Housing Selection

Housing Selection Overview

For the 2026-2027 academic year, students will be selecting rooms through our Housing.Cloud housing software.

Step 1: Sign your Housing Contract starting Monday 2/16/26. The form will be available on this page with instructions and FAQs.

Step 2: Match with your roommate(s) and finalize your roommate group (if applicable) before Housing Selection begins in late March (See below).

Step 3: Select your Housing. Rising Juniors and Seniors select Tuesday, March 24, 2026 and Rising Sophomore select Thursday, March 26, 2026

Housing.Cloud has a lot of great resources and how to guides on how to complete an application, sign a contract, how to join or form a roommate group, and how to select a room. These are great resources in case you have questions on how to navigate your Housing.Cloud portal. The link to the larger portal can be found at this Housing.Cloud Zendesk website. Please also use our Housing Selection 26 Info/FAQ doc to see any live updates about events or other important FAQ regarding housing selection.

The Three Steps of Housing Selection 2026-27

Step 1 – Complete Housing Contract (Coming 2/16/26)

• Go to 1600grand.macalester.edu > My Housing and Dining > Housing and Dining Self Service.
• Selecting a space during the draw requires that you have already signed the Housing Contract. This commits you to live on campus and pay the associated room and board costs. Accepting a space in a Living Learning Community also requires that you sign the contract and commits you to that space and to pay the associated room and board costs. Please read and review the contract for full terms and more information.
• Rising sophomores are required to live on campus, accept the Housing Contract, and pay the associated room and board costs.
• Please visit Housing.Cloud Zendesk article: Completing a Housing Application, for students to get photo guides on how to complete the Housing Contract. Please also use our Housing Selection 26 Info/FAQ doc to see any live updates about events or other important FAQ regarding housing selection.

Step 2 – Roommate Matching (Coming 2/16/26)

• Go to 1600grand.macalester.edu > My Housing and Dining > Housing and Dining Self Service.
• Select Find a Roommate. If you are looking for a roommate, please consider completing the Roommate Questionnaire and make your questionnaire public!
• Once you know your roommate group, please select Create Roommate Group. For more information, please check out the form a roommate group article. 
• Matching will remain open throughout each selection so students may match and remove matches to meet the required number of students for a particular room, suite, or apartment. You will only see spaces that align with the number of people you are matched with. If you see and select a room with more spaces than the # of people in your roommate group, the remaining bedspace(s) are still open and anyone can select them. You will NOT have the bedspace as an extra, empty bedspace.
• Contact [email protected] at least one business day before the draw if you need help in completing your matches!

Step 3 – Select a Room (One person will select per roommate group) (March 24th for Rising Juniors & Seniors and March 26th for Rising Sophomores )

• Before selection, designate ONE person from your group to be the group leader. The group leader will be the only member of the roommate group able to select the space and assign individuals to the rooms within a suite. Only groups with ALL members having approved housing application before selection can select a room.
• Each selection period will go from 11:30am CST to 2:30pm CST on the day of the selection period. At the start of the draw or anytime during the draw, go to 1600grand.macalester.edu > My Housing and Dining > Housing and Dining Self Service. Click Room in the navigation panel to access room selection options.
• You will be able to preview the available rooms prior to Selection (date TBD). Click Room Selection from the left side bar and then click Select a Room/Suite. Each room will have a card providing key information to help guide your selection. Along with the room number and building name, you’ll see details such as the number of available beds and any special designations. If you want to revisit a room later, use the star icon to mark it as a favorite. Only spaces that equal the number in your matched group will appear. Filter by room or suite to adjust the display of available housing options. Suites contain multiple rooms, making it easier for roommate groups to view and select spaces that accommodate their entire group.
• During the selection window, click on a room card to view room details. Click Book this Room to proceed with your chosen option. Click Confirm to finalize your selection. After confirming your selection, your room assignment appears in your profile under Residency. You can view details about roommates assigned to the same room.
• Room selections are final. If you need to change your room after selecting, please reach out to [email protected]. We cannot guarantee a new room but will work to find a space that best fits your needs depending on what is available.
• Rooms are first-come, first-served. If another student selects the room before you confirm, you’ll receive a notification that it is no longer available or it will no longer show up.
• Eligibility rules may apply. Some rooms may be restricted based on specific requirements, such as class standing, program participation, or other housing policies.
• Language and specialty housing assignments are filled before Housing Selection. This application closed February 5th, 2026. If interested, please reach out to [email protected] to learn if any LLCs are still looking to place students at this time.
• Mixed gender doubles, triples, quads, and suites are permitted.

Housing Selection Schedule

Selection Type: Living Learning Communities
Apply By: Apply to Living Learning Communities by February 5th, 2026. After deadline, please reach out to [email protected] if still interested in an LLC to learn if any LLCs are still looking to place students at this time.
Placement: All students who are placed in Specialty Housing will be informed on March 10th, 2026. Students offered LLC placements must accept or decline this placement by March 13th, 2026. Students who decline placement will still be able to participate in general Housing Selection on March 24/26th..

Selection Type: Accommodations (both CDR & CSRL)
Apply by: reaching out to [email protected] or through their page. For religious accommodations, reach out to [email protected]. The deadline for reaching out for accommodations for 2026-27 Housing is February 27th, 2026.

Selection Type: Rising Juniors & Seniors (Including Returning from Leave of Absence & Spring 26 Study Away students)
Apply By: Sign contract prior to Housing Selection.
Placement: Selection Date is March 24, 2026 from 11:30am-2:30pm CST

Selection Type: Rising Sophomores (Including Returning from Leave of Absence & Spring 26 Study Away students)
Apply By: Sign contract prior to Housing Selection.
Placement: Selection Date is March 26, 2026 from 11:30am-2:30pm CST

Spring 2027-only Housing

Housing Selection is only available to students living on campus for the full academic year (Fall – Spring) or for Fall 26-only students. If you are looking for housing for the Spring 26 semester, please still sign the semester-only contract for Spring 2027 and please reach out to Residential Life at [email protected] by mid-Fall 26 semester. Spring-only placements will be made once we know our expected availability.

If you’re unsure about housing on-campus, but interested being put on the waitlist to hear about the spaces we have available after selection, reach out to Residential Life at [email protected]. As we move through housing assignments, we may contact you (via Macalester email) with more information about the waitlist or about housing assignments.

Resources

Language and Specialty Houses

Living Learning Communities are available on our website. The application for 2026-2027 is closed, but this is information will aid in you knowing available options for the next academic year. For those still interested in LLC spaces for 2026-27, please reach out to [email protected] to learn if any LLCs are still looking to place students at this time.

Hall Pages

All of our Residence Halls have a dedicated webpage where you can learn more about the hall, view blueprints, and see who the Residence Hall Director is.

Room Tours

Please watch our Virtual Room Tour Video to see a variety of rooms available and further details about each. We also have 360 degree virtual tours of many types of our residence hall rooms.

Off Campus Living

Living off campus is a popular option for many Macalester juniors and seniors. Our St. Paul neighborhood provides a wealth of rental opportunities within a short walk of campus. As with many decisions, living off campus brings a host of freedoms and responsibilities. The college is committed to educating students to make informed choices, and be accountable for themselves as they interact in the surrounding neighborhood.

Find more information about Off Campus Living here.

Housing Selection Events

Roommate Mixer 2/17/26
Meet us in Carnegie 05 from 5pm – 8pm on Tuesday, February 17th for snacks, games and activities! Students can meet new people, friends, or maybe a roommate for next year! Feel free to drop in at any time.

Check us out on our instagram to learn more about events we are hosting!