Housing Cycle FAQs and Best Practices

Housing Cycle Basics

How many housing cycles can I create?

There is no limit to the number of housing cycles you can create. Cycles can run concurrently, allowing institutions to manage different student populations separately, such as first-year students, upperclassmen, or commuter applicants.

 

How long should my cycles be?

Cycle length should align with institutional billing cycles, term dates, or other administrative timelines. Institutions may use annual, semester-based, or summer housing cycles (e.g. Summer Soccer Camp), depending on their needs.

 

Can multiple housing cycles use the same charge codes and term codes?

Yes. Charge codes and term codes can be shared across concurrent cycles, ensuring consistency in billing and reporting.

 

Can I edit the start and end dates of a housing cycle after it has started?

Yes, you can adjust the start and end dates of a housing cycle while it is active. However, changes may impact student applications, room selection, and other deadlines, so review all affected phases before making updates.

 

Can I change the phases of a housing cycle after it has started?

Yes, you can edit certain housing cycle phases, such as roommate selection, room selection, and move-in periods. However, changing active phases may impact students who are already participating, so review updates carefully before making changes.

 

Can I copy an existing housing cycle to create a new one?

Housing cycles cannot be directly duplicated, but you can reuse key settings such as rulesets and forms to speed up setup for a new cycle.

 

Can I delete a housing cycle?

No. Housing cycles are part of the system’s historical records to maintain a complete housing history for students. If you have concerns about managing an outdated cycle, contact customer support for guidance.

 

What is the difference between a housing cycle and an application?

A housing cycle manages the entire housing process, including assignments, roommate selection, and move-in steps. An application is how a student is tied to a cycle, collecting required information and granting access to housing processes. The cycle determines what happens after an application is submitted.

 

Targeted Access to Cycles

How do I offer first-year students a different housing application with additional requirements?

To ensure only first-year students can access a specific housing application, use tags to control application access. Create a first-year housing cycle and apply first-year-specific tags to restrict eligibility. Then, build a custom application form with any additional requirements. Students must have the required tags before the application is made available to them.

 

I forgot to exclude some students with tags, and now my upperclassmen can see the first-year application. How do I fix this?

If an application is already visible to students, it will remain accessible until the cycle’s application period closes. However, if you update the tags to exclude those students, they will no longer be able to apply or edit the incorrect applications. If they attempt to access the application, they will receive an error message stating they are not eligible.

 

How do I verify that my housing cycle tags are working correctly?

Impersonate sample students with the expected tags to confirm visibility and access. Establish clear tagging strategies to differentiate cycles and verify assignments before making applications live.

 

None of my applications are showing in the resident portal. What should I check?

Ensure that the housing cycle dates are current and active, the correct tags have been applied to the cycle, and students have the required tags matching the cycle’s eligibility criteria.

 

What steps should I take to exclude commuter students from room assignments?

Most institutions create a separate housing cycle for commuter students to ensure they only have access to the relevant features, such as meal plans. To exclude commuter students from room assignments, ensure they are tagged appropriately in the system.

 

How should I configure a housing cycle for commuter students?

Apply specific tags to commuter students and configure the housing cycle settings to prevent them from participating in cycles meant for residential students. Using applicability tags across the system helps ensure that commuter students only access the options they should have access to.

 

How do I restrict certain students from accessing a housing cycle?

Tags are used to limit which students can access a housing cycle. When setting up a cycle, you can apply limit-to tags, ensuring that only students with the selected tag(s) can participate. If a student does not meet the criteria, they will not see or be able to apply for that cycle.

 

What happens if I create overlapping housing cycles?

Overlapping cycles allow different student populations (e.g., first-year vs. returning students) to go through separate housing processes at the same time if required. Be mindful of tag assignments and fee structures to ensure students are placed in the correct cycle.

 

Room Selection and Assignments

What is the difference between an All at Once selection and a Housing Lottery selection?

An All at Once room selection gives a designated group of students access to room selection at the same time within a set period. Instead of assigning individual selection times, all eligible students in that phase can log in and choose a room as soon as the selection window opens. This method is useful for grouping students by eligibility, such as first-year students, honors students, or those with specific tags.

 

A Housing Lottery assigns individual selection times to students based on specific criteria. Selection times can be randomized for fairness, assigned based on the earliest application submission to reward early applicants, or determined by integration-based profile fields, such as cumulative credits. This staggered approach helps manage system traffic and ensures a structured selection process.

 

How does the housing lottery assign room selection times?

The housing lottery assigns selection times based on either randomized selection times, where students receive a randomly assigned time slot, or earliest application submission, where students who apply first receive earlier selection times. Selection times can also be determined by predefined profile fields, such as cumulative credits, allowing institutions to prioritize students based on specific academic or institutional criteria. These fields must be part of your integration before being configured within the housing cycle. Students are notified when their selection window opens and can choose a room within the assigned time.

