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Housing Lottery

Welcome to the Winthrop Housing Lottery for 2024-2025! Next year (Fall 2024-Spring 2025), we will continue to have suites available in Winthrop (Beren, Gore, and Standish) and Fairfax (1306 Mass Ave). The lottery process this year has been adjusted to assist with student preparation for selection days as Winthropians have expressed wanting to have more information to prepare for lottery. Note: THERE MAY BE SOME TWEAKS TO THIS PROCESS BEFORE THE LOTTERY OCCURS. This is our current best-effort description, but we may need to modify some parts of the process; thanks in advance for your patience and understanding.

The lottery process is designed to be as fair as possible to all Winthropians. Please read this information carefully BEFORE you ask questions. The House Administrator reserves the right to make clarifications (or corrections if there are typos/mistakes in the below rules) to the rules or changes in the interest of a fair process. Please send all questions to wi-ha@fas.harvard.edu.

The Winthrop Housing Lottery is just for rising Juniors and Seniors; housing assignments for incoming Sophomores are handled separately.

We understand that this is a stressful time of year and that this is an important process for Winthropians—although we have spent a lot of time to ensure the process is as fair as we can make it—the outcomes will not be ideal for every single person or rooming group. We encourage you to prioritize friendships over floorplans. At the end of the day, it’s people, not facilities that matter most. While we have great facilities, most importantly we have a great community! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to wi-ha@fas.harvard.edu. 

Overview of Process

This is a brief overview of the lottery process. Full details can be found below.

  • Every student completes Lottery Registration form
    • This form lets the House Administrator know whether you are participating in the lottery. Every rising Junior and rising Senior should complete it.
    • Due by 5 pm on Monday April 8th 
  • Students form rooming groups
    • When you have formed a rooming group, please fill in the appropriate rooming group form.
      • One rooming group form is for Rising Senior groups (i.e., groups where more than half of the students are eligible for "Senior Status": they will be Seniors in the Fall and have not previously used Senior Status).
      • One rooming group form is for Rising Juniors (i.e., rooming groups that are not Rising Senior groups)
    • Each rooming group should fill in only one form. Each student in the rooming group must be listed, and your rooming group size needs to match the number of students listed. 
  • Lottery rounds
    • Winthrop's Housing Lottery is held over several days. On each day, there are one or more "rounds". See below for the schedule of rounds.
    • Some rounds are restricted to Rising Seniors rooming groups, which are groups where more than half of the students are eligible for "Senior Status" (i.e., will be Seniors in the Fall and have not previously used Senior Status).
    • At the beginning of each round, the rooming groups that are participating in that round are put in a random order.
    • Each rooming group, in the assigned order, may choose space from the rooms/suites available in that round.
    • At the end of a round, if there are rooming groups that still need space, they can reconfigure for later rounds (on the same day or on later days).
  • Once a rooming group has selected space, no-one in the rooming group may participate in any later rounds. That is, once your space is assigned, you are finished in the lottery process.

Important Links

Schedule

Tue Apr 2

Floorplans are available online

Specific rooms/suites in each round announced. (except hallway singles)

 

Mon Apr 8 by 5 pm

Lottery Registration Form due (required)

 

Tue Apr 9 by  5 pm

Initial rooming group submissions are due (required)

 

Wed Apr 10 at 3 pm

  • 9-Person Suite (Rising Seniors only); at 3:00 pm

  • 8-Person Suite (Rising Seniors only); at 3:20 pm

  • 7-Person Suite (Rising Seniors only); at 3:40 pm

  • 6-Person Single-bedroom Suites (Rising Seniors only) at 5 pm

SCR

Thur Apr 11 at 3 pm

  • Beren Suites (Rising Seniors only) at 3 pm 

  • Fairfax Suites (Rising Seniors only) at 5 pm

SCR

Fri Apr 12 at 3 pm

  • Hallway Singles (Rising Seniors only) at 3 pm

  • 6-person suites (Rising Seniors only) at 5 pm

  • 5-person suites (Rising Seniors only) at 5:20 pm

  • 4-person suites (Rising Seniors only) at 5:30 pm

  • 3-person suites (Rising Seniors only) at 5:50 pm

  • 2-person suites (Rising Seniors only) at 6 pm

JCR

Mon Apr 15 at 3 pm

  • Remaining Hallway Singles

JCR

Wed Apr 17 at 3 pm

  • Remaining 6-person suites at 3:00 pm

  • Remaining 5-person suites at 3:10 pm

  • Remaining 4-person suites at 3:20 pm

  • Remaining 3-person suites at 3:50 pm

  • Remaining 2-person suites at 4:00 pm

  • Remaining Hallway Singles at 4:30 pm

JCR

*Suites and Rooms (*available spaces subject to change as this is a live list)

