Gettysburg College offers a wide variety of housing options. The housing selection process is designed to help students select housing for the following year. There are many details to consider, therefore we ask that you read this information carefully and familiarize yourself with the processes, policies, and housing options available to you.
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The following processes occur before the online housing selection lottery
Click on a process name to find out more details about that process.
Students who have a disability and wish to request medically-necessary housing accommodations will find more details on the
student accessibility webpage. Although accommodation requests are received and evaluated on a rolling basis, students with NEW housing accommodation needs for 2025-2026 will be best served by completing their requests by March 21. After requests are approved, Residential Education will work with students through the housing selection process to meet their approved needs. Questions about this process can be directed to Dean Theresa Hoover, Center for Student Success.
Beginning the week of March 3 - The Center for Student Success will contact students with existing accommodations to confirm their status for 2025-2026
Friday, March 21 - NEW housing accommodations requests for Fall 2025 are due to the Center for Student Success (CUB 280). Requests received after this date will not be processed until after April 27.
Beginning Monday, April 7 - students with approved accommodations who have not yet secured housing for the Fall 2025 semester will be contacted by Residential Education.
Friday, February 14 - off-campus housing application opens to all eligible students
Saturday, March 1 at 5:00 p.m. - off-campus application closes to all eligible students
Friday, March 7 - off-campus housing decisions made and communicated to applicants via email and waitlist established for those not approved to live off-campus
Friday, March 14 - off-campus acceptance and relinquish forms due to the Office of Residential Education
Monday, March 3 - College House online application opens
Friday, March 21 - Saturday, March 29 - College House recruitment events
Wednesday, March 26, 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., Stine Lake - College House Recruitment Fair (rain location: CUB Junction)
Sunday, March 30 at 5:00 p.m. - College House online application closes. Students will hear about their status as early as March 31, but likely not until April 1.
Wednesday, April 2 - final College House room rosters due to the Office of Residential Education
Friday, March 1 - CGE application deadline for fall semester or academic year programs
Thursday, April 24 by 5:00 p.m. - Fall 2025 abroad students must communicate to CGE if they no longer plan to study abroad so that they can be included in the online housing selection process
This section details all you need to know about Online Housing Selection.
Please note the following:
Students are expected to be good-faith participants in all housing selection processes. Any student who attempts to manipulate or “game” the on-campus or off-campus housing processes for personal gain may be removed from housing obtained through the process. This includes, but is not limited to, using one’s on-campus housing lottery number to get more preferred housing for underclass students who you do not intend to physically reside with on campus and/or exchanging more preferred housing for personal or monetary gain. If a student or group of students is found responsible for this behavior, they will not be permitted to live off campus, and if previously approved, their exemption from the residency requirement will be revoked, requiring them to live on and pay for campus housing. Students who benefited from the manipulation of the on-campus housing process will be removed from the housing obtained through this manipulation and be assigned housing through completion of the Fall Housing Preference Form after the online housing lottery process occurs.
Lottery numbers and times will be available online on Monday, April 21 for current juniors, sophomores, and first-year students
Lottery numbers are assigned by expected graduation term (not credits):
Juniors (rising seniors): random lottery number assignment within the rising senior class
Sophomores (rising juniors): students are assigned into housing groups based on Sophomore Success Program participation. Within each group, lottery numbers are assigned randomly.
First-Years (rising sophomores): students are assigned into housing groups based on First-Year Residential Experience participation. Within each group, lottery numbers are assigned randomly.
Please verify your expected graduation date by checking this information on CNAV/MyHousing. Any junior or sophomore anticipating changing their graduation date must contact the Center for Student Success to petition and complete the approval process by Wednesday, April 9.
There is no differentiation between first and second semester standing in regard to class year designations. Please see the table below:
CLASS YEAR DESIGNATION
EXPECTED GRADUATION TERM
Junior
Fall 2025 – Spring 2026 – Fall 2026
Sophomore
Spring 2027 – Fall 2027
First-Year
Spring 2028 – Fall 2028
All lottery numbers are comprised of four digits. The first digit represents class year designation: 1=junior, 2=sophomore, 3=first-year. The remaining three digits represent the student's lottery number within their class year. Here are some examples: if a student has lottery number 2157, then this student is a sophomore with lottery number 157. If a student has lottery number 3028, then this student is a first-year student with lottery number 28.
