Housing Selection FAQs

Housing Selection FAQs:

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How do I access the StarRez Housing Selection portal?

  • A link to Wellesley’s StarRez Portal is always available in MyWellesley - Student Self-Service

  • Direct Link: Student Housing Portal

What is the Housing Agreement?
  • This is the agreement students will be asked to acknowledge each year in Wellesley’s StarRez Housing Portal. This document outlines the terms and conditions associated with living in student housing at Wellesley, and each student’s acknowledgement of this agreement will be required annually as part of the housing application process.
  • Once the Housing Agreement is acknowledged by entering your student number, your housing application is considered “complete.” You can re-enter the portal anytime before the application closes to make adjustments to your profile,
  • search for potential roommates, and create or edit a block/roommate group.
What is the Housing Intent Form?
  • The Housing Intent Form is the first step in Housing Selection and IS REQUIRED of all students registered for on-campus classes the following semester. 
  • The Housing Intent Form can be found on the first page of the Housing Application in the Housing Portal and allows students to communicate their need for on-campus housing the following semester. 
  • Once completing the Intent Form, students who request on-campus housing will be directed to complete the Housing Application, and eventually Room Selection.
  • Students who are seeking off-campus housing will be directed to complete the Commuter Housing Application.  
  • Students planning to study abroad or take a leave of absence are not required to complete the Housing Intent Form
Do I need to Fill out the housing Application in the StarRez Portal
  • All students who require housing will need to fill out the housing application in the StarRez portal. Completion of this housing application is the only way of initiating the housing process. Without a completed housing application, a student may not be guaranteed a space in housing for the following semester and will not receive a time slot for room selection.
What if I don't need housing in the fall?
  • If you are confident you will not need housing for the following semester, there is no need to complete the housing application at this time.
  • Please note that students registered for on-campus classes who plan to commute DO need to complete the Housing Intent Form and Commuter Housing Application.
I am currently studying abroad. How do I select a room?
  • Students who are away from campus this semester will log in to the portal remotely and complete the housing application, as well as select a room during their assigned time slot. 
  • If you are concerned you may not be able to access the Wellesley StarRez Portal from abroad, we are happy to work with you to identify an alternative means of selecting your room. 
  • If you are participating in Blocking, or are part of a roommate group, only the group leader will need to log into select group members' rooms during their assigned time slot.
I am study abroad for Fall. How do I select a room for Spring?
  • Spring housing selection for those returning from leave and study abroad will take place during the fall semester, look for details to be released in early November.
I have an approved housing accommodation. How do I select my room that meets my accommodation needs?
  • If Student Housing is unable to guarantee your accommodation will be met in General Room Selection, you will be assigned a room selection time slot to participate in the Housing Accommodations portion of Room Selection. 
    • Rooms across campus will be available for selection prior to General Room Selection to ensure spaces meeting students’ housing accommodation needs will be met.
  • If Student Housing is able to guarantee the availability of you housing accommodation in General Room Selection (such as a rising senior with a medical single accommodation), you will be assigned a room selection time slot with your class during Blocking or General Room Selection (depending on the option you choose).
Where can I find the most accurate list of rooms available for selection?
  • Beginning in June, following the Housing Application deadline, students will be able to browse room availability by clicking “Check Room Availability” on the Housing Portal homepage, prior to logging in. 
    • So as to avoid heavy traffic IN the Housing Portal during Room Selection, this browser is not available after logging into the portal. 
  • The “Check Room Availability” browser will be updated in real time as spaces are selected throughout Room Selection.
Will I be the only student in the portal during my room selection time slot?
  • No, a number of students may be assigned the same time slot and may be in the portal at the same time as you.
  • Students can also log in to select their room anytime after their assigned time slot. There is no need to log in immediately if you are unable to do so.
  • Remember, if you are part of a block or roommate group, only group leaders will receive a time slot and will select spaces for all members of their group.
How is the order of room selection determined?
  • Regardless of the Room Selection phase a student participates in, student room selection time slots are ordered according to seniority. Seniority is determined by a student’s class year. Time slots are then randomized within each class year.
