Rising Juniors and Seniors
The 2026-2027 Housing Application for general selection will open on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, and close at 5PM on Wednesday, October 22. 2025. Students can access the Housing Application in their Housing Portal.
Accessing the Housing Portal:
- Log into SIS.
- Click on “About Me,” then click on “Housing”
- Once you have reached the Home Page, click on “Housing Applications” on the top left of the screen.
University housing is not guaranteed for juniors and seniors. All rising juniors and seniors interested in living in University housing must apply for the chance to be issued a lottery number. Being issued a lottery number guarantees the opportunity to select housing from available housing stock as designated by class year.
Please note:
- First year undergraduate students and graduate students should not complete this housing application. More information will be available later in the fall semester about rising sophomore housing selection (for current first year undergraduates) and more information for new/continuing graduate students will be available in spring 2026. If you’re unsure of your class standing, please contact studentservices@tufts.edu for clarification before completing the 2026-2027 housing application.
- There is a different process for rising juniors/seniors who want to apply to live in a theme, special interest, fraternity or sorority community. More information is available below.
- Students with medical or religious accommodations should note their accommodation in their housing application on the appropriate page and work directly with the StAAR Center and/or the Office of Equal Opportunity to ensure that proper registration and paperwork have been submitted. Approval for accommodation(s) does not guarantee a housing lottery number on campus housing.
- If you have previously been approved for accommodation(s) please re-confirm with the office that approved your housing accommodation that you want to continue to use your accommodation(s) in the 2026-2027 academic year.
All students who have submitted an intent to study abroad and a 2026-2027 housing application will automatically be placed on a study abroad waitlist, despite when their application for campus housing have been submitted. Students on the study abroad housing waitlist will receive priority consideration only if the study abroad program is cancelled; this information will be shared with Residential Life by Global Education. Students who change their minds about studying abroad will be added to the general waitlist for juniors and seniors. If a student who submits an intent to study abroad form is issued a lottery number, their lottery number will be rescinded ahead of group formation.
The application for theme and special interest communities will close for juniors and seniors at 5PM on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. Please note that the deadline to apply for theme and special interest housing is earlier for the 2026-2027 academic year than it has been in the past. Rising juniors and seniors who apply for general housing selection and theme/special interest housing selection will be offered a lottery number for general housing selection OR a space in a theme/special interest community, but not both.
Students can apply to one theme and special interest community.
Housing Application, Group Formation, and Selection Timeline
- September 17: Housing applications open for general and special interest communities
- October 15: Deadline to request an accommodation through the StAAR Center or OEO
- October 22: Housing applications close for juniors and seniors at 5:00PM
- November 3: Rising junior and senior lottery numbers and theme /special interest offers are distributed via email
- November 6: Theme/special interest responses due by 5PM and housing accommodations placements
- November 7: Housing accommodations placements
- November 9: Sophia Gordon Group Formation (4-person and 6-person groups)
- November 11 and November 12: Community Housing (CoHo) Group Formation (various group sizes)
- November 13: Latin Way 4-Person Apartment and 3-Person Apartment Group Formation and theme/special interest selection details sent via email
- November 17: Sophia Gordon Housing Selection for approved groups
- November 18: CoHo Housing Selection for approved groups
- November 19: Latin Way 4-Person Apartment and 3-Person Apartment for approved groups
- November 20: General Housing Selection
- November 21: Theme Housing Selection
- December 3: Housing applications for juniors and seniors due by 5:00PM for priority waitlist consideration
- December 8: Waitlist numbers released via email and, if spaces are available, first round of wait list offers
- December 22: Waitlist selection, if spaces are available
- January 30: FSL housing roster due by 5:00PM
General Tips for the Lottery
- When signing up as a group, make sure the group leader is available to make the final selections for others in the group. If the group leader is not available, re-form your group by the deadline with another group leader or contact Residential Life to change your group leader.
- Have up to five options in mind for your housing preferences.
- Review all of the options for room/apartment sizes available to you. Your group size may change during the process so have a backup plan in mind before you begin.
- Attend our Housing Selection Webinar at 12PM on Wednesday, September 24, 2025.
- If you have questions, please ask! We are partners with you in helping navigate the housing process. We welcome all questions, so please stop by, call or email us.
Understanding Lottery Numbers vs Waitlist Numbers
- Students who are given a lottery number are guaranteed a housing assignment for 2026-2027 as long as they select a space as instructed at their assigned selection time.
- Lottery Numbers: Rising juniors/seniors need to apply for housing to be eligible to receive a lottery number. The junior/senior housing supply determines how many lottery numbers are assigned to applicants. Students are only allowed to utilize the lottery number assigned to them by Residential Life and Learning; lottery numbers cannot be transferred, exchanged, or sold. Lottery numbers are assigned randomly.
- Waitlist Numbers: Rising juniors/seniors who apply for housing and do not receive a lottery number are eligible to receive a waitlist number. Being on the waitlist means you are not guaranteed housing. If you are given a waitlist number, you will be updated regularly regarding your status/likelihood of receiving on-campus housing. The process of issuing waitlist numbers is dependent on the date the application is completed before the priority deadline to join the waitlist (December 3, 2025) and when the request to join the waitlist was received after December 3, 2025.
