Columbia College and Columbia Engineering students received an update on July 7 from their school deans with academic and campus plans for 2020-21 Academic Year. Students with guaranteed housing received a follow up email with more information about living on campus with a link to the Housing Form for next year. This form is only accessible to students with guaranteed housing. Students with questions should contact [email protected].
Students will receive an email by August 7 that includes both their room assignment and assigned Check-In day and time. Check-In will occur over several days between August 31 and September 4 to allow us to manage campus density and physical distancing.
Living On Campus
Columbia Housing will open with reduced occupancy for Academic Year 2020-21. New students and sophomores are invited to live on campus in the fall semester. Juniors and seniors are scheduled for the spring semester. A small number of exceptions may be made by the schools for students with unique circumstances who seek to remain on campus all academic year.
Students who wish to live on campus, including those requesting an exception, were instructed to complete a 2020-21 Housing Form by Monday, July 13 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Students will be notified of approval directly by their school by end of day on Friday, July 17. Students with questions about the form should contact [email protected].
Fall assignments will be sent no later than Friday, August 7 to students at their Columbia email address. The deadline to sign the Occupancy Agreement is Friday, August 21.
Room assignments will be determined based on a number of factors, most importantly public health guidelines to ensure physical distancing in student rooms, bathrooms, kitchens and lounges. Students will be assigned to single room. Only a certain number of students will be assigned per floor depending on building style. Ultimately, your health and safety while living in the residence halls is our main priority.
Unfortunately, we are unable to honor the Spring 2020 Room Selection process for continuing students. Based on the University’s newly announced plan, the Housing team must restructure which residence halls will be used and in what way living space will be assigned to accommodate students and maintain a safe environment. However, the Columbia Housing team will make every effort to assign students in close proximity to their original group members.
In order to give all students an opportunity to spend one semester on campus, on-campus housing will be organized by class year. The University determined that new students and sophomores will be eligible for fall housing; juniors and seniors will be eligible for spring housing. Special exceptions will also be granted for certain circumstances. An email will be sent from Columbia College/Columbia Engineering with further details and instructions, including the exception process. The 2020-21 Housing Form must be completed by Monday, July 13 at 5:00 p.m. EDT.
No. For students living on campus, there will not be an appeal process for assignments due to the complexity of housing students according to the set public health guidelines. We are evaluating the possibility of room transfers or room swaps during the academic year, which would provide a more orderly means for requesting a change of your space.
Where possible, suite-style living will still be available in the upcoming academic year, though with fewer students allowed in each suite. Given the complexities of assigning space in the residence halls around physical distancing requirements, this will not be possible for everyone.
To manage campus density, students will be assigned a move-in day and time for Check-In and to move their belongings into their room.
For the fall semester:
- Please be prepared to Check-In between August 31 and September 4.
- Your assigned Check-In day and time will be communicated along with your room assignment by email by August 7.
For the spring semester:
- Juniors and seniors will Check-In the week of January 4.
- Your assigned Check-In day and time will be communicated along with your room assignment in an email no later than December 4.
The University will follow the protocols in place by New York state at the time of move-in and will communicate logistics accordingly with students.
If you are returning to campus, any items in storage can be scheduled to be delivered prior to your return. Keep in mind, students are strongly encouraged to only keep essential clothing and items in their residence halls.
If you are not returning to campus, please make arrangements directly with the storage vendor to extend your contract or ship your items.
Students are strongly encouraged to bring to campus only what they can easily pack and travel with on their own. Think airline style: one large piece of luggage and two carry-on items. Students are discouraged from bringing personal furniture, TVs, or other large items.
View fees for the fall and spring semester, as well as full year.
Until 5:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, July 21, students may cancel the housing request or initiate a review of your housing decision via the form provided by your school.
After the form closes, students may cancel their request to live on campus via the Housing Portal up until August 9 by midnight with no fee.
Following that time, cancellation fees will be assessed as follows:
- 8/10 – 8/30, cancellation fee of $350
- 8/31 – 9/30, cancellation fee of $500
- 10/1 - 10/30, cancellation fee of $1,000
- After 10/30, no refunds will be issued upon cancellation
- Students approved for spring semester must cancel by December 7
International students who are approved and assigned housing, but find later that they have travel or visa issues will not be assessed a cancellation fee.
In light of public health conditions and based on the University’s plan, first-year/new students and sophomores will move out at the Thanksgiving break by Wednesday, November 25 at noon.
Juniors and seniors will be invited to move into campus residence halls the week of January 4 for the spring semester. Check-out will be April 27, 2021 by noon, with the exception of seniors, who will check-out 24 hours following their school ceremony and University Commencement.
HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE RESIDENCE HALLS
Students in residence will be expected to follow public health guidance that includes wearing face coverings, practicing physical distancing, ensuring frequent hand washing, and limiting the size of social gatherings. Students will be expected to agree to the Columbia University Compact.
Residential students will only be permitted to swipe into their contractually assigned residence hall. Residents may not sign-in or host guests, including Columbia students living in another residence hall, Columbia students living off-campus, family members or significant others.
Students are encouraged to socialize outdoors or in commons areas, while practicing physical distancing.
Residence hall lounges will be open, but restricted based on reduced capacity requirements. Lounges are to be used by residents of that building only.
No. Residential hall lounges will be restricted to building residents only.
Laundry rooms will be open, but students will be asked to follow capacity requirements and public health guidance, including wearing a face covering.
Columbia University Facilities and Operations has stringent cleaning standards and procedures in place. Learn more about these cleaning protocols and other enhancements made on campus.
In the residence halls, Facilities and Operations custodial teams will increase cleaning schedules in common spaces, including communal bathrooms in corridor buildings. In order to eliminate unnecessary traffic into private spaces, custodial staff will not clean in-suite or shared bathrooms. Students assigned to suite style buildings will be provided with cleaning supplies so that they can clean their bathrooms.
Following city, state, and federal guidance, residence hall occupancy will be designed so that bathrooms are shared by a minimum number of students, following a ratio of 4 students to 1 bathroom fixture or less where possible. Capacities will be clearly posted for students using communal restrooms.
Maximum capacities will be displayed for all elevators. Students will be encouraged to use the stairs whenever able.
Columbia Housing and Columbia Health have identified a residence hall that will be used for safe isolation of any resident who becomes ill. As residential students will be assigned single rooms, in many cases, quarantine (when a student has potentially been exposed, but is not ill) can occur in their current residential space. Learn more about the protocols in place for isolation, quarantine and care for undergraduate students.
Columbia Dining will be available, though the format of service will change to ensure physical distancing and minimize contact in the dining halls. Expect the same quality food you know and love from Columbia Dining, but more grab-and-go options. Read more on the Dining website.
GUARANTEED HOUSING STATUS
If you remain enrolled full-time and choose to live off-campus, you will maintain your guaranteed housing status and can participate in Room Selection in March 2021.
Yes. If you take a voluntary leave, you will lose your guaranteed housing status and will not be eligible to participate in Room Selection in March 2021.
No, only students with guaranteed housing will be eligible to request to live on campus based on the University plan.
STATUS OF SPECIAL HOUSING OPTIONS
Yes. The Columbia Housing team will ensure your accommodation is taken into consideration when making assignments.
Unfortunately, there will not be a Barnard-Columbia exchange this year.
Hopefully, there is ample representation of students from SIC or other special communities who are approved to live on campus for the fall semester, so that students may still be able to live in the group’s building. However, given the complexities of assigning space in the residence halls according to public health guidelines, this is still being determined.