 

9-bed suite

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Beren

1&2

B202

2E

       

8-bed suite

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Standish

4&5

S420

4E

       

7-bed suite

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Gore

4&5

G420

4W

       

6-bed suites

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Standish

2

S223

2E

Standish

3

S323

3W

Gore

3

G323

3W

Gore

4

G423

4C

Gore

4&5

G430

4C

       

6-bed suites (3 shared bedrooms)

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Standish

1

S119

1E

Standish

2

S249

2E

Standish

3

S301

3W

Standish

3

S349

3E

Gore

1

G101

2W

Gore

2

G201

2W

Gore

2

G248

2E

Gore

3

G301

3W

Gore

3

G348

3W

Gore

4

G401

4W

Gore

4

G448

4E

       

5-bed suites

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Standish

1

S105

1W

Standish

2

S202

1W

Standish

4

S401

4E

Standish

4

S449

4E

Gore

2

G229

2C

Gore

4

G429

4C

       

4-bed suites

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Gore

2

G245

2E

Gore

3

G329

3W

Beren

2

B201

2E

Beren

2

B203

2E

Beren

3

B301

3E

Beren

3

B302

3E

Beren

4

B401

4E

Beren

4

B402

4E

Beren

4

B403

4E

       

4-bed suites: Mixed (2 singles & 1 shared

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Gore

3

G332

3W

Gore

4

G432

4C

       

2 shared bedrooms

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Standish

1

S108

1E

Standish

2

S245

2E

Standish

3

S303

3W

Standish

3

S324

3E

Standish

3

S345

3E

Gore

2

G204

2W

Gore

3

G304

3W

Gore

3

G320

3W

Gore

3

G345

3E

Gore

4

G404

4W

Gore

4

G445

4W

       

3-bed suites

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Standish

2

S220

1W

Gore

4

G401

4W

       

3-bed suites (3 mixed suites)

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Standish

2

S222

1W

Standish

2

S224

2E

Standish

3

S322

3W

       

2-bed suites

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Standish

1

S103

1W

Standish

2

S225

2E

Standish

3

S302

3W

Standish

3

S325

3E

Gore

2

G241

2E

Gore

3

G324

3W

Gore

3

G330

3W

Gore

3

G341

3E

Gore

4

G407

4W

Gore

4

G428

4C

Gore

4

G441

4E

       

2-bed (2 singles)

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Fairfax

2

FX-202

Fairfax 2

       

2-bed (shared)

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Fairfax

2

FX-204

Fairfax 2

Fairfax

2

FX-210

Fairfax 2

Fairfax

2

FX-211

Fairfax 2

Fairfax

3

FX-302

Fairfax 2

Fairfax

3

FX-304

Fairfax 2

Fairfax

3

FX-306

Fairfax 2

Fairfax

3

FX-309

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

3

FX-310

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

3

FX-311

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

4

FX-402

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

4

FX-404

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

4

FX-406

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

4

FX-410

Fairfax 5

Fairfax

4

FX-411

Fairfax 5

Fairfax

5

FX-502

Fairfax 5

Fairfax

5

FX-504

Fairfax 5

Fairfax

5

FX-510

Fairfax 5

Fairfax

5

FX-511

Fairfax 5

       

1-Person FX

     

Building

Floor

Suite

Entryway

Fairfax

2

FX-207

Fairfax 2

Fairfax

2

FX-208

Fairfax 2

Fairfax

3

FX-301

Fairfax 2

Fairfax

3

FX-303

Fairfax 2

Fairfax

3

FX-305

Fairfax 2

Fairfax

3

FX-307

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

3

FX-308

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

4

FX-401

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

4

FX-403

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

4

FX-405

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

4

FX-407

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

4

FX-408

Fairfax 4

Fairfax

5

FX-501

Fairfax 5

Fairfax

5

FX-503

Fairfax 5

Fairfax

5

FX-505

Fairfax 5

Fairfax

5

FX-506

Fairfax 5

Fairfax

5

FX-507

Fairfax 5

Fairfax

5

FX-508

Fairfax 5

 

