Returning Resident Process 2013-2014
Please thoroughly read the following information about the Returning Resident process for 2013-2014. If you have been a Returning Resident in the past, please note that the process for the 2013-2014 year is different from the process used in years prior.
The 2013-2014 Returning Resident process is a LOTTERY system. Unlike previous years, we will not have a single Returning Resident Day. Residents will have one week to turn in their License Agreement, and the assigned week will depend on residents' last names.
Timeline:
| January - February: | Information sessions about Returning Resident process |
| Mid-February: | Returning Resident License Agreements will be sent to all current residents |
| March: | License Agreement return - residents must turn in their License Agreement during their assigned week to qualify for the initial lottery*.
Week 1 (March 4 - 8): Last name A - G Week 2 (March 11 - 15): Last name H - O Week 3 (March 18 - 22): Last name P - Z *Residents who miss their assigned week will be considered if spaces are still available after the lottery. |
| March - April: | Reminders via email and Facebook. |
| May 3: | Deadline to submit $1,200 initial payment. After payment deadline, students who both turned in their License Agreement during their assigned time AND made payment by the deadline will be assigned a random lottery number. Residents who miss the payment deadline will be considered after the lottery. |
| Mid-May: | Residents notified of status. |
| Early June: | Wait list updates begin. |
| June - July: | Students on the wait list will be informed of their status regularly. Students will be emailed a confirmation if space becomes available. |
| July: | Room assignments sent to confirmed residents. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is different about this year's Returning Resident process?
Why is the Returning Resident process different this year?
Who is eligible to return next Fall?
Do I have to pay another $55 application fee and reapply online?
Where will I turn in my License Agreement?
Can I drop my License Agreement in the Housing Office drop box?
Do I have to turn in my payment with my License Agreement in March?
How much do I need to pay in order to return?
How many Returning Resident spaces will be available for 2013-2014?
How are lottery numbers determined?
What if my first preference is full before you get to my lottery number?
Can I pick my preferred roommate?
What are the apartment room combination options for roommates?
If I pick a roommate or apartment-mates, how does the lottery work for us as a group?
What if my chosen roommate doesn't choose me/return their License Agreement on time/pay on time?
I can't decide if I want to return. Can I turn in my paperwork at any time?
Can I decide to live off campus after I turn in my License Agreement and/or payment?
When are we confirmed for Housing? When do we get assignments?
Do I have to have a meal plan?
What is different about this year's Returning Resident process?
The Returning Resident process is no longer first-come, first-served; it is a lottery process. Housing will determine a set number of spaces that will be available for Returning Residents prior to the process beginning. Residents will have an assigned week in March to turn in their License Agreements.
Why is the Returning Resident process different this year?
We are extending the License Agreement return process to allow residents more time to turn their License Agreements and to avoid long line during the one-day process.
Who is eligible to return next Fall?
All current residents under the age of 25 (as of Fall Move-In), and in good financial and judicial standing, will be allowed to return to the residence community.
Students over age 25 may wish to consider the University Park unfurnished apartment option, owned by SF State and managed by University Property Management. For more information, visit http://www.sfsu.edu/~univpark/.
Do I have to pay another $55 application fee and reapply online?
You do not need to reapply or pay another $55 fee. The 2013-2014 Returning Resident License Agreement as well as information about the Returning Resident process will be sent to you via your SF State email on February 13, 2013.
When can I sign up?
When you can turn in your License Agreement depends on your last name. All residents will turn in their License Agreements during an assigned week in March, with the schedule as follows:
Week 1 (March 4 - 8): Last name A - G
Week 2 (March 11 - 15): Last name H - O
Week 3 (March 18 - 22): Last name P - Z
Residents who do not turn in their License Agreement during their assigned week will not be considered for Housing until after the lottery.
Where will I turn in my License Agreement?
License Agreements should be turned in at the Housing Business Office, located in Mary Ward Hall.
Can I drop my License Agreement in the Housing Office drop box?
Residents can drop their License Agreement in the Housing Office drop box after business hours during their assigned License Agreement return week.
Do I have to turn in my payment with my License Agreement in March?
License Agreements must be turned in during your assigned week in March, but payment does not have to be made until May 3.
How much do I need to pay in order to return?
