Students are assigned a Point Value based on seniority so that students graduating earlier receive higher Point Values (and select first). Point Values are assigned based on Graduation Year:
400 Points: Students graduating in Feb or May 2027 (Rising-Seniors)
300 Points: Students graduating in Feb or May 2028 (Rising-Juniors)
200 Points: Students graduating in Feb or May 2029 (Rising-Sophomores)
First Year Students: Students who started as First Year students in Fall 2025 will automatically be assigned 200 points. They cannot be assigned 300 points based on transfer credits (AP, IB, etc).
Mid-Year Graduates: Students graduating mid-year are considered "February" graduates. For example, students graduating after the Fall 2027 semester are Feb 2028 graduates and will be assigned 300 points (not 400).
Students can only be classified with 400 points ONCE during their time at Barnard.
Students who participate in Room Selection with 400 points but do not graduate will only be able to return to campus housing through the Guaranteed List (assigned over the summer). They may not take part in the Lottery again.
Students assigned 400 points who are not planning to graduate in 2027 should email RoomSelection@barnard.edu and ask to be switched to 300 points and update their graduation date in Slate (see below).
For groups, the Point Value is the average of all members (including any Columbia students).
Example: A 4-person group where each member has 300 individual points would have a Group Point Value of 300.
Mixed Point Groups are groups containing students with different Individual Point Values. The group's Point Value will fall between groups whose members all have the same Point Value.
Scenario A: 400 & 300 Points
Example: A 4-person group with two 400-point members and two 300-point members would have a Group Point Value of 350 (400+400+300+300 / 4).
Result: This group selects during the 300+ Point Lottery, but ahead of pure 300-point groups.
Scenario B: The 200-Point Rule
Any group containing a member with 200 points will not select until the 200+ Point Lottery (so that individuals with 400 & 300 points get to pick first).
Example: A 4-person group with three 400-point members and one 200-point member will have a Group Point Value of 350 (400+400+400+200 / 4).
Result: Although the Group Point Value is > 300, this group would select at the beginning of the 200+ Point Lottery because one of the group members only has 200 points.
ℹ️ For information about the selection limitations for Mixed Point Groups, please visit GROUPS and scroll down.
Students may verify their individual Point Values starting in February on the Housing Portal.
Update Deadline: Students who need to update their projected graduation date (to update their Point Value) must submit the "Change of Anticipated Degree Date" form on Slate by Friday, February 27, 2026.
Processing: Changes to Point Values may take several days before appearing on the Housing Portal. The Registrar will only update graduation dates based on students' number of earned credits.