Roommate Matching
Students are able to participate in any room selection process without matching with any roommates. Students who opt to select as an individual will not need to complete this step. For those who have desired roommates/suitemates, follow the below process to ensure you are successfully matched as a group prior to a room being selected.
Roommate Matching Dates and Deadlines
Students will need to match with roommate(s) once all students have a completed contract on file and before a room is selected. Both Returning Student Room Selection and First Year Room Selection allow for matched roommate groups up to 4 students.
Returning and Upperclass Students
The roommate selection process is available beginning December 2 and will remain open through the General Selection Process in March.
Incoming First Year Students
The roommate selection process is available beginning May 1 and will remain open through the General Selection Process in May.
Transfer Students
The roommate selection process is available beginning December 2 if matching with a returning student. If a transfer student wishes to be matched with an incoming first year student they can do so beginning May 1 when the first year roommate matching opens.
Roommate Restrictions
Due to hall configurations based on first year, second year, and upperclass standing, there are some restrictions on who students are able to match with as roommates.
If you are interested in matching with a roommate of a different legal sex, both you and your desired roommate will need to update your Personal Information section on the Housing Self-Service page to reflect an interest in Gender Inclusive Housing options.
Returning and Upperclass Students
Returning and upperclass students can match with each other and with transfer students whose housing contracts are finalized before room selection. However, there’s an exception for the master leased spaces (River Park, River's Edge, River Gate), which are exclusively available to returning students. Upperclass students who meet the residency requirement can choose off-campus housing independently, meaning they cannot be assigned to or pulled into Housing-managed spaces.
If a returning student would like to reside with an incoming first year student they should contact Housing and Residence Life at housing@ohio.edu for possible alternative options.
Incoming First Year Students
Incoming first year students can match with another incoming first year student and also a transfer student who has their housing contract finalized prior to selecting a room.
Transfer Students
Transfer students are able to match with each other for the Returning Student Room Selection process if they meet the returning student contract deadline. Transfer students can also match with returning and upperclass students as long as the transfer student has their housing contract finalized prior to a room being selected.
Transfer students will only receive a selection time in the Returning Student Room Selection Process if they meet the returning student contract deadline. Transfer students will not receive a time for the First Year Room Selection process even if they finalize their contract by the May 1 deadline. If a transfer student wishes to reside with an incoming first year student, the transfer student can match with an eligible first year student so they are pulled in during the first year student's selection time.
How to Add a Roommate
Below are steps on how to add a roommate via your Housing Self-Service page. Only roommates matched fully on Housing Self-Service will be able to be pulled in when a room is selected.
All students wishing to room together must have a finalized contract (with a paid deposit) to be searched for and added as a roommate.
Step 1
First, you will need to determine how many roommates you want to be matched with. You may request up to three roommates (making a matched group of 4 including yourself). You will need to have the roommate's full name when searching. If your requested roommate has a common name (i.e., Taylor Smith), it will be helpful to have the student's OHIO email address. Roommate requests must be mutual and matched PRIOR to selecting a room to be successful in the roommate selection process.
Only students who have finalized their housing contract (both completed and paid their deposit) will be able to be searched and matched with.
Step 2
To add your roommate(s), go to your Housing Self-Service page. Click on "Room Selection" and then choose "Add Your Roommate". You will also find any pending roommate requests on this page. Be sure to confirm or deny any pending requests. Remember, unmatched groups need to be resolved before the room selection process begins, or some students will not get pulled in during selection.
Helpful Hints and Tips
- If you are someone's roommate and they are eligible to select at an earlier selection date and time, that student will be selecting for you. However, it is still your responsibility to confirm that you were pulled into a room as expected. If you were not, you may select during your designated selection time independently from those that already selected.
- Some room selection processes require you to be member of that Experiential Living Opportunity to be pulled into certain rooms with their roommate. If you are not a part of Fine Arts or Honors programs or have not selected Gender Inclusive Housing, Substance Free, or Woman’s Leadership on your Housing Self Service then you will not be pulled into a room during their corresponding room selection processes
- Make any additions and changes to your roommate requests in advance of your room selection time. You can make additions and deletions during the scheduled time of your selection but using this valuable time when you could be selecting your room could result in another individual selecting the room that you wish to select.
- If you are unsure of who you want to room with for the upcoming year, consider using the advanced roommate searching tool on your Housing Self-Service page (returning students) or MyOHIORoomie (incoming first year students).
- During room selection, students will have the ability to divide roommate groups into “sub-groups” on the ‘Online Room Selection’ screen. This will provide the opportunity for the student selecting for the matched roommate group to break the group into sub-groups, to view options for rooms in the same hall without deleting the roommates, in the event there are no longer rooms that accommodate the current size of the group fully.