Barnard students may live in eligible Columbia Greek & Special Interest Communities (SICs) or participate in the Columbia Lottery via the BC/CU Housing Exchange.
Barnard students cannot be "riders" (pull-ins) for RAs or ODS accommodations at Columbia.
Registration: Students must both register for Columbia Room Selection and submit the Barnard Room Selection Intent Form (selecting "Living at Columbia" as their category).
Barnard Cap for Columbia Lottery:
The number of Barnard students who can select in the CU Lottery may be capped if the number of Columbia students who registered for Barnard Room Selection is lower than the number of Barnard students who registered for Columbia Room Selection.
Barnard students who registered for the CU Lottery will be emailed after the Intent Form deadline to let them know if there will be a BC Cap for the CU Lottery.
Barnard students who register for the Columbia Lottery may select a backup room in the Barnard Lottery in case they are unable to choose at Columbia; however, they can only participate as an individual (i.e. cannot be part of a Lottery Group).
Eligibility:
Only students with a 400 Point Value may register for the CU Lottery.
Students with 200, 300, and 400 points may live in CU Greek & SICs
Assignments in Columbia housing are at the discretion of the Barnard Res Life and Columbia Housing office. Students may be reassigned to Barnard campus housing if necessary.
Billing & Contracts: Barnard students living at Columbia sign a Barnard Housing Agreement and are responsible for Barnard room rates and cancellation policies.
Future Eligibility: Participants remain eligible for Barnard Room Selection the following year, provided they do not cancel housing or take a leave of absence.
ℹ️ More info about Barnard students living in Columbia Housing
ℹ️ More info about Barnard students taking part in the Columbia Lottery
Eligible Columbia students may live at Barnard through a Barnard Lottery Group, as a pull-in for a Barnard RA, or as a pull-in for a Barnard student with CARDS Pre-Lottery accommodations.
Registration Steps for CU Students: Columbia students must complete both steps below to participate:
Register for Columbia Room Selection and indicate participation in the Barnard process.
Submit the Barnard Intent Form (selecting Barnard Lottery, RA Pull-In, or CARDS Pull-In as the category).
Columbia Housing will send a list of registered students to Barnard. CU students will be added to the Barnard Portal on the morning of Wednesday, March 4, 2026; they will not be able to log into the Barnard Portal before that date.
Billing: Columbia students living in Barnard housing are charged room rates set by Columbia, not Barnard.
Lottery Participation: CU students may not select in the Barnard Lottery as individuals; they must be part of a Group (see below for more information).
Assignments in Barnard housing are at the discretion of both the Barnard Res Life and the Columbia Housing offices. Students may be reassigned to Columbia campus housing as needed.
Groups including Columbia students must consist of 50% or more Barnard students.
Example: A 6-person group may have 1, 2, or 3 CU members, but not 4.
Point Values: The Point Values of Columbia members are included in the calculation of the Group Point Value.
Groups with male CU Members: Must have 4-6 members and must select an entire empty suite. Coed groups cannot select partial suites or corridor-style housing.
See below for information about the required Open Housing Form for coed groups
Groups with only female CU Members: May select an entire suite or rooms in the same suite. They cannot pick into multiple suites or corridor-style rooms (Hewitt, Sulz Tower, Elliott).
The BC/CU Housing Exchange functions by trading an equal number of beds between the two schools. Consequently, the number of Columbia students permitted to select a room in the Barnard Lottery is limited ("capped") to match the number of Barnard students permitted to live in Columbia housing.
How is the Cap Calculated: The specific number of Columbia students allowed to pick (the "Cap") is calculated by taking the total number of Barnard students with Columbia housing assignments and subtracting the number of Columbia students already assigned as pull-ins for Barnard RAs or CARDS accommodations.
Example If there are 20 Barnard students living in Columbia housing next year and 4 Columbia students are pull-ins for Barnard RAs or CARDS accommodations, the Cap will be 16 (20 - 4 = 16).
When is the Cap Calculated:
Only Barnard students with 400 point values may register for the CU Lottery. After those students' CU Lottery Selection Times have passed, we will know how many total BC students will have CU room assignments for next year, which will determine if there will be a Columbia Cap for the Barnard Lottery.
If the Cap is Reached: If more Columbia students register for the Barnard Lottery than the Cap allows, students will be emailed to let them know what the Cap is.
Tracking: Students can monitor the Selection Times Google Sheet during the Lottery to see how many Columbia students have already selected a room.
Cutoff: Once the Cap number has been reached, any remaining CU students will drop back to the Columbia Room Selection process. Groups will need to drop the Columbia member(s) from their group in order to select.
Open Housing Agreement Form (PDF)
Lottery groups with Columbia students may select a suite together regardless of gender identity.
ℹ️ More information about Columbia Open Housing
Requirements: All members of a coed group must sign and submit the Open Housing Agreement Form before their Selection Time.
Romantic Couples: Open Housing is highly discouraged for romantic couples, as room changes may not be possible if a breakup occurs.
Vacancy Policy for Open Housing: If a member of an Open Housing group cancels their housing or moves out:
The remaining residents must identify an eligible replacement to fill the vacancy within a specific window (typically between 24 hours and one week).
If a new roommate is not identified, the suite reverts to an all-women assignment. Any male Columbia students in the suite would be reassigned to a Columbia residence hall.
Assignments in Barnard housing are at the discretion of the Columbia Housing office. Students may be reassigned to Columbia campus housing if necessary, even if a replacement suite member is found.