Incoming First-Year FAQ's

Incoming first-year freshmen and students returning from co-op are guaranteed housing.

• Incoming students Move-In dates are by appointment:
  • Incoming student move-in for the Fall semester will take place between August 18th and August 19th, 2024.
• A limited number of carts will be available for use.
• Additional Move-In information will be provided in July, 2024. 

The dates below highlight each step in the application process. 

May 15, 2024

There are two deadlines:

• May 15, 2024, is the deadline to pay the admissions deposit for Regular Decision admissions.
• May 15, 2024, is the deadline to apply for Special Interest Housing in order to be considered for fall membership. Essays are accepted in the myLife portal.

May 26, 2024

Deadline to complete an RIT housing contract in order to self-select. The deadline is also for linking with a self-selected roommate. 
In order to self-select a room during room selection, incoming first-years must complete an RIT housing contract by May 26, 2024. All incoming first-year students coming directly from high school are guaranteed RIT housing. Students who complete a contract after May 26 or do not self-select during room selection will be assigned a room and roommate by the RIT Housing staff.

May 28, 2024

Room selection appointments are emailed.
Students should check their RIT email for the date and time that they will be able to select their room. Their appointment confirmation email will have details on how to select a room.
This appointment is the earliest that they may visit the myLife portal to select a room. Appointments are assigned based on the order in which the student's tuition deposit is paid. Those who paid earlier will have early appointments. Roommates who are grouped will have the same appointment.

June 10, 2024

Deadline for approved DSO accommodations to participate in room selection. 
Unlike other DSO accommodations, which can be submitted at any time, housing accommodations for this academic term must be approved/processed by the DSO and submitted to the housing office by June 10th, 2024. Any housing accommodation requests made after this date will be pending availability. For more information, please visit the DSO Student Resources page. 

Please note: While accommodations must be approved by the DSO office by June 10th, we encourage all students who believe they need an accommodation to reach out to the DSO as soon as possible. 

June 11 - June 26, 2024

Students with appointments can self-select rooms in the myLife portal.
Appointment times are spread out between June 11 - June 26, 2024, to visit the myLife portal and select their room. Students may select a room even if they do not select a roommate. Appointment times are scheduled on business days only from late afternoon until early evening. Please note, there are three ways to search for a roommate and create roommate groups in the myLife portal. Before searching for a roommate, keep in mind:

• Only students who have completed a 2024 - 2025 RIT housing contract will be in the pool of available roommates. Once a student starts a contract, they are added to the list of available roommates.
• Sending a request to a student to be a roommate will automatically form a roommate group. If the requested student accepts the request, that student will automatically be joined to the group.
• The option to delete a group is available throughout the process.

A student can return to the portal to search for roommates. As more students complete their RIT housing contracts, the list of available roommates grows. 

Learn more about the application process here >

How to Apply:

• Visit the myLife portal
• Log in with your RIT computer account username and password
• Click on the Housing & Dining Applications icon
• Select academic year that applies to you
• You are now ready to begin filling out your RIT housing contract
• Complete each section of the application

Graduate and Transfer students are assigned to RIT housing on a space-available basis. Placement in RIT housing is not guaranteed. Once your tuition deposit is paid or waived, you will have access to the RIT Housing contract.

Learn more >

The majority of our rooms in the residence halls are double rooms. The high-rise building rooms are generally rectangular (18’x10’) and low-rise building rooms are generally square (12’x14’). Suites are found in Peterson, Residence Hall D, and Ellingson and are made up of three double rooms that are connected by a shared bathroom.

We have four different varieties of furniture throughout the residence halls. For each student, bedrooms come with a:

• bed
• desk with drawers
• chair
• dresser
• closet/wardrobe
• one recycling can and 7-gallon wastebasket per room
• microfridge

All mattresses are approximately 28 inches from the floor, and if you feel as though you need more space, you can purchase bed risers to place underneath the beds. Bed risers should follow these standards:

• Square in shape
• Approximately 3"x3"
• No greater than 5-7 inches in height

Learn more here >

• double bed
• desk
• chair
• dresser
• closet
• trash
• recycle cans
• a TV and standard cable
• a micro-fridge (an all-in-one microwave/refrigerator/freezer)
• an alarm clock,
• iron and ironing board
• hair dryer.

