Incoming First-Year FAQ's

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

Sunday, August 17, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Monday, August 18, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

All incoming students living in RIT housing are required to select a move-in appointment time prior to arriving on campus. 

Access to select a move-in appointment time is only given to students who have submitted their RIT student ID card photo.  Please submit your photo immediately as it must go through an approval process.  Once your photo is approved, you will have access to the portal to select a move-n day and time. 

Move-in appointment times will be available June 30. 

The dates below highlight each step in the application process. 

May 1, 2025

There are two deadlines:

• May 1, 2025, is the deadline to pay the admissions deposit for Regular Decision admissions.
• May 1, 2025, 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 13, 2025

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 13, 2025. All incoming first-year students coming directly from high school are guaranteed RIT housing. Students who complete a contract after May 13 or do not self-select during room selection will be assigned a room and roommate by the RIT Housing staff.

May 15, 2025

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.

May 23, 2025

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 May 23, 2025. 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 May 23rd, we encourage all students who believe they need an accommodation to reach out to the DSO as soon as possible. 

May 28 - June 13, 2025

Students with appointments can self-select rooms in the myLife portal.
Appointment times are spread out between May 28 - June 13, 2025, 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 2025 - 2026 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 Application button
• 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 mostly rectangular and approximately 18’x10 and low-rise building rooms are mostly square and approximately 12’x14.  The square footage of our residence hall rooms vary from room to room and building to building.  The square footage given here is an approximate. 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; which means they are communal by gender and do not sit with in a room or a suite.  Corridor-style bathrooms have several showers and toilet stalls.  

• 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. There are also rooms that are located in Peterson, Residence Hall D, and Ellingson that use a private bathroom that does not sit within the room. 

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

Laundry is free in all RIT housing. 

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.  

There are no kitchens in the residence halls or RIT Inn.  Students are provided a micro-fridge (freezer, refrigerator, microwave) in their room in the residence halls and the RIT Inn. Appliances that are intended to be used for cooking are prohibited in the residence halls and at that RIT Inn.  

All residence halls and 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 ADA accommodations. If you have a need for an ADA accommodation, please contact the Student Disability Services office. 

Accommodations must be processed and approved by the Disability Services Office no later than May 23, 2025. This deadline must be met in order to participate in the freshman room selection process. All approved accommodations received by RIT Housing after this date will be pending availability. 

Learn more >

Honors housing is located in Gibson Hall.  Incoming Honor students are assigned to Honors housing. However, Honor students may choose to live somewhere other than Honors housing. Honor students may participate in Freshman Room Selection and reassign themselves from their assigned Honors housing assignment to another residence hall locations or to a room at the RIT Inn.   

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• The deadline to apply to a Special Interest House is May 1st.
• 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.

Learn more about the residence halls>
Learn more about the RIT Inn>

• 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.

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