 

How do I prioritize student staff or special groups for room selection?

To prioritize specific student groups, use selection phases and tags. You can create an early access phase for student staff, honors students, or athletes, allowing them to select their rooms before general selection begins.

 

Can I restrict room selection to specific students?

Yes. Room selection phases and rulesets allow you to control access to specific rooms or buildings using tags. For example, you can restrict certain halls to first-year students or require honors students to select from a designated floor.

 

Can roommate groups be formed across different cycles?

No. Housing cycles are treated as separate entities in the system, meaning students must be in the same cycle to form a roommate group. If you prefer to keep students in distinct cycles (such as a returning student cycle and a transfer cycle), you may need to have a student complete two applications to participate in the roommate group process. Alternatively, if you prefer a student to complete only one application, you may need to manually assign them to the same room as their preferred group.

 

How do I prevent students from switching rooms after selecting one?

Once a student has selected a room, the system does not allow them to re-select unless enabled in the housing cycle settings. If students need to change rooms, they must submit a room change request through the resident portal. Administrators can process the request manually based on availability. 

 

Can students be assigned to a room if they don’t select one themselves?

Yes. If students do not select a room within the designated room selection period, administrators can manually assign them or run an automated placement process based on rulesets.

 

How do rulesets impact students during room selection?

Rulesets control which students can see and select specific rooms based on institutional policies. For example, if only first-year students are allowed to live together, a ruleset ensures that first-year students cannot see or select rooms with upperclassmen.

 

Can I prevent certain groups of students from being assigned as roommates?

Yes. Rulesets allow you to enforce roommate pairing restrictions. For example, if first-year students should not be housed with upperclassmen, a ruleset will prevent them from being matched during both auto-assignments and roommate selection.

 

What happens if a student is in a roommate group but doesn’t get assigned a room?

If a student is in a roommate group, the group leader is responsible for selecting the room for everyone. If no selection is made before the deadline, the group may need to be manually assigned by an administrator.

 

Move-In and Move-Out Management

How does moving in and out work?

Move-in and move-out are scheduled within the same housing cycle, as cycles are designed to capture the entire student housing process. Move-in periods define when students can check into their assigned rooms, while move-out periods establish deadlines for vacating housing. Administrators can configure these timeframes, assign students to specific moving groups, and set limitations on when students can select or change their move-in and move-out times.

 

Can students select their own move-in and move-out times?

Yes, students can self-select their move-in and move-out times during designated timeframes if this option is enabled in the housing cycle settings. Administrators can also manually assign time slots if needed.

 

What is a check-in hold?

Check-in holds prevent students from completing the move-in process on their scheduled move-in day. If a student meets the criteria for a hold, an alert will appear when staff attempt to check them in. Holds are not visible to students before move-in to prevent confusion.

 

What happens if a student misses their move-in appointment?

If a student misses their assigned move-in time, they may need to reschedule. Administrators can allow late check-ins manually or assign students to a new moving group.

 

Can I restrict when students select their move-in time?

Yes. Move-in times can be configured in moving groups, allowing administrators to define time slots for different groups of students.

 

How do I ensure move-in is structured?

Use moving groups to assign students to specific time slots based on their building, class year, or other criteria. This limits the number of students arriving at the same time and ensures a smoother check-in process.

 

Meal Plan Selection and Management

Can meal plans be mandatory for specific students?

Yes. Administrators can set a default meal plan that will be assigned automatically if students do not select one. You can also use tags to require meal plan selection for certain students, such as first-years or students in residence halls without kitchens.

 

How often can students change or re-select their meal plans?

Students can adjust their meal plans during the active selection window. Once the selection window closes, changes require administrator intervention. Meal plans cannot be changed once they have started unless modified by an administrator.

 

How do I stop students from re-selecting while allowing new students to select during an extended selection period?

To prevent students from re-selecting their meal plan while allowing new students to choose during an extended selection period, you can configure the housing cycle’s meal plan settings. You can limit the number of times a student can change their meal plan within the selection window. This ensures that students who haven’t been assigned a meal plan yet can still make their selection, while students who already have one are restricted from making further changes or removing their selection.

 

Can commuter students select meal plans?

Yes, commuter students may be eligible to select a meal plan depending on your institution’s policies. You can create meal plan options for non-residential students within a housing cycle and use tags to ensure that only eligible students, such as commuters, can select them during the application process.

 

Fees & Financial Considerations

Can I apply different fees for different student groups?

To apply different fees for distinct student groups, you will need to place those groups in separate housing cycles. Within each cycle, fees can be customized and triggered by events such as application submission, approval, or bed assignment.

 

What happens if a student cancels their application after being charged a fee?

Fees that have already been applied will not be automatically removed. Administrators will need to manually process refunds or make adjustments based on institutional policies.