Frequently Asked Questions

• What happens if I do not pay my housing deposit by April 4, or complete my housing license by April 5?
• Can’t I just stay in my same room next year?
• Who gets to pick their room first and who has to go last?
• What if I’m in class during the login time you give me?
• How do I make sure my friend and I room together?
• What if I don’t have anyone in particular I want to room with?

• If my friend and I choose a triple room, will you put a third person in with us?

• What if after we pick our rooms my roommate decides not to return to SUNY Delhi for fall term, or decides to move off campus?

• What if my roommate decides during the summer not to return to SUNY Delhi and he/she doesn’t tell me?
• What is “consolidation?”
• What if my roommate graduates in December, or goes on internship spring term? Who will my roommate be in spring?
• Which halls have singles? doubles? triples?
• How do I get a single for next year?
• What if I don’t like any of the open spots available when it’s my turn to pick?
• How do I put myself on a waiting list?
• How do the waiting lists work?
• How is the order of the waiting list determined?
• What if I want to live off campus next year?
• What if I have a medical housing request?
• I am interested in a Gender Inclusive room; how can I get one?
• Do I have to have a meal plan?
• What if I’m too busy to do all this now? Can’t I just take care of it after spring term is over, or closer to fall when I’ll know for sure if I’m coming back or not? 

What happens if I do not pay my housing deposit by April 4, or complete my housing license by April 5?

If you do not meet these deadlines, you will not be eligible to participate in the housing selection process between April 10 and April 16 (you will not be able to pick your room, however you may be “pulled in” to a room by someone who did meet the deadlines if they request you as a roommate). Students who pay the deposit or complete the housing license after these dates will receive an email instructing them how to select their room prior to the end of the semester; room options at this point will be extremely limited. Students who could but do not select their room assignment by the end of spring semester will be assigned on a space available basis by the Office of Residence Life, which may include “overflow” assignments. Students who pay their deposit and complete their housing licenset after spring semester will be assigned by the Office of Residence Life on a space available basis, which may include temporary assignments.

Can’t I just stay in my same room next year?

Sorry. There’s no “squatting” the same room from year to year. If your current room is available when it’s your turn to pick your room for next year, then you can pick it. (You still have to completely move everything out for the summer.)

Who gets to pick their room first and who has to go last?

The students who have earned the most credit hours at the end of the fall semester go first; those with the least number of credit hours go last.

What if I’m in class during the login time you give me?

Your time slot begins at your assigned time, but it remains open from then on until the close of selection for that type of room. See Timeline on the first page.

How do I make sure my friend and I room together?

You must both request each other as roommates on the housing license and request form. Make sure you have done this step. If you have, it will say “confirmed” by your roommate request. If your friend has not requested you, it will say “unconfirmed” by your roommate request. You may request up to two roommates; if you want to select a triple room you must request two roommates.

If you have requested each other, the first one of you who logs in to pick a room will be able to automatically bring the other one(s) in with you to that same housing assignment.

Be aware: If one of you moves out of your first assignment to a different room, you will not be able to bring the other person with you. That person would have to move themselves into the new room to remain your roommate.

Also be aware: The only people you can pull in as roommates are students who have paid the deposit, completed the housing license and who you have mutually requested as a roommate on the housing license and request form.

What if I don’t have anyone in particular I want to room with?

 You can put yourself in an open spot in an open room or an open spot in a room with someone already in the room. Be aware that if you put yourself in an open room, someone else going through the selection process may choose the other opening in the room. If this does not happen, then we will consolidate assignments. See the FAQ below, “What is ‘consolidation'?"

If my friend and I choose a triple room, will you put a third person in with us?

No. Only groups of three may choose a triple room during the housing selection process. Between room selection and the start of the fall semester, if one of the three roommates leaves the room assignment for any reason, the remaining two may be relocated to any open double room on campus (which may not be in the same hall.) In fall, rooms that can be tripled will be tripled, but we do not put a third person in triples with two people who have requested each other.

What if after we pick our rooms my roommate decides not to return to SUNY Delhi for fall term, or decides to move off campus?

If your roommate is a good, considerate friend, he/she will let you know so that you can try to arrange for someone else to be your roommate. Otherwise, you will be one person in a double room (or one of two people in a triple room) and we consolidate such assignments and relocate the students. See the FAQ below, “What is ‘consolidation?’”

What if my roommate decides during the summer not to return to SUNY Delhi and he/she doesn’t tell me?

It’s your responsibility to keep in touch with your roommate; we can’t do that for you. If you’re left as one person in a double room (or one of two people in a triple room) we will consolidate such assignments and relocate the students. See the FAQ below, “What is ‘consolidation?’”

What is “consolidation?”

When there are open spaces in rooms and we have additional people to house (as we always do in fall), we will move some people out of the assignment they chose and in with someone else to make better use of the spaces.

Some examples:

• Katie is alone in a double room in Murphy Hall and Julie is alone in a double room in O’Connor Hall. We will move either Katie or Julie to the other person’s room so that two returning students are in a double room together and the other room becomes available for two people who have requested each other as roommates, or two new freshmen or transfer students.
• Jim and Joe are in a triple room in Murphy Hall; their third roommate decides not to return to Delhi. We will try to move Jim and Joe to an available double room on campus, which may be in a different hall from what they initially selected. If the change happens too late in the summer, we may not be able to keep Jim and Joe together as roommates.

The important thing to know about consolidation is: if you don’t straighten things out, we will have to. This is why it’s a good idea to stay in touch with your roommate(s) during the summer and occasionally check your SUNY Delhi email and your housing assignment on HMS. If something changes, this will give you some time to find a replacement roommate or make some other adjustment, if you want, so that we don’t have to consolidate your assignment. We want to work with you, but please understand that in the summer, especially as we get closer and closer to the beginning of fall semester, we have to act quickly to make assignments for the students who are still unassigned. For more on consolidation, please read the Housing Policy Guide, available online.

