Fall on-campus undergraduate housing form opens
Undergraduates must indicate housing preferences by July 27
The Fall 2020 Housing Intent and Preference Form for undergraduates invited to return to campus will be available July 15–27 through the MyHousing portal. The form asks students to indicate their housing intentions for the fall, their residence hall and rooming preferences, and their preferred move-in date and time.
MIT announced July 7 that all rising seniors will be invited to campus in the fall. Incoming first years, sophomores, and juniors may apply to live in on-campus housing in the fall through the Student Housing Assistance Review Process.
Due to public health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, only students who live on campus will have access to campus buildings and facilities.
Rich Hilton, director of house operations for Housing and Residential Services (HRS), wrote in an email to rising seniors July 14 that “while HRS will make every effort to assign students to one of their top residence hall preferences, there is a possibility that a student may receive an assignment in any of the available residences based on space availability.”
MIT announced June 17 that all undergraduates living on campus will be housed in single rooms for physical distancing, resulting in lower-than-normal capacity. However, all students will be charged the double-room rate for their residence hall, according to an FAQ on the Division of Student Life (DSL) website.
All undergraduate residence halls except Burton Conner and New Vassar are listed on the form. However, Hilton wrote that “MIT may decide to operate fewer residences than a traditional academic year depending on students' housing preferences, building capacity and operational considerations.”
Hilton wrote that groups of up to six students who would like to live in the same residence hall may enter the names of the students in their group in the form. Undergraduate Room Assignment Chairs (RACs) will use students’ residence hall and group selection preferences to “facilitate individual room assignments.”
MIT’s COVID-19 housing policies and community expectations will be updated to include “required COVID-19 testing, physical distancing practices and the use of face coverings in residential common areas, as well as restrictions on campus activities,” Hilton wrote.
The FAQ writes that kitchens in cook-for-yourself undergraduate residences will be closed “for everyday use,” but students may reserve a floor kitchen for special occasions “such as baking someone a birthday cake.” Students who use kitchens must “complete a food safety and physical distancing training course.” Cleaning workers will sanitize kitchens and communal cookware before each use.
The FAQ writes that all undergraduates on campus “will be required to purchase a 14-meal-per-week meal plan.” However, undergraduates on campus will be given a $1,300 COVID-19 subsidy for dining, decreasing the cost from $3,200 to $1,900. The dining allowance in students’ financial aid calculations will be $2,500.
Dining service “will be a combination of take-out and sit-down, depending on availability of seating in the residential dining halls, the Student Center’s Lobdell Dining Hall, and some house common spaces.” Students in dining halls must “maintain proper physical distancing and wear face coverings except while at their tables,” the FAQ writes. Students will be able to pre-order meals and reserve a table using an app.
TechMart, LaVerde’s, and “several retail eateries across campus” are expected to be open, the FAQ writes.
Hilton wrote that students should expect to move into on-campus housing Aug. 29 or Aug. 30. Additional information about moving in and housing policies will be released “by the end of July.”
Hilton wrote that the fall housing process was developed in collaboration with the Dormitory Council, RACs, Heads of House, and DSL.
Students can email housing-related questions to ughousingfall2020@mit.edu.