Junior-Senior Housing Lottery & Selection Process

Selection Process

Students will be able to sign up online for the Junior-Senior Lottery in February. This will be done through a housing lottery form in the student online housing portal. A link will be posted to this website during the sign-up period. More information about how to access and navigate the portal will be provided closer to the lottery date.

After students have signed up, the order will be randomized, and students will be given an opportunity to select their housing from the available units in that order. 

Housing selection based on the lottery will be done online remotely and within a specified timeframe. Students may also come to the Residence Life and Housing Office to choose their unit in person if they choose to do so. If a student will be unavailable to choose their room due to scheduling, they can inform our office of their preferences and we can choose a space for them.

Housing selection will be split up by unit size, starting with larger units and working our way toward smaller units, so that students who cannot find large units may split up and try to find smaller units that are still available. 

Once a student or group of students selects a unit, they will be removed from the remainder of the lottery and will be ineligible to choose another rental unit.

Priority

All students will have the same priority, meaning the same chance of going first in the lottery. A student’s priority in the lottery is not informed by class standing, graduation date, GPA or student group affiliation. All students entering the lottery must have already completed the four-semester on-campus housing requirement, including the semester they are currently in when the lottery takes place.

Some students may receive priority based on a medical accommodation or other extenuating need on a case by case basis. If a student is granted priority, it applies to any other students applying for housing with that student.

Medical Accommodations

Students who require medical accommodation should be in touch with the Academic Resource Center with sufficient time prior to the housing lottery to have the need assessed and appropriate accommodations approved. The Academic Resource Center includes Disability Support Services and can be reached at arc@whitman.edu. 

Contact Us

For questions about the housing selection process, please contact the Residence Life and Housing Office at on_campus_housing@whitman.edu or 509-527-5297.