Terms and Definitions

Room Selection 2021-2022

All current students may participate in the Room Selection Process starting in the spring semester. This online process allows students to reserve their residence for the upcoming fall semester.

All current first year students are required to live on campus for next year. Students who are not required to live on campus next year should only participate in Room Selection (Village Selection and Residence Hall Room Selection) if they are 100% sure they want to live on campus for the entire upcoming academic year.

Participation in Room Selection guarantees the student on-campus housing for the entire academic year; ANDobligates the student to live on campus for the full academic year. If you're thinking of moving off campus, before you sign a lease, make sure you're eligible to live off campus; see the College Housing Policy.

Students can view their housing assignment information at myHousing.oswego.edu.
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Class year:  A student's expected year of graduation. "Class year" is generated by the campus information system based on academic credits earned and progress toward degree.

First Year Student: A student who first enrolled at SUNY Oswego during the current academic year who was categorized by the Admissions Office as a "New Freshman" when accepted.

General Lottery: The process by which participants choose from available rooms in residence halls.

Lottery: Room Selection Process that is determined by chance. Assignment to a specific room, suite, or townhouse is not guaranteed.

  • Participants choose from available rooms, suites, or townhouses according to their Lottery #/Start Time until all available rooms, suites, or townhouses are filled.
  • receiving a Lottery Number and Start Time for any Room Selection lottery does not guarantee assignment to a specific community.

Lottery Number: Random computer-generated number assigned to each participant to determine that student's priority in a Lottery.

  • Room Selection Lottery Numbers are generated by class year; the lower the student's class year, the lower the lottery number they will receive. (i.e., students with the class year 2021 will receive lower lottery numbers than students with the class year 2022, etc.).
  • Each participant will have their own Lottery Number and Start Time, regardless of whether or not they have any room/suite/townhousemates.
  • After each Step 3 lottery all Room Selection participants who do not have a room assignment for the next year will be issued a new Lottery Number and, therefore, Start Time; this will enable them to participate in the next lottery, maintaining the appropriate level of priority. For example, if "Susan Jones" doesn't choose a room during the Onondaga Suite Lottery process, she will receive a new Lottery Number (and Start Time) for the General Lottery. All Residence Hall Room Selection participants will receive a lottery number for Squatters Lottery.

Matched Group: All requested room/suite/townhousemates who have requested each other.

Matched Mates: A pair or group of participants who have requested each other as "mates."

Mate: Roommate, suitemate or townhousemate.

Mate-Matching: Requesting and confirming room, suite, townhousemates.

  • Only students who complete Step 1 of a Room Selection process can be requested as "mates" during Step 2.
  • All "mates" must request each other in order to choose space together.
  • Note: Onondaga Suite Selection and portions of Village Room Selection require matched groups including specific numbers of residents.

Onondaga Squatters: Matched groups of 6 who are squatting an Onondaga suite in which one member of the group currently lives. In order to squat in Onondaga, a current Onondaga resident must fill the entire suite; all mates must match.

Room Selection Participant: A student who completes Step 1 of a Room Selection process (Village Room Selection or Residence Hall Room Selection) on time.

Residence Hall Room Selection:
This process is for students who wish to live in a residence hall next year. This includes 3 consecutive mandatory steps.

  • Residence Hall Step 1: Apply for Housing This entails accepting the terms of the Residence Life and Housing License and completing the for Housing application at myHousing.oswego.edu.
  • Residence Hall Step 2: Match Mates & Complete Agreements Request and match room/suitemates, if any. Only students who completed Residence Hall Step 1 can be requested as room/suitemates. Complete Special Interest Housing Agreements.
  • Residence Hall Step 3: Choosing your actual space for next year. There are 4 different selection processes in Step 3:
    • Squatters Lottery - residents choosing to keep their current room for next year and their requested mates.
    • Onondaga Squatters Lottery - Matched groups of 6 who are squatting an Onondaga suite in which one member of the group currently lives. In order to squat in Onondaga, a current Onondaga resident must fill the entire suite; all mates must match.
    • Onondaga Lottery - the process for matched groups of 6 to choose from available suites in Onondaga Hall for the upcoming year.
    • General Lottery - residents choose an available room.

Residence Life and Housing License: Binding document outlining resident rights and responsibilities for living in campus residence halls.  In order to live in campus housing, students must accept the terms of the Residence Life and Housing License. Students accepting the terms of one of this agreement is OBLIGATED to live in campus housing for the entire upcoming academic year.

Start Time: The earliest date and time a Room Selection participant can go into myHousing to choose an actual room for the upcoming year. Start Times are available after 4:00 pm on the business day immediately before each Step 3 process.

Village General Lottery: This process is for Village Room Selection participants who did not qualify for the Village Resident lottery. Fully matched groups of 4 or 6 will select townhouses on the first day of the lottery. Fully matched groups of 5, 3, 2, or non-matched participants may select from available spaces on the second & third day of the lottery.

Village Room Selection: This process is for students who are eligible and wish to live in The Village for next year. This includes 3 consecutive MANDATORY steps.

  • Village Step 1: APPLY for housing at myHousing.oswego.edu. This entails accepting the terms of Residence Life and Housing License and completing the housing application.
  • Village Step 2: Requesting and matching townhousemates. Only students who completed Village Step 1 can be requested as townhousemates.
  • Village Step 3: Choosing from available townhouses. There are 2 different lotteries in Step 3:
    • Village Resident Lottery - Current Village residents, individually and in matched groups, who completed Steps 1, 2, and 3.
    • Village General Lottery - all other Village Room Selection participants in matched groups of 4 or 6.

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