77% of our residence hall bathrooms are corridor-style. Corridor-style bathrooms contain between two and three stalls and showers. 

• One gender-neutral/ADA private bathroom is on each floor 
• In each residence hall there are two to four communal bathrooms on each floor.

• Suites are located in Peterson, Residence Hall D, and Ellingson and are made up of three double rooms that are connected by a shared bathroom.

The bathrooms are maintained once a day by our Facilities Management Services (FMS) staff.

There are approximately 140 washers and 140 dryers found within 7 laundry facilities throughout the tunnels.

There is an on-site laundry room at the RIT Inn.  

It is free to use the laundry facilities and they are equipped with wifi access and power outlets.

Students are not allowed to have any cooking appliances in the residence halls or at the RIT Inn. If a student needs a kitchen for accommodation reasons, they will need to register for a DSO accommodation to receive access.

Residence halls with air conditioning are Baker, Colby, Gleason, Ellingson, Peterson, Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry Hall (DSP), Sol Heumann, and Res Hall A-D.

All rooms at the RIT Inn

• WiFi5
• 802.11ac ethernet
• Ethernet ports are in each room.

Single rooms may be available during room selection; however, they are generally reserved for students with accommodations. Students will need to contact the Student Disability Services office to register for accommodation for a single if applicable. 

Accommodations must be processed and approved by the Disability Services Office then received by the Housing office by May 27, 2024. This deadline must be met in order to participate in the room selection process. All accommodations received by the housing office after this date will be pending availability. 

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Honor housing is located in Gibson Hall.  Freshmen honor students are preassigned to honors housing. If you wish to be assigned with someone specific be sure to create a roommate group before May 14. Being in honors does not require you to live only on the honors floor, you can choose to reassign yourself to a different room during room selection. 

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• The deadline to apply to a Special Interest House is May 15th.
• Each special interest house has a selection process for selecting their new freshmen members. 
• To apply to be a member of a Special Interest House complete the required essays that can be found in your RIT housing contract at mylife.rit.edu. 
• All Special Interest Houses are located in Colby and Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry (DSP) Halls residence halls.
• All are co-ed.

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In the spring semester of your first year, you will have the opportunity to participate in Housing Selection, the process by which you will select your housing for the next academic year. Appointment times are based on class order with current first-year students going first, followed by second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-year students. On-campus housing is not guaranteed to students other than incoming first-year freshmen and students returning from a co-op.
Learn more >

There are three ways to search and select a roommate through the housing application process.

Navigate to mylife.rit.edu

1. Search by Details
   Obtain the other student’s RIT username and search to add.
   
2. Search by Profile
   Search profile questions and answers to find a match.
3. Search by Suggestions
   Search potential roommates based on compatibility.

Students are not required to link with a roommate and may participate in Room Selection even if they do not select a roommate. Students participating in Room Selection will self-assign into an available space within a room or will be assigned a roommate.

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• Any hot beverage appliance that has an automatic shut-off can be used in a student room.
• Appliances that are intended to be used for cooking are prohibited; examples are, but not limited to, rice maker, toaster, toaster oven, instant pot, air fryer, etc.

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• Bike racks are available in select areas around the outside of the residence halls and in the tunnels.
• Sports equipment is stored in your room or you can reach out to your coach for additional options.
• RIT does not have on-campus storage when students move home or leave on co-op.

• First year students can bring a car.
• Their car must be registered with parking and transportation.
• RIT Housing will reimburse students who live at the RIT Inn and bring their car with them the cost of an on-campus general parking permit.

Learn more >