Housing University Apartment Housing Off-Campus Housing Assistance Office (OCHA)

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 primarily used 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’s 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 Medical Center campus 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, UAH is 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 eligible to receive housing and remain in residence, students must be registered full time in a graduate degree program at Columbia.

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, also available 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 will automatically be placed on the UAH waitlist. An application is specific only to the semester in which it was 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 will not be mailed or faxed; keys will not be mailed. 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, a student 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 their occupancy, applications to transfer are accepted only during the months of 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 a couple will not 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 a waitlist number based on 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 the movement of the waitlist. Movement of the waitlist is dependent upon unit availability. In accordance with availability, students will be 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.