Every first-year student has had the opportunity to participate in the FYRE program which consists of 10 total sessions consisting of community meetings and G-Chats. Student attendance at these sessions is tracked throughout the program to encourage engagement in the Gettysburg community. The number of sessions that first-year students have attended contributes to determining their housing lottery number.
The FYRE attendance expectation (and its impact on your housing lottery number) is designed to reflect the fact that Gettysburg College values engagement and personal accountability. The more engaged students choose to be, the greater the potential reward. In terms of FYRE, the rewards are both intangible, such as becoming better integrated into the community and more deeply immersed in meaningful experiences, and tangible, like earning the opportunity to select housing earlier in the lottery process. At Gettysburg, housing is guaranteed for everyone, but where students are housed depends on various factors, including level of participation in the FYRE.
Here's how it works: There are a total of 10 possible First-Year Residential Experience (FYRE) sessions which consists of monthly community meetings and G-Chats (one per semester). The more sessions students attend (up to 10), the more options they will have for their housing for next year. Rising sophomores will be grouped based on FYRE credits earned. Lottery numbers will then be generated at random within each group. The exact grouping breakdown will be available after the completion of the FYRE program in mid-April.
Students should be monitoring their own FYRE attendance via the engageGettysburg app or website. Please note that we are no longer accepting credit appeals for events that took place during the Fall semester. The last day to appeal if there are any discrepancies for spring events is Wednesday, April 16. Questions and appeals should be sent to Residential Education.
First-Year Residential Experience and Lottery Number Timeline:
Monday, April 14 at 10:00 p.m. April Community Meeting
Wednesday, April 16 First-Year Residential Experience Program officially ends
Wednesday, April 16 by 5:00 p.m. Last day to appeal First-Year Residential Experience attendance record (spring semester events only)
Monday, April 21 Lottery numbers and times posted to CNAV/MyHousing Students begin selecting roommates online for online housing selection
Sunday, April 27 Online housing selection
The Sophomore Success Program (SSP) is designed to help sophomore students get connected to their faculty advisors and Community Advisor. Through this program, we hope to support students in need as they navigate their second year of college. This program is comprised of eight events, which will be tied to sophomores' housing for their junior year:
Second Year Kick-Off Module (available in EngageGettysburg)
Academic Planning (Faculty Advisor card due to ResEd by Friday, December 13)
Sophomore Career Check-In (due Monday, September 9 – Wednesday, April 9)
One-on-one G-Chat conversation with a Community Advisor during the fall semester (due Friday, September 20 – Sunday, November 24)
One-on-one G-Chat conversation with a Community Advisor during the spring semester (due Monday, February 3 – Friday, April 11)
Fall Semester Wellness Module (Available in EngageGettysburg Monday, November 11 - Sunday, November 17)
Spring Semester Wellness Module (Available in EngageGettysburg Monday, March 24 - Sunday, March 30)
Sophomore Tradition Event (takes place during the Spring semester)
Here's how it works: Lottery numbers for sophomore students who are rising juniors are created based on credits gained through the SSP . The lowest (best) lottery numbers will begin with bracket 1 which includes all students who completed eight credits. Random generation of lottery numbers will occur within this bracket. The second bracket will include all students who have completed seven credits, and those students will have their lottery numbers randomly generated within that bracket. This pattern will continue for students who have six, five, four, three, two, one, and 0 credits.
SSP attendance breakdown:
Bracket #1 (8 SSP credits)
Bracket #2 (7 SSP credits)
Bracket #3 (6 SSP credits)
Bracket #4 (5 SSP credits)
Bracket #5 (4 SSP credits)
Bracket #6 (3 SSP credits)
Bracket #7 (2 SSP credits)
Bracket #8 (1 SSP credit)
Bracket #9 (0 SSP credits)
Students should be monitoring their own SSP attendance via the engageGettysburg app or website. The final deadline to complete all of your required credits is Wednesday, April 16. The last day to appeal if there are any discrepancies for attendance is also Wednesday, April 16. Questions and appeals should be sent to Nicole Bauer.
One of the benefits of the online housing selection process is that students can select housing from the comfort of their residence hall room, from a computer while studying abroad/off-campus, or anywhere else you can access Gettysburg College's CNAV system.
With the online housing system, students will need to pre-select each other as roommates prior to selecting a room or apartment (instructions regarding this part of the process will be available the week of April 15). Students can choose to live with peers of a different class year and of different genders.
The timeline for online housing selection can be found below; this includes when students can begin selecting roommates. When students select roommates, the online housing selection system will confirm that all roommates have selected one another; students will then be identified as a group. Only the student with the lowest (best) lottery number and earliest lottery time will be able to select housing for the group via the online housing selection system.
