You are here: American University Student Affairs Housing & Residence Life First-Year Students
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Main Office (Anderson Hall):
Mon-Fri: 9 AM-5 PM;
Sat-Sun: Closed;
Anderson, Room 1st Floor Anderson on a map
Housing & Residence Life 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016-8101 United StatesWelcome to AU! While the priority deadline has passed, we encourage students interested in housing to submit their 2024-2025 application as soon as possible.
First-Year Students
On this page you'll learn the 3 simple steps to find your Home at AU for the 2024-2025 academic year.
On-campus housing is in high demand, so it is important that students submit their enrollment and housing deposits to the Office of Admissions as soon as possible to secure a space. If you have any questions regarding the deposit process, please contact the Office of Admissions through undergraduatedeposits@american.edu.
Watch the recorded Incoming Students Selection Webinar here!
Your 3 Steps to Your Home at AU!
Step 1: Applying
The housing application will open at noon on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 for students who have already submitted a housing deposit with AU Admissions. You can apply through the AU Housing Portal. The application allows students to complete their Roommate Matching Questions and review and agree to the Housing License Agreement (HLA).
The housing application priority deadline for first-year students is Tuesday, May 7 at 11:59 PM. Students who apply after the priority deadline will recieve a selection timeslot at the end of the process.
Step 2: Choosing my roommate(s)
Roommate matching begins at noon on Monday, May 13, 2024. You can match with 1-3 rommmates through the AU Housing Portal. The vast majority of available first-year rooms are traditional double rooms. Traditional triples (3 students) and Centennial Suites (4 students) are limited and will fill quickly.
You'll have the option to match with someone you know or search for a potential roommate using the roommate profile questions collected in Step 1. If you are part of a Special Housing Community or you are participating in All-Gender Housing, you will only be able to view and match with others with the same status. Watch this video we made that walks you through the process!
Step 3: Selecting my Home at AU
You will select your Home at AU in early June. You'll be assigned a timeslot (the time you can begin to select your room) between June 3-June 11, 2024. The earliest timeslots are given to Early Decision students and then all regular decision students are randomly assigned a timeslot. Students will receive their timeslot for selection on Thursday, May 16, 2024.
Using the AU Housing Portal, you'll select a room when your timeslot begins and must select a space by noon on Wednesday, June 12. Students who don't select by this date will automatically be assigned a space by Housing & Residence Life.
We'll share more about this exciting last step as we get closer. As you select, you'll be able to search for available rooms based on building and room-type (traditional or suite-style) and you can learn about your roommate(s) through the system so you can reach out and connect in advance.
Emails
A copy of each email sent to first-year students will be shared here.
Key Dates
Applications open: April 2 at 12:00PM noon
Complete the three steps of the ASAC Process (optional): May 7
Complete the Gender Based Consideration Form (optional): May 7
Priority Housing Applications Due: May 7 at 11:59 PM
Roommate Grouping begins: May 13 at 12:00PM noon
Selection Timeslots Announced: May 16 at 12:00PM noon
Room selection timeslots begin: June 3 - June 11
Room self-selection or self-change closes: June 20 at 11:59pm
Housing Charges added to Eagle Service: Late June
Where will I live?
The first-year residential community is housed across Anderson, Centennial, Hughes, Letts, McDowell and Roper Halls. Each student has a community classification, which is visible to them in AU Housing Portal. Based on your community classification, you can expect to select your room in the hall below during room selection in June of 2024. You can explore each hall through a Virtual Tour, view photographs, and learn about amenities available to you on our Residence Hall webpage.
Community Assignments Across Halls
Community | Residence Hall(s) & Floor(s) |
---|---|
General Population FY | Anderson, Centennial, Hughes, Letts, McDowell, Roper |
All-Female Housing | Hughes Floor(s) |
Black Affinity Housing | Roper Hall |
Community Based Research Scholars | Anderson Floor 3 |
Honors |
Anderson Floor 3 |
3-year Scholars | Letts Floor 6 |
Anderson (Cohorts D,E & F) Letts (Cohorts A & C) Hughes (Cohorts B & G) |
|
Lincoln Scholars | Hughes |
- If you're not part of a special community listed above, you will be able to select from any available space when your timeslot begins across all First-Year buildings.
- What about Centennial Hall? We want to provide you realistic expectations about Centennial Hall (the only suite-style hall available to First-Year students). All students should expect to reside in a traditional residence hall (Anderson, Letts, Hughes, McDowell or Roper). For the '24-'25 year, two of the six floors in Centennial will house sophomore students. Given this, a limited number of suite-style rooms will be available to first-year students. Housing & Residence Life expect all spaces in Centennial will be selected by Early Decision students. However, not all Early Decision students should expect to reside in Centennial based on special community membership and anticipated demand for the hall.
- If you have an accommodation through ASAC or CDI, you can live across any of our halls. If you are part of a special housing community (ex. LLC or Black Affinity Housing) and your accommodation can't be met on the floor assigned to your community, you will be assigned a space nearby that meets your need.