Your guide to the 2026 Lottery
What is the Lottery?
Each spring, enrolled seniors,1 juniors, and sophomores choose housing for the upcoming academic year by participating in the annual housing lottery. College housing for the fall 2026 semester will be assigned as outlined in this document.
1Any reference to a class, such as "seniors," should be taken to mean "rising seniors."
The process consists of three different roommate group deadlines and their corresponding lotteries. Once you select and confirm housing, you are ineligible for upcoming lottery rounds.
When students submit roommate groups for a lottery round, their group is eligible for the lottery round of the person with the lowest eligibility in their group. Each roommate group, regardless of size, will only receive one timeslot. Once the group’s timeslot is reached, they can select housing right away or reconfigure their group until they make a housing selection or the round closes. If a group does not select housing during their initial round, they should create a new group or reconfigure their roommate group for the next round.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the lottery, WorkDay must show that you have a course registration appointment with no active holds for the upcoming fall semester as of April 1, 2026. If you have questions about your enrollment status, please contact your Dean at 207-725-3149.
You are NOT eligible for the Housing Lottery if:
- You were released to live off campus next year via the off-campus lottery,
- You have active holds on your course registration appointment in WorkDay.
- A reminder that if you changed your abroad plans and have not finalized that change with the college, you will still have a hold on your registration.
- You are currently on a leave that requires you to participate in the reenrollment process in June, and did not submit your Intent to Request Re-enrollment Form by the March 2 deadline.
If your off-campus study or off-campus housing plans change after the lottery, the Residential Life Office will attempt to assign you housing during the summer comparable to your classmates as space permits. If you have questions, contact Lisa Rendall, Director of Residential and Housing Operations, 207-725-3589.
Housing Terms
- Roommate Group: To be eligible for the lottery, every student must belong to a roommate group whether it is a group of 1 or 8. Students who are not in a roommate group will NOT be assigned a timeslot for room selection.
- Suite: Includes a common room and bedrooms. Some suites include private bathrooms.
- Apartment: Includes a kitchen, bathroom, and common room in addition to bedroom(s).
- Substance-Free Residence: There is no alcohol consumption or smoking of any kind in the common and private areas of the residence.
Substance-Free Housing
There is no alcohol consumption or smoking of any kind in the common and private areas of the residence. Excessive noise and disorderly conduct in these residences resulting from substance use outside of the residence will not be tolerated and will be considered grounds for reassignment when brought to the attention of the Residential Life Office. By choosing a space in substance-free housing, students agree to comply with building expectations. Substance-free housing will be available for selection during all lottery rounds. Sub-Free locations for upperclass students are:
- Howell House -- Offered through the College House selection process.
- Howard Hall -- 4-person and 5-person suites. Students may only choose Howard as a roommate group of four or five.
- Mayflower Apartments -- 2-person and 3-person apartments.
- Park Row Apartments, Building 4 -- One building in the Park Row complex is designated substance-free and comprises of two 4-person, one 6-person and one 8-person apartments.
- Smith House -- 1-person rooms and one 2-person room.
- 52 Harpswell Road – 1- and 2-person rooms and one 4-person room.
Be advised that any violations of the substance-free policy that come to the attention of Residential Life could result in reassignment to another space on campus.
Residence Requirement
Students are required to live in college housing during their first two years at Bowdoin. Juniors and seniors wishing to live off campus are required to enter the Off-Campus Housing Lottery to receive approval to live in off-campus housing. Students required to live in college housing who do not participate in the on-campus lottery will be assigned a space in early August based on space availability.
What are the housing options?