Timeline for Online Housing Selection:
Current Juniors (anticipated graduation date of Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Fall 2026) Current Sophomores (anticipated graduation date of Spring 2027 or Fall 2027) Current First-Year Students (anticipated graduation date of Spring 2028 or Fall 2028)
Monday, April 21: Individual lottery numbers and lottery times are posted on CNAV/MyHousing Students begin selecting roommates on CNAV/MyHousing
Sunday, April 27: Current Juniors: housing selection begins (time TBD) Current Sophomores: housing selection begins immediately after juniors select housing Current First-Years: housing selection begins immediately after sophomores select housing
Currently enrolled students who are having trouble finding a roommate can utilize the "Seeking Roommate Interest Form." This form will be used to generate a list of students who are seeking a roommate for next year. Students who complete this form agree to share their submitted information with other students who are also seeking a roommate. The list of students who complete the form will be shared with everyone who completes the form.
During online housing selection, if the person in a group with the lowest (best) lottery number cannot select housing for their group at their assigned time (due to an athletic event, academic class, studying abroad), they must designate a proxy to select housing for the group. To do so, they must email Andy Hileman by Thursday, April 24. Proxy requests cannot wait until the time of selection. Please plan accordingly.
Fall Housing Preference forms are used for students who did not receive their first choice in housing accommodations or who do not select housing through any of the housing selection processes. All full-time students are guaranteed housing for all four years at Gettysburg but some students may leave campus in May not knowing where they will be living in the fall. This situation occurs each year because in the spring we assign housing to upperclass students who in the summer decide to take leaves of absence, withdraw, or transfer. Students who do not select housing will be required to complete an Online Fall Housing Preference Form.
As spaces become available housing is assigned using the information collected on the housing preference forms that students submitted. Please note that this process occurs throughout June and students who departed campus in May without a housing assignment will be notified of their housing by July 31.
Preference forms are placed in class year/lottery number order.
Students are permitted to be on more than one preference form.
On Monday, April 28, Fall Housing Preference forms will be available to any current junior, sophomore, or first-year student and will be due no later than Friday, May 23.
Groups are encouraged to designate a contact person who will serve as the representative for your group. Residential Education will contact your group's representative when an offer for a change in your housing becomes available. All students who are part of your group on the preference form MUST individually accept the offer via email.
Things to Think About When Considering Your Housing Options
All rooms/apartments MUST be filled to capacity during the online housing selection process. This means that if you want to select a double room, you must have a roommate in order to select a double room.
Residential Education will notify you if a vacancy should occur prior to July 1 to discuss the potential options to fill the vacancy. We strongly encourage roommates and groups to be responsible for maintaining communication among each other regarding changes to their room/apartment occupancy over the summer.
If a vacancy occurs in a room or apartment after July 1, the Office of Residential Education may use our discretion to assign you a new roommate without prior notification.
To help students review housing options, floor plans for all residence halls are available online through CNAV/MyHousing.
Also, room amenity information is available on the Office of Residential Education
website. This information includes availability of gender-neutral bathrooms within residential properties.
The vast majority of singles on campus are located within college houses, suites, and apartments. We have a very limited number of stand-alone singles; (e.g. singles that are located in Musselman Hall
or Lahm Hall) that can be selected through the online housing selection process. The stand-alone singles that we do have are usually selected early in the online housing selection process. Students pursuing this option should have alternative housing options in mind in case they are unable to acquire a single room. A wait list is maintained in the Office
of Residential Education for single rooms, but there is no guarantee that singles will become available.
During the housing selection process, students may choose to live in gender-inclusive housing. This policy allows two or more students to share a multiple-occupancy bedroom, suite, or apartment regardless of students’ sex or gender. Gender-inclusive housing is not intended for romantic couples. Rather, it provides options for a variety of students: those who feel uncomfortable rooming with members of the same sex, transgender students in the process of discovering their gender identity, students who feel they would be more compatible with a roommate of a different sex or gender, and students who do not want sex or gender to be a primary factor in choosing a roommate. Gender-inclusive housing intends to help create a campus climate that is welcoming, inclusive, and supportive of all students. Please review the gender-inclusive housing page for further information.
Quarry Suites Meal Plan Requirement Because Quarry Suites are designed without full kitchens, students are required to have a meal plan (Apartment Meal Plan cannot be used by Quarry residents). NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy will be made.