- There are two wait lists. There is a Priority Housing Waitlist for students who did not receive a lottery number but submitted their 2026-2027 Housing Application by 5PM on December 3, 2025. There is a Study Abroad Waitlist for students who complete a Housing Application and an intent to study abroad form. Residential Life will offer on campus housing to students on the Study Abroad Waitlist after the Priority Housing Waitlist has been exhausted.
- Lottery Number Ranges: In all of the ranges noted, the lowest number selects the earliest in the process within each class year's group. Rising seniors (including fifth-year seniors) have been assigned lottery numbers between 1 and 300. Rising juniors have been assigned lottery numbers between 300 and 500. Rising sophomores have been assigned lottery numbers between 1000 and 3000.
Rising Sophomores
The 2026-2027 housing application for rising sophomore students will be available on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 until February 4, 2026 at 5:00PM. Since university housing is required for sophomores*, failure to complete an application will result in an application being created for you. It is imperative that you complete this application on your own as you will have the opportunity to make a note as to whether you are interested in being contacted regarding housing accommodations, priority preference housing, or update your profile.
Different from the first-year housing placement process, rising sophomores have the opportunity to select who they live with and where they live through two separate processes: group formation and housing selection processes.
If you have previously been approved for accommodation(s) please re-confirm with the office that approved your housing accommodation that you want to continue to use your accommodation(s). A specific deadline to request housing accommodations will be shared soon – it is always best to reach out early!
*Please note that BFA rising sophomores who currently live on Beacon St. can request to be released from their two-year residency requirement. All sophomore students live on the Medford/Somerville campus as housing for sophomores isn’t available on Beacon St. Please check your Tufts email for more detailed information about requesting a housing exemption.
Accessing the Housing Portal:
- Log into SIS.
- Click on “About Me,” then click on “Housing”
- Once you have reached the Home Page, click on “Housing Applications” on the top left of the screen.
Housing Application, Group Formation, and Selection Timeline for Rising Sophomores
- October 22: Housing applications open for general and special interest communities
- January 28: Housing application closes at 5PM
- February 4: Lottery numbers released via Tufts email
- February 23 to March 6: Accommodations meetings
- March 11: Theme/special interest housing selection
- March 23 through March 27: Group Formation
- 10-person apartments - March 23 at 9PM through March 24 at 3PM
- 6-person apartments - March 24 at 9PM through March 25 at 3PM
- Quads and singles - March 25 at 9PM through March 26 at 3PM
- Triples and doubles - March 26 at 9PM through March 27 at 3PM
- March 30 through April 2: Housing Selection
- 10-person apartments - March 30
- 6-person apartments - March 31
- Quads - April 1
- Singles - April 1
- Triples - April 2
- Doubles - April 2
Rising sophomores who did not get the type of space they applied for through group formation or who chose not to participate in group formation will be assigned a space by Residential Life staff. Residential Life staff will refer to students' lottery numbers if any single rooms are available after selection and place students with the lowest lottery number in single rooms, if they are available. In multiple occupancy spaces, like double, triples, and quads, Residential Life staff will make roommate matches based on students' Housing Survey responses striving for matches that are 70% or better. Students will be notified about their 2026-2027 housing assignment via email by Friday, April 10, 2026.
Theme, Special Interest, and Fraternity/Sorority Housing
THEME AND SPECIAL INTEREST HOUSING
Different from past years, the theme and special interest application and selection process will take place at different time for different class years. For rising juniors and seniors interested in theme and special interest communities, applications will be available from September 17, 2025 through October 22, 2025. For rising sophomores interested in theme and special interest communities, applications will be available from October 22, 2025 through February 4, 2026 at 4PM.
A separate selection process will be held for those students accepted into theme housing. Students interested in theme and special interest communities should complete the community specific application via the Housing Application. Students can apply to one theme/special interest community. More information on those communities can be found here.
**Students living in theme communities with approved accommodations should still plan to meet with Residential Life staff for appropriate placement.
FRATERNITY AND SORORITY HOUSING
Students interested in living in their fraternity or sorority house must fill out a housing application and work with their leadership to make sure they are on the roster shared with our office. Students who submit an intent to study abroad form are not eligible to be included on their organization’s housing roster.
Students on Leave
Any student currently on personal leave of absence or a medical leave of absence may apply for housing if they intend to return from their leave in Fall 2026. Please make sure you complete all necessary requirements and adhere to any necessary deadlines.
Students who have taken a leave from the University may potentially not qualify for off-campus living per the two-year residency requirement. Qualification is dependent on the number of semesters students have completed for their residency requirement. For more information on the residency requirement, please visit the Housing Guidelines and Policies page
Webinars
Rising Sophomores
More information will be available at the end of fall semester about our rising sophomore housing webinar!
Watch Housing Lottery and Selection Webinar from Spring 2025
Rising Juniors and Seniors
Aimed specifically at rising juniors/seniors and their families, this housing lottery and selection webinar will explain in detail the process in order to be successful during the group formation and housing selection periods.
Please join us on Zoom on September 24, 2025 at 12PM for the rising junior/senior housing selection webinar!
Watch the Rising Junior/Senior 2026-2027 Housing Selection Webinar