they agree to enroll in the meal plan. If the applicant does not sign the meal contract, the application will be considered incomplete and will not be placed into the initial lottery. The meal plan fee will not be posted to your term bill account if you are not assigned a room.

Cancellation of Room Assignment

The assignment process used by GSAS Housing Services assumes that students who are assigned rooms will accept them. If a student does not wish to accept the room assigned to him/her, there is a brief period of time in which s/he may cancel the assignment without being charged a cancellation fee. Students who cancel an assignment after the grace period ends, will be charged a cancellation fee of $150.00 AND he/she will be held financially responsible for the room until it is reassigned. Also, those who do NOT respond to the official GSAS Room Offer Contract by the date specified on the offer contract will LOSE the room to the next person on the waitlist.

Please note that by signing the Room Offer Contract you agree to be held financially responsible for any room you are assigned unless you notify GSAS Housing Services IN WRITING that you are canceling the assignment within the stated "grace period" on the Room Offer Contract.

Mid-Year Room Vacate

If a resident chooses to vacate their room mid-year, s/he will be charged a room cancellation fee and will be held financially responsible for their room and meal plan fees until the room is filled by GSAS Housing Services.

Billing of Room and Meal Plan Fees

Room charges and meal plan fees will be billed to your term bill in two installments. The fall fees are billed immediately after the fall registration period. The spring fees are billed in late November or early December. Because the fall housing term is slightly longer than the spring one, the housing fee for the fall term that will appear on your term bill is more than half the overall room fee.

Smoking Policy

The GSAS Residence Halls are smoke-free environments and smoking is strictly prohibited in all areas, including common areas and individual rooms on all floors.

Summary of Fees

Application Fee

Online application — $70.00 US Dollars

The non-refundable application fee can be paid by check, money order or credit card. Checks and money orders should be made payable to "Harvard University." Credit card billing information must be included with the Housing Contract. Only Visa and Mastercard are currently accepted by the University. Continuing students may elect "termbill me" on the Housing Contract.

Room Fees

Building	Room Type	Fee for Academic Year 2012-2013 (For residency from August 24, 2012- May 23, 2013)
Child Hall	Small	$6,106
Child Hall	Two-Room Suite	$9,590
Conant Hall	Small	$7,014
Conant Hall	Large	$8,756
Perkins Hall	Small	$6,584
Perkins Hall	Large	$8,248
Richards Hall	Small	$6,106
Richards Hall	Two-Room Suite	$8,756

Meal Plan Fee

$2,268 for Academic Year 2012-2013, billed by term in two equal installments of $1,134 Meal plan fees are placed on student term bills.

Cancellation Fees

Students who cancel a room assignment after the grace period ends, will be charged a cancellation fee of $150.00 AND he/she will be held financially responsible for the room until it is reassigned. All cancellations must be made in writing to GSAS Housing Services. Upon cancellation you will be provided with a cancellation confirmation. Please save this confirmation as proof of cancellation.

Early Arrival Housing

Most students do not need to arrive before the date on which the contract starts, August 24, 2012. In past years, early arrival requests were granted only to students who needed to arrive early for an academic reason. The Housing Office requires written notification from a student's department that confirms the student is arriving early for academic reasons. Residents who were actually granted permission to arrive early were charged an additional per diem fee for occupying their room prior to the start date of the contract. Every effort was made to place students in their academic year room, but, when necessary, GSAS Housing reserved the right to place students arriving early in an alternate room until the start of the contract.

Because of the number of facilities projects going on in the GSAS residence halls during the 2012 summer, our office will most likely NOT be able to accommodate early arrival requests. Early arrival requests must be made in writing and received by GSAS Housing Services by the end of June 2012. There is NO GUARANTEE that an early arrival request will be granted.

Two-Room Accommodations

The two-room suites in Child and Richards halls consist of two small connecting rooms. Students may live in the Child Hall suites alone or with a roommate. The Richards Hall suite is more suitable for one resident only. If you prefer to live in a two-room accommodation with a roommate, you must indicate the name of the student with whom you are interested in sharing the suite in an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Students will not be assigned to share a suite unless both applicants indicate their desire to do so in writing.

Construction Notice

Any construction projects on campus are monitored by Harvard University's Construction Mitigation Team to ensure they do not exceed limits on noise, vibration, dust, or radiation set by the City of Cambridge. Residents could expect occasional noise related to University construction projects, but GSAS Housing Services does not anticipate significant disruptions during the 2012-13 academic year. For more information please visit: http://www.construction.harvard.edu/ or call the Mitigation Hotline directly at 496-0857.

PLEASE READ BEFORE APPLYING

**After returning your acceptance document to your School’s Admissions Office, activate your HUID and PIN in order to apply for a room through the University’s new and exciting housing portal.

**Non-GSAS applicants may not yet be in the new FAS housing software system and should expect a time lag before one is able to apply through the portal.

**Continuing students do NOT need to send a photo to the ID Office.

**The new online housing contract replaces the former requirement of downloading and mailing the housing contract to our office via postal service.

2012-2013 GSAS Housing Application

It is unlawful and contrary to Harvard University policy to discriminate on the basis of age, creed, national origin, race, disability, sex, or sexual orientation.

GSAS Housing Services
Harvard Yard
Dudley House, Room B-2
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-495-5060
Fax 617-496-5169
Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.