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Morningside Campus Housing
University Apartment Housing, Office of Institutional Real
Estate
400 West 119th Street, Mail Code 8801, New York, NY 10027,
212-854-9300; fax: 212-749-8816; http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ire/
Columbia University owns and directly manages
approximately 5,700 residential units in 143 buildings in the immediate
vicinity of the Morningside campus. This housing is used primarily to house
faculty, staff, and students and is managed by University Apartment Housing
(UAH) of the Columbia Office of Institutional Real Estate, which manages all of
the University off-campus real estate properties.
Graduate students registered full-time in a degree program at the
Morningside campus may apply for University-owned housing in the Morningside neighborhood.
Students registered at the Columbia
Medical Center
should refer to the Health Sciences Housing information below. Teachers College
students should contact the Teachers College Housing Office.
Because Columbia
University has 11 schools
at its Morningside campus, with programs ranging in duration from nine months
to seven years, the number of UAH units that become empty and available for
occupancy varies each year. In early summer, the number of housing units
expected to be ready during or before registration is determined, and each
school is allocated a specific number of UAH spaces for its students. Each
school determines how best to use its allocations.
UAH consists of apartments and dormitory-style suites, all located within
walking distance of the campus. Housing is available to single students and, in
limited number, to couples and students with dependent children. Due to space
limitations, we are unable to provide housing to accommodate friends or
relatives other than, in limited numbers, dependent children and
spouses/partners of students, or to provide additional space to satisfy unusual
work or activity needs.
To be approved for UAH housing and to retain eligibility and remain in
residence, Ph.D. students must be registered full time in an Arts &
Sciences degree program at Columbia.
Eligibility for housing is granted for five years from the date of first
registration. However, Ph.D. students in the Arts and Sciences may be approved
for additional eligibility during the annual extension process in February.
Extensions are granted based on housing availability and students’ satisfactory
progress in the degree program.
In order to obtain housing in a University-owned building, a new student
must (1) satisfy certain eligibility criteria; (2) be approved for housing by
his or her school; and (3) follow the application procedures outlined in the
UAH brochure Housing for Graduate, Professional, and General Studies
Students for the current academic year and at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ire/.
Students are encouraged to file via the Internet, not by mail. Applications
should not be faxed. All applications must be approved by the appropriate
school no later than August 1 for the fall term, and January 1 for the spring
term. Students whose applications are received after this deadline are
automatically placed on the UAH waitlist. An application is specific to the
semester in which it is filed. Each semester, new waitlists are generated, and
each student who wishes to apply for housing must submit a new application.
Student tenants receive either standard New York City apartment leases, with some
modifications reflecting the relationship between the University and its
student tenants, or student housing contracts. With a few exceptions, leases
and contracts are renewable annually in June for the term of eligibility.
All student applications for housing must first be approved by each
student’s home school before UAH is permitted to offer housing. Inquiries
regarding approval of applications should be addressed to the housing liaison
in the student’s school, not to the UAH office. The UAH office will notify each
student upon approval of the application.
The UAH office is closed Saturdays, Sundays, and University holidays, and it
is not possible to sign a lease or move into an apartment at those times.
Leases/contracts must be signed by each prospective tenant in the presence of a
UAH employee at the UAH office, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30
p.m. Leases/contracts are not mailed or faxed; keys will not be provided, nor will
prospective tenants be permitted to move in before a lease is signed. Students
should plan travel arrangements to coincide with lease signing and move-in
date. Payment of the first month’s rent and a security deposit equal to the
first month’s rent must be made when students accept an apartment or unit. UAH
accepts money orders, cashier’s checks, certified checks, and traveler’s checks
(no international postal money orders, personal checks, cash, electronic
transfers, or credit cards are accepted). UAH expects that eligible students’
accommodations will be suitable for the duration of a student’s eligibility for
housing at Columbia.
However, should circumstances be such as to justify a transfer, students may
submit a transfer application. Because of the high volume of incoming students
for the fall and spring terms, and the time constraints involved in preparing
apartments for occupancy, applications to transfer are accepted only in
October, November, February, and March. Transfers are granted depending on unit
availability. Requests for transfers cannot be considered at other times of the
year except in some cases for transfers from one room to another within the
same apartment. Applications to transfer from an accommodation for a single
student to one suitable for couples cannot be approved during a student’s first
year in housing.
In the event that a school receives more applications for housing than its
allocation of UAH units, some students will be placed on the UAH waitlist.
These students will be notified by their school. Any continuing students who
apply for housing will be placed on the waitlist. Waitlist information and
activity are announced online at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ire/.
The waitlist is generated by the UAH office in August for the fall term and
in January for the spring term. Each student receives waitlist numbers based on
student status (new or continuing) and the date that UAH receives the
application.
Sign-ups for new students off the waitlist typically begin in mid-August. It
is the responsibility of each student to ascertain his or her position on the
waitlist and to monitor its movement. Movement of the waitlist depends on unit
availability. In accordance with availability, students are offered housing
until December 1 for the fall term and April 15 for the spring term. Each
semester, a new waitlist is generated, and each student must file a new application
online or at the UAH office. Housing is not guaranteed for those on the
waitlist.
A detailed description of waitlist procedures is available at the Web site http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ire/ and
at the UAH office.
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