  • Class years determining seniority in room selection are grouped by semester counters for the future semester. For the purposes of Fall Room Selection, seniority is based on a fall semester counter. Semester counters 7,8, & 9 are grouped as rising seniors. Semester counters 5 & 6 are grouped as rising juniors. Semester counters 2, 3, & 4 are grouped as rising sophomores.
  • Semester counter data comes from the registar, if your semester counter needs to change due to a leave or accelerated graduation, you need to work with the registar to complete any accelerated petition prior to starting the housing application.
What if I am not available during my assigned room selection time slot?
  • You are not required to enter the portal at the exact time you are assigned, and you will not be shut out. Your time slot only indicates when you can begin entering the portal to select a room. 
  • If you are in fact unavailable during room selection, please ensure you are not serving as your group’s leader.
How do I get help selecting my room?
  • Student Housing staff will be available on Zoom to help you troubleshoot  throughout Room Selection. The zoom link will be shared publicly prior to Room Selection. 
  • Student Housing staff will also publish Zoom drop-in hours leading up to Room Selection. 
    • While we are happy to help you strategize and plan, we are not able to speculate as to the outcome of Room Selection for any particular student or group.
How do I know I successfully selected a room?
  • Once you complete room selection for you (and your group members), the Housing Portal will display a Room Selection Confirmation Page that includes your selected room, as well as the assignments you might have made for any roommates or blockmates. 
  • Following the completion of rooms selection, an email will also be generated confirming your room selection.
What if I make a mistake during Room Selection
  • Always double check the rooms and spaces in your cart before finalizing your selection. 
  • Student Housing staff will be available on Zoom to help you troubleshoot  throughout Room Selection. 
    • However, if you select the wrong space(s), Student Housing will not cancel those bookings. We cannot guarantee the space(s) you intended to select will would still be available if you went back into the Portal to select again.
How does Blocking work?
  • Blocking is optional. Blocks will be between three and eight students. Students participating in Block Housing will have an opportunity to create their Block Group when they complete their housing application in the StarRez Portal. 
  • Block selection time slots will be sent out on May 18th to block group leaders
  • The Block Leader will be assigned a time slot between May 23rd-25th, according to seniority, to zoom with the Office of Res Life & Housing to work with Student Housing staff  to select a block for their group
  • Block time slots will continue until blocks are filled or until all block groups select spaces
  • The rooms available during blocking room selection will be shared with students in advance, allowing students to plan around the location and number of spaces available and fitting for their block group. 
  • Block groups will be required to fill a given block of rooms in order to select that space. The number of students in a block group must match the number beds available in the block they select.
How do I block with friends if I have an approved housing accommodation?
  • Students with approved housing accommodations can choose to participate in Blocking, rather than in Housing Accommodations Room Selection. 
  • When working with Student Housing staff to select their block, staff can work to ensure a student’s accommodation is met in their group’s selected block. 
    • If a block is not available or an accommodation cannot be met, a student can then choose to participate in Housing Accommodations Room Selection at a later date.
What if my group does not find the block we want during Blocking?
  • If  students choose to participate in blocking, but do not select a block during their group’s blocking time slot, they will then be assigned a time slot for participation in General Room Selection.
  • Student Housing will provide a deadline for students to rearrange groups in the Housing Portal if needed to ensure roommates can select a room together. 
  • Students would then move forward to participate in General Room Selection as part of a roommate group or as an individual.
Can groups who choose to block select from any space, or does it have to be predetermined "block" spaces?
  • Block spaces will be predetermined and shared with students prior to room selection.
What do we do if we can't fill a block of rooms?
  • The number of students in a block group must fit the number of beds spaces in a given block in order to select that block.  If you cannot fill a block, you can try to pull additional students into your block group prior to application closing on May 15th, or you can choose to participate in General Room Selection.. 
What is a Block Group?
  • Students creating a block group wish to participate in blocking and select a group of rooms that are in close proximity to one another. 
  • Block Groups may or may not consist of roommate pairings. 
    • For example, a group hoping to select a block of two single rooms and two double rooms would have 6 members. 