The initial payment is $1,200, and is due by May 3. If payment is not made by May 3, the Returning Resident License Agreement will be cancelled.
How many Returning Resident spaces will be available for 2013-2014?
650 spaces, located in University Park North and South and the Village at Centennial Square.
How are lottery numbers determined?
After the payment deadline (May 3, 2013), Housing will randomly assign numbers to all who turned in their License Agreement and payment by the deadlines.
If more than 650 residents meet all deadlines, those who receive a number higher than 650 will automatically be placed on the Wait List in order of lottery number.
Residents who miss a deadline will be considered after all lottery participants have been placed.
What if my first preference is full before you get to my lottery number?
Preferences are not guaranteed. Please make two preferences, as indicated on the License Agreement. If both are full, we will give you the next available space you are qualified for.
Can I pick my preferred roommate?
Returning Residents may choose roommates and apartment-mates on the License Agreement. In order to be placed together, all residents must choose one another with full names and SF State ID numbers. Residents should make sure they are picking a room and apartment type that matches their potential roommates (for example, four students cannot all ask for single occupancy rooms). Residents should also be sure to mark whether they would like to have their roommate preference honored over their room type preference in the appropriate area of the License Agreement.
What are the apartment room combination options for roommates?
Village at Centennial Square:
- 2 double occupancy rooms (4 residents)
- 1 double occupancy room and 2 single occupancy rooms (4 residents)
University Park South:
- 1 double occupancy room (2 residents)
- 1 double occupancy room and 1 single occupancy room (3 residents)
- 1 double occupancy room and 2 single occupancy rooms (4 residents)
University Park North:
- 1 double occupancy room and one single occupancy room (3 residents)
- 1 double occupancy room and 2 single occupancy rooms (4 residents)
Please note that there are a limited number of apartments with each of these room combinations. Housing will try to place students in their preferred room and apartment types if available. Residents should make sure to note whether they would like to keep their room/apartment/building choice OR roommate choice, in the event that Housing cannot accommodate both preferences.
If I pick a roommate or apartment-mates, how does the lottery work for us as a group?
Assuming everyone mutually chooses one another, turns in their License Agreements on time, and makes the payment on time, the resident with the best lottery number will bring their group with them, if space is still available for such a group.
What if my chosen roommate doesn't choose me/return their License Agreement on time/pay on time?
If residents do not mutually choose one another as roommates, the roommate request will not be honored. For groups, all residents must choose all other residents of the group.
Students who do not return their License Agreements during their assigned week or turn their payment in by the deadline will only be considered for roommate preference if they are confirmed before room assignments are determined.
Please note that building, room type, and roommate preferences are at no time guaranteed.
Will I receive a space for next year if I turn in my license and payment on time? Am I guaranteed a space if I participate in Returning Resident Process?
Housing is at no time guaranteed. There are 650 spaces available for Returning Residents, and those spaces will be given via a random lottery system. Depending on the number of students who respond, it is possible that a resident who turns in their License Agreement and payment on time may still start out on the wait list.
I can't decide if I want to return. Can I turn in my paperwork at any time?
Returning Residents must turn in a License Agreement during their assigned week, and make a payment by May 3, in order to maintain Returning Resident priority. License Agreements and payments will be accepted after their deadlines, but will be considered after the initial lottery process.
Can I decide to live off campus after I turn in my License Agreement and/or payment?
You can cancel at any time, with some restrictions.
If you cancel before making a payment, you may cancel at any time with no penalty.
If you have been confirmed for a space and cancel with 30 or more days of notice before the Fall 2013 move-in date (August 22, 2013), you will receive a full refund.
If you have been confirmed for a space and cancel with less than 30 days of notice before the Fall 2013 Move-In (August 22, 2013), you will be charged a cancellation fee based on the date of cancellation and your assigned space.
If you cancel from the wait list, you may cancel at any time, including after classes begin, with no penalty.
When are we confirmed for Housing? When do we get assignments?
Confirmations will be emailed to residents in mid-May. Room assignments will be sent in late-July.
Do I have to have a meal plan?
All residents of the Village at Centennial Square must have a meal plan of 5, 8, 10, 15, or 19 meals per week.
Residents of University Park North and South do not have a meal plan included in their Housing costs, but may buy a meal plan directly from the Dining Center (http://www.dineoncampus.com/sfsu).