Lottery Process

  1. Rooming groups.
    1. A rooming group is eligible to enter a lottery for suites that match their rooming group size.
    2. A rooming group is eligible to take part in "Rising Senior Only rounds if more than half of the rooming group is eligible for "Senior Status." See below for information about Senior Status eligibility.
    3. If a rooming group is unsuccessful in getting a suite that matches their group size, the rooming group can enter later lottery rounds, reconfiguring if needed. Because random numbers are assigned for each round immediately before the round begins, these reconfigured rooming groups are not at a disadvantage.
    4. All students must complete the Winthrop House Lottery Registration Form by April 5th
    5. Rooming groups (even single-person/1-person groups)  must provide an initial rooming group submission by the deadline. 
    6. Rooming groups should contain only rising Juniors and Seniors who completed the Returning Student Application (RSA) by February 5th. (Housing for incoming Sophomores is handled separately.) Only students who have a reservation for Fall 2024 and are listed as Winthrop Residents are eligible to participate/be listed in rooming groups.
      1. If your rooming group includes someone that is not a Rising Junior or a Rising Senior, or that did not complete an RSA, then the group will not be eligible for the lottery and will be assigned space in a separate process after the lottery.
  2. Suites.
    1. Many of Winthrop's suites and single rooms will be available during the lottery. Suites and rooms that are not taken during the Rising Senior Only rounds will be made available for the Rising Juniors. 
    2. Please see the list above for available suites
      1. Please note that this is a live list and may change throughout the lottery.
      2. Some rooms and suites will not be available in the lottery, as they are needed to handle accommodations and other housing needs.
  3. Suite/Room Selection.
    1. There are separate rounds for Rising Seniors. See the schedule above. 
    2. For each round, a rooming group participating in that round must have at least one member (or a proxy) present. Lottery orders will be randomized at the start of each round. (e.g. all rooming groups that lottery for the 6-person suites will be randomized and can select suites in that order).
    3. The lottery for suites proceeds as follows.
      1. Numbers are randomly assigned to each eligible rooming group immediately before the selection starts. 
      2. Selling or trading of random numbers is not permitted.
    4. Each rooming group, in ascending order, may take any of the available suites that are offered during that round and match their rooming group size. 
      1. A representative of the rooming group must be present.
        1. If a member of the rooming group is not able to be present they can elect a proxy. 
    5. A rooming group can choose to not take any available suite during that round (e.g. if they are not interested in any of the remaining suites that match their rooming group size).
    6. A rooming group that does not select a suite that matches their rooming group size can reconfigure and enter later lottery rounds. 
 

Senior Status Eligibility

  1. A rooming group is eligible to participate in  "Rising Seniors Only" rounds if at least half of the rooming group members are eligible for Senior Status.
  2. A student is eligible for Senior Status if (1) in the Fall semester they will be in their last or second-to-last semester (i.e., typically a first- or second-semester Senior) and (2) they have not previously used Senior Status.
  3. If a rooming group successfully participates in a "Rising Seniors Only" round, then all members of the rooming group have used their Senior Status. This means that all members of the rooming group will not be eligible for Senior Status in the following year.
  4. For any exceptional cases, the House Administrator makes the final decision on whether a student is eligible for Senior Status.

 

 

Notes

Eligibility for the lottery: Most continuing students in the House are automatically eligible for housing next year, as are Round I Inter-house Transfers. However, students returning from a leave of absence (LOA) or off-campus housing must have already filed a Returning Student Application (RSA) with the Dean of Students Office by the February 5th deadline. If you missed the deadline, you can be added to the space-available waiting list, but you are not guaranteed on-campus housing and are therefore not eligible to participate in the lottery.

DAO Housing Accommodations: Some students receive accommodations from the Disability Access Office that limit the rooms or suites that students may live in. If you have housing accommodations, please reach out to the House Administrator for more information about suitable rooms and suites and how that affects the housing lottery process.