    • The students planning on being roommates will be placed in a double together by their group leader during Room Selection. The group leader in this scenario will select a block that fits their group, placing two group members in singles and two students in each double.
    • All students in this scenario are added as members of the same block group when it is created in the Housing Portal.
What is a Roommate Group?
  • A Roommate Group is composed of those who wish to live together in one room, suite, or apartment. A Roommate Group might be seeking a double, triple, suite, or apartment. 
  • Students have the opportunity to search for/identify roommate(s), or to select a roommate by name, when completing the housing application.
  • The number of students in a roommate group must match the occupancy of the space that is being selected by that group.
What is a Group Leader? Can the Group Leader be changed after the initial group is made?
  • A Group Leader will select rooms for everyone in their Roommate or Block Group. They are the only member of a block or roommate group who will be assigned a room selection time slot.
    • It is critical that group leaders are available during room selection to select rooms on behalf of their group. 
  • Students in a block or roommate group will be able to decide who will act as their group leader and can make changes ONLY while the housing application is still open. 
  • After the Housing Application closes, changes are not possible as time slots will be generated for the group leader in place  at that time,
How do I create a Block Group or Roommate Group?
  • Block and roommate groups are created in exactly the same way. 
  • When you log in to do your housing application, you will be asked to complete your own profile. This will then allow you to search other students’ profiles, to view their answers to profile questions, and to note their percentage match with your own profile. You will also be able to search profiles if you are looking for something or someone in particular. 
  • If you already know your roommate(s) and/or blockmates(s), you will be able to search by name. 
  • Follow the instructions in the Housing Application to create and name a group and add roommates/blockmates to the group.
Can I room with someone who is not in my class year?
  • Yes. You can choose to room or block with students who are in different class years. 
  • Please keep in mind that this will impact the selection time slot your block or roommate group is assigned. For example, a group of seniors and juniors will receive a time slot between rising seniors and rising juniors.
How do my friends and I select a suite or apartment?
  • Create a roommate group and then select the suite or apartment during the General Room Selection based on availability during your group’s assigned time slot.
Are rising juniors guaranteed singles?
  • Though they are eligible for single rooms, rising juniors (semester counters 5 & 6 in the Fall) are not guaranteed single rooms. 
  • We encourage rising juniors to build flexibility into their housing selection plans. 
    • Rising juniors SHOULD select a potential roommate in their housing application. A group leader for a group with two rising juniors can still select single rooms if they are available during their assigned room selection time slot. 
    • If a single is not available at the time of their room selection, the group leader will then be able to easily select an alternative space to fit their roommate group.
    • Without this flexibility, room selection can become stressful and rising juniors with no roommate group would only be able to select a partially open space if no single rooms are available during their time slot.
How do I participate in themed housing?
  • Keep an eye out for recruitment materials aimed at students interested in living in language learning corridors and houses, or themed blocking
  • Language learning communities include French House and Casa Cervantes, as well as language learning corridors to be housed in Freeman Hall. These could potentially include: Italian, Russian, German, East Asian Languages (Mandarin, Japanese, Korean), Arabic, and Hindi/Urdu. Reach out to the corresponding academic departments for more details. 
  • Students selected for or planning to live in a themed housing community will select that community when they complete their housing application. 
    • This will ensure participation in a themed-housing specific room selection. Students in each themed-housing community will select rooms within the predetermined themed housing location. 
    • Room-type eligibility by class year and seniority-based selection will still apply. 
  • Students with approved housing accommodations who plan to live in themed-housing should notify Student Housing to ensure the accommodation is guaranteed.
What do I need to do if I am hired as an ASC or member of Res Staff?
  • ASCs, RAs, and HPs are still responsible for completing the Housing Application and selecting their room in the Housing Portal (even though they will have a room number in advance. 
    • Students hired for these positions will note this in their Housing Application on the designated page. 
  • Room Selection for ASCs, RAs, and HPs will take place the same day as Themed Housing Room Selection. 
  • ASCs who are rising sophomores should create a roommate group if they have a specific roommate. During their Room Selection time slot, these ASCs will place themself and their roommate to their assigned room. 
  • RAs, HPs, and ASCs will not participate in blocking