|
1-person (singles) |
|
4-person (quads) |
||
|
7 |
52 Harpswell (sub-free) |
1 |
52 Harpswell (sub-free) |
|
|
49 |
Chamberlain Hall |
8 |
Chamberlain Hall |
|
|
16 |
Coles Tower (4 quads to select as a singles) |
47 |
Coles Tower |
|
|
8 |
Smith House (sub-free) |
6 |
Harpswell Apts |
|
|
16 |
Stowe Inn |
11 |
Howard Hall (sub-free) |
|
|
6 |
Stowe Inn Apts (efficiency) |
2 |
Park Row Apts (sub-free Bldg 4) |
|
|
102 |
Total 1-person rooms (102 beds) |
6 |
Park Row Apts |
|
|
|
11 |
Pine Street Apts |
||
|
2-person (doubles) |
92 |
Total 4-person suites/Apts (372 beds) |
||
|
12 |
52 Harpswell (sub-free) |
|
||
|
64 |
Brunswick Apts |
5-person (quints) |
||
|
29 |
Chamberlain Hall |
3 |
Howard Hall (sub-free) |
|
|
4 |
Mayflower Apts (sub-free) |
11 |
Stowe Hall |
|
|
1 |
Smith House (sub-free) |
2 |
Stowe Inn Apts |
|
|
110 |
Total 2-person suites/Apts (220 beds) |
16 |
Total 5-person suites (80 beds) |
|
|
|
|
|||
|
3-person (triples) |
6-person |
|||
|
26 |
Brunswick Apts (2 bedrooms) |
6 |
Harpswell Apts |
|
|
2 |
Coles Tower (1 bedroom) |
1 |
Park Row Apts (sub-free Bldg 4) |
|
|
8 |
Mayflower Apts (sub-free) (2 bedrooms) |
3 |
Park Row Apts |
|
|
12 |
Stowe Inn Apts. |
10 |
Total 6-person Apts (60 beds) |
|
|
48 |
Total 3-person Apts (144 beds) |
|
||
|
|
8-person |
|||
|
|
9 |
Harpswell Apts |
||
|
Total Beds Available: 1090* |
1 |
Coles Tower (4 singles, 2 doubles) |
||
|
*includes Res Life student staff rooms and pre-lottery ADA room assignments |
1 |
Park Row Apts (sub-free Bldg 4) |
||
|
|
3 |
Park Row Apts |
||
|
|
14 |
Total 8-person Apts (112 beds) |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Please note: This list should only be used as a guide. The final list of the spaces available will be accessible on-line while each Round of the lottery is open and can be found here: https://www.bowdoin.edu/residential-life/housing/lottery/index.html
Registered events are not permitted in the following locations: Mayflower Apartments, Howard Hall, Park Row (Building 4), Smith House, Stowe Inn and 52 Harpswell Road.
Roommate Groups
- Create roommate groups in the Bricks and Beyond housing portal: https://housing.bowdoin.edu
- Talk with others in your group EARLY to find out their round eligibility. Avoid surprises about being ineligible for a round because a member of your group isn’t eligible.
- You must create a Roommate Group to select a room (even if you are a “group” of one).
- All members of a Roommate Group must have accepted the request to join the group. Any pending members of the group will not be eligible for room selection.
- Each eligible roommate group will receive a “timeslot” which is their allotted time for their group leader to login to Bricks and Beyond and select a room. Be sure your leader will be available and have internet access during the lottery time period. The leader can transfer leadership to another group member before the deadline if needed.
- After your timeslot is reached, your Roommate Group may reconfigure into multiple smaller groups or merge with other group(s) so you are the correct group size to select available housing.
- Note: If you plan to reconfigure your Roommate Group, all members of the Group must be available to accept invites to new groups, create new groups, etc.
- Once you (or your group) select housing in your round, you are ineligible for upcoming lotteries.
- If you do not choose housing during your first lottery round, you need to reconfigure and create a new roommate group(s) to participate in the next lottery round.
Mixed Class Year/Class Standing Roommate Groups
Students who wish to live together but are from different class years can do so. Mixed groups are eligible for the lottery round of the group member with the lowest point. Within their eligible lottery round, the groups’ points will be averaged, and those groups will almost always have a timeslot earlier than same class year groups within the round. For example, a mixed group of juniors and seniors will be eligible for Round 2. When their points are averaged, they will have a timeslot before the all-junior groups in Round 2.
A Working Example of the Lottery in Progress
- Login to Bricks and Beyond (requires Okta Verify) and create a roommate group. Be sure everyone accepts.
- Confirm your roommate group leader will be available during room selection night. If not, transfer leadership to another member of the group before the roommate group submission deadline for your round.
-
- Note: If you plan to reconfigure your Roommate Group during the lottery, all members of the group must be available to accept invites to new groups, create new groups, etc.
- Need another roommate? Looking for someone going abroad in the spring? Search for a roommate using the mandatory profile criteria or other search options.
- Your group is finalized when everyone invited has accepted and there are no pending requests.
- When you receive your group’s timeslot, have a final chat about where you want to live and designate members of the group to watch the lottery webpage. This webpage will show available rooms and is updated every 10 minutes.
- Each round will have all room configurations available. When it is your group leader’s turn to select, they will only see available rooms that match your group size. A group