What if my roommate graduates in December, or goes on internship spring term? Who will my roommate be in spring?

You should speak to your Residence Hall Director (RD) during fall term about the situation. If you have a friend you want to move in with you for spring term, make the arrangements with your RD well before you go home for the break between fall and spring terms. If you don’t have anyone in mind to bring in as a new roommate, most likely your assignment will be consolidated. See the FAQ, “What is ‘consolidation?’” There is a possibility that you may be able to buy out the room as a single at an additional cost, but that won’t be decided until the beginning of spring term.

Which halls have singles? doubles? triples?

• Riverview Townhouses, Catskill, Murphy, O’Connor and Russell Halls have single rooms (DuBois and Gerry Halls do not).
• Riverview Townhouses and all campus halls have double rooms, but by far the most doubles are in Russell Hall.
• Murphy and O’Connor Halls have most of the triple rooms, but Russell, DuBois, and Gerry Halls have a few, too.

How do I get a single for next year?

You are going to pick your own room online. If a single room is available when it’s your turn to pick - pick it. If there are no singles still available when it’s your turn to pick, see the next FAQ below, “What if I don’t like any of the open spots available when it’s my turn to pick?”

What if I don’t like any of the open spots available when it’s my turn to pick?

You can pick an assignment from what is available and put yourself on one or more waiting lists.

How do I put myself on a waiting list?

To add yourself to a waiting list, you must first be assigned to a room. Log in to HMS and click on the link that says 2023-2024 Waiting Lists. You will see a screen with a drop-down list of all the waiting lists that you can add yourself to. Select the waiting list that you would like to be added to from the drop-down list and click the “Add” button. You can add yourself to more than one waiting list. The following waiting lists are available for returning students:

1. Riverview Townhouses
2. Single Rooms
3. Catskill Hall
4. Gender Inclusive Housing

How do the waiting lists work?

During the summer months, some students change their minds and decide to transfer to another school, take some time off, or, for whatever reason, change their mind about returning to school. This makes the room they chose available for someone else.

• Example #1: John was able to get a single room in Murphy Hall during the Housing Selection process in April. Dave wanted a single, but none were left, so he got a double room in DuBois Hall and put himself on the Singles Waiting list. In June, John decides to transfer to SUNY Binghamton. Dave is the first male student on the Singles Waiting List, so we move him from his double room in DuBois into the single in Murphy that had been John’s.
• Example #2: During the Housing Selection process in April, Sarah got a double room in Catskill Hall. Lucy got a double room in O’Connor Hall, and put herself on the Catskill Hall Waiting list. Sarah gets a good summer job and decides to keep working through fall term and save some money, then come back to school for spring term. Lucy is the first female on the Catskill Hall Waiting List, so we move her from her O’Connor double to the Catskill double Sarah used to have.

Waiting lists start new every academic year.  Your standing on the waitlist does not carry over from year to year.

How is the order of the waiting list determined?

Students are able to add themselves to the waiting list once they select a room.  Students are contacted in the order that they add their names.

What if I want to live off campus next year?

All full-time undergraduate students must live in SUNY Delhi residence facilities with the following exceptions:

• married students
• students living with parents or guardians and commuting (within a 50 mile radius)
• students 21 years of age or older prior to October 1 of the academic year in which they enroll (prior to March 1 for those enrolling for the spring semester)

Other requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. To submit a request to live off campus, go to the Residence Life homepage, click the link to “Forms” in the lower left corner, and select ‘Request to Live Off Campus.” Once you submit your request, you will immediately receive an email to your Delhi email address confirming we have received your request.  Within three business days, you will receive an email from the Office of Residence Life letting you know if your request to live off campus has been approved or not.

What if I have a medical housing request?

You still must pay the housing deposit (or obtain a waiver) and complete the online housing agreement by the stated deadlines. If you are approved to retain special/medical housing, we will make your assignment prior to releasing rooms for the general student population. 

Annually, you are required to update your documentation and receive approval for your accommodations.  More information is available on the Medical Accommodations page. If your request is approved, we will make your assignment prior to releasing rooms for the general student population. If it is not approved, you will receive a login time to choose your assignment with the rest of the student body. Documentation must be received by the Office of Residence Life by April 3.

I am interested in a Gender Inclusive room; how can I get one?

Gender Inclusive rooms allow for two people regardless of gender to live together in a room. For 2023-24, Gender Inclusive rooms are available in Russell Hall, Catskill Hall, and Riverview Townhouses. Gender Inclusive rooms are assigned in advance of students picking their own room. For additional information, contact the Senior Assistant Director of Residence Life in 111 Catskill Hall by Monday, April 3.

Do I have to have a meal plan?

• Students who live in Catskill, DuBois, Gerry, Murphy, O’Connor or Russell Halls must have a meal plan. All students in these halls will be defaulted to a 19 meal plan, and may change this online beginning June 1, 2023, using HMS. Students have through the first 10 days of classes to make changes to their meal plan.
• Residents of the Riverview Townhouses do not have to have a meal plan. They may choose to have one if they wish (including a commuter plan), but it is not required.

What if I’m too busy to do all this now? Can’t I just take care of it after spring term is over, or closer to fall when I’ll know for sure if I’m coming back or not?

Current returning students have the first opportunity to select their rooms, if they choose to participate in the housing selection process and meet the required deadlines to do so. After the housing selection process is completed in spring, we begin to house new, incoming students and housing options for returning students become extremely limited, sometimes resulting in “overflow” housing assignments.