Apple Hall Custom Furniture Apple Hall has customized furniture in order to maximize space so that all bedroom furniture can be accommodated in each room. Due to the size of some rooms it is necessary or recommended that one or two of the beds be elevated either to a half height setting using a “junior loft” bed set or full height using a regular bed set. Please refer to the floor plans posted online to review the list of rooms where beds should be elevated. Please take this information into consideration when selecting a room if you prefer to have a bed set at the lowest level.
Ice House and College Apartment Rooms Due to the size of some rooms in Ice House H and College Apartments it is recommended that the beds be bunked (Ice House or College Apartments) or lofted (College Apartments only) if students want to have their desks in the bedroom instead of the common room. Please refer to the floor plans posted online to review the list of rooms where beds should be elevated. Please take this information into consideration when selecting a room if you prefer to have a bed that is not elevated.
Students who select housing in the Quarry Suites, Apple Hall, Ice House, and College Apartments should pay particular attention to the bedrooms that they are signing into since the bedrooms doors lock. Students in these buildings will receive two keys at check-in: one for the apartment door and one that is specific to the bedroom door that they sign into.
Please note that there are four different housing rates. Housing rates are determined by the Gettysburg College Board of Trustees in February. Please visit our website for specific housing rates and meal plan requirements for each residence hall. For details on meal plan options, please visit the Dining Services website. The housing rates for 2024-2025 are as follows:
Plans 1 & 2: $10,870 per year, or $5,435 per semester Plan 3: $9,880 per year, or $4,940 per semester Plan 4: $8,640 per year, or $4,320 per semester
Other Important Things to Know
Students who are not pre-registered for classes by May 31 will be withdrawn from the college by the Registrar's
Office and the Office of Residential Education will remove students from their Fall 2025 housing.
They are not guaranteed their previously assigned room should they be reinstated at a later date.
Students who are not currently enrolled at Gettysburg College may be eligible to participate in the housing selection process as follows:
Students returning from a leave of absence: Students must meet all normal housing deadlines for applying for housing in order to be considered for housing for the semester in which they plan to return.
Students returning from a Leave of Absence for the fall semester: Students will automatically have a housing lottery number activated for them and will be able to participate in the Housing Selection Process using their own lottery number.
Students returning from a Leave of Absence for the spring semester: Once students are approved to return by the Academic Standing Committee, the Office of Residential Education will send students a Spring Housing Preference Form to complete and return by the designated deadline set. The Office of Residential Education will do their best to accommodate your preference based on the vacancies available.
Students readmitted after a withdrawal: The student must meet all normal housing deadlines for applying for housing in order to be considered for housing for the semester in which they plan to return.
Students readmitted for the fall semester: Should a student be approved for fall readmission during Housing Selection for the fall semester, they will be permitted to participate in housing selection processes with friends using their friends lottery number. Readmitted students are not given a housing lottery number to participate in the Housing Selection Process as the lottery number assignment process is often completed prior to their readmission being approved.
Students readmitted for the spring semester: Once students are approved to return by the Academic Standing Committee, the Office of Residential Education will send students a Spring Housing Preference Form to complete and return by the designated deadline. The Office of Residential Education will do their best to accommodate your preference based on the vacancies available. A student who has been granted a withdrawal must notify in writing the Center for Student Success of their desire to return to the College no later than May 1 for the Fall semester and no later than November 1 for the Spring semester.
Students returning from a leave of absence or readmitted students who have not participated in any of the Housing Selection Processes will participate in the housing placement process using a Fall Housing Preference form, which will be emailed to them once the office receives official notification of the student's return. Students should not expect to hear about their housing assignments until July 31.
Please contact the Office of Residential Education if you have questions about housing (717-337-6901).
Due to its residency requirement, Gettysburg College guarantees housing for all full-time students. Therefore, Residential Education must efficiently and effectively utilize all available spaces in its housing inventory and reserves the right to utilize the consolidation policy.
The consolidation policy states that the Residential Education reserves the right to move students from their current room assignment. All students within a room may be moved to another location, multiple groups of students in separate rooms but on the same floor/building may be relocated, and students residing alone in multiple occupancy rooms may be consolidated. This means that a student, upon notification, may be reassigned to another space on campus. This is an effort to optimize the utilization of vacancies/rooms on campus.
Over the summer months Residential Education will review occupancies across campus. During this time period the Residential Education will determine if consolidation is needed at which point you may be notified. Residential Education will work with all students involved in a consolidation to make the transition as smooth as possible.