Winter & Spring Housing

About the Assignment Process

The housing assignment processes for winter and spring terms are identical. First Year students do not need to submit anything as their housing will automatically carry over for the next term. For these two terms, you must submit the housing intent form on DartHub, Housing StarPortal and complete your housing application by the relevant deadlines. There is no online room selection for these terms. 

Though single rooms are the most commonly requested room type, normally only enough singles become available to honor approximately 25 to 30 percent of the requests.  Across all House Communities, this means of the juniors who apply, the greater part of the class will be housed in an available space within a multiple occupancy room in their House.

Application Process

For winter and spring terms, students apply through DartHub, Housing StarPortal. The application guides you through a number of housing options and questions. It is important that you review the information carefully to make sure you are able to take advantage of the options that are available.

In order for the Undergraduate Housing Office to assign you to the space that most closely matches your preferences, it is important that you list as many alternatives as possible on the application. If you provide few choices on the housing application and your preference is unavailable (i.e. you only request a single room and we no longer have single rooms to assign), you will be assigned to a remaining space in multiple occupancy room in your House Community.

If you are unable to access the application, please contact the Undergraduate Housing Office before the application deadline at (603) 646-3093.

Please note, if you indicate you wish to live in a Living Learning Community, Greek letter organization or undergraduate society house, that will be considered your first-choice housing preference.  Living Learning Communities have a separate application that is due the same date as the Housing Application.

Assigning Rooms

After the deadline, the applications are processed in priority number order within each House Community. Every effort is made to place students who apply for on-campus housing with the roommate(s) and in the room types that they request, but this becomes difficult because the volume and variety of available space is limited. An applicant whose room type is unavailable will be placed in an open space using their application preferences as a guide, when possible.

If an applicant's roommate preference is not available, the student will be assigned to an open spot in the same room type preference, if available, unless a note in the comments section of the application requests otherwise.

Room Change Requests

Students seeking a room change have a few different options. If you are currently on campus and would like a room change for the following term, go to DartHub, Housing StarPortal and fill out the relevant term's housing application by the appropriate deadline, making sure to indicate on the application you are requesting a room change. You can request a change only if the room type you request is available or you can select you want a room change no matter what.  Requests are reviewed, along with all regular applications, by priority number. 

Assignments for winter and spring terms will be available on DartHub, Housing StarPortal. You will receive an email when your assignment is available.  If you indicated you only want a change if the room type you select is available and we could not grant your request, you will remain in your current room.

When to Seek a Room Change

If you apply for room changes between terms, you will be able to check if your room change is approved online at the same time all new assignments are posted.

Once the term begins, the room change period begins the Monday after the start of classes and lasts for two weeks.  If you are looking for a room change after the term starts you should contact the Assistant Director of your community. The Assistant Director will work with the Housing Office to determine where any vacancies may exist.

Room Swaps

Students can also request a room swap, which is a person-for-person room change that occurs during the first few weeks of a term (the deadline is the housing application deadline for the following term). For a room swap to be approved, one of the students swapping spaces must email Residential.Life@dartmouth.edu and copy all impacted students, indicating who is trading rooms with whom.  Once approved, all involved will receive a confirmation email.