We can’t wait to welcome you to your new home!
Columbia Housing provides undergraduate residential students with safe and comfortable accommodations and a friendly face if they have questions or concerns. Housing is responsible for maintaining the physical integrity, cleanliness, and operations of Columbia's 30-plus undergraduate residence halls.
Find details about your new home, learn what to bring, and familiarize yourself with the list of prohibited items. Only pack or ship the essentials for Check-In! Space in your room is limited. You can always shop for items after you've arrived.
Get to know the buildings where you and your classmates will live! You can also check out these video tours to see your building and a sample room.
Required: Your Occupancy Agreement
All residential students must sign their Occupancy Agreement via the Housing Portal by Saturday, Aug. 1. You will not be eligible to move in without a signed agreement. You should have received your assignment via email from Columbia Housing in late June. If you did not receive please check the Housing Portal or contact housing@columbia.edu.
The Guide to Living contains everything you need to know about life as a residential student. From information about hosting guests to the do’s and don'ts of room decorations, the guide is a collection of policies, procedures and services created by Columbia Housing and Residential Life in collaboration with campus partners.
It is important to understand and to comply with the policies and procedures in the guide in order to maintain your guaranteed housing status. Here are some links to get you started:
Tips for Community Living
Your experience at your residential hall community will depend in part on what you bring to it, so have an open mind and an eagerness to connect. You'll receive support from your resident adviser (RA), who will help everyone on your floor get to know one another and set agreements to create the ideal shared space. In the meantime, below are some tips for a successful transition to community living.
Get to know your neighbors. You need to know more than just the names and hometowns of the people living in your hall. Ask questions. Learn about everyone, not just those with whom you connect immediately. It helps to know about their prior experiences to understand their perspective.
Talk about your expectations and needs. While you might be tempted to keep these to yourself, thinking you don't want to “start off on the wrong foot,” we encourage you to speak up. Bothersome behavior won't change if your roommate/floormates are not aware of the impact it's having. Early on, your RA will ask you to complete a roommate agreement. Take the exercise seriously and be honest. Reach out to your roommate or neighbor directly if you have a conflict, but allow yourself time to calm down before doing so to ensure you are not interacting at the height of your emotional reaction.
Be reasonable with your requests. Living in a community is about shared expectations, not just your individual needs. Prior to living in a residence hall, you might have experienced silence at bedtime or a bathroom in impeccable condition at all times. Now, you might be among peers who aren’t as sensitive to noise as you are (or the opposite). If issues persist after connecting with your roommate or neighbor, you should consult your RA for assistance.
Each night an RA is on duty to provide after-hours support. If you have an urgent issues, the night RA can bring in other campus resources and professional staff to address individual and community issues as necessary.
Mail is coordinated by Columbia Mail and delivery is available only to undergraduate residents in Columbia Housing.
Your mailbox number is your UNI. Instructions for shipping mail and packages to campus will be provided by Mail and by Housing in mid-July.
Shipping Mail and Packages
Items received by Columbia Mail between Saturday, Aug. 1, and Saturday, Aug. 15, will be eligible for delivery directly to your room. Please do not send items before Saturday, Aug. 1. Items received after Saturday, Aug. 15, might be delivered to your room or might need to be picked-up at the Student Mail Center or a satellite location. You will be notified via email when a package is ready for pickup.
You must be available to receive special deliveries in person. Residence hall front desks cannot accept deliveries on your behalf. For complete information on shipping items to campus in advance of Check-In, visit Columbia Housing.
Residence halls are open throughout the academic year, including during all holiday breaks. See the Academic Calendar for upcoming dates, but note that some services during breaks are reduced. Students continuing their studies during the summer may also register for summer housing.
A number of staff and offices work together 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to ensure your safety on campus and in your residence hall. The safety team includes the professional on-call team, the RA on duty, staff at residence hall front desks, Columbia Public Safety, and Columbia University Emergency Medical Service (CU-EMS).
You can contact Public Safety any time by dialing 212-854-5555. Add this number to your phone contacts. If needed, Public Safety will contact CU-EMS or another ambulance service as well as appropriate Residential Life staff.
In non-urgent situations, residents may contact Public Safety or their RA directly. Public Safety is available 24/7/365; its non-emergency phone number is 212-854-2797.
With the exception of holidays and intersession periods, an RA is on duty in each residence hall between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. daily. RA on-duty contact information is posted at the building front desk or in the lobby. RA on-duty phone numbers are also posted on the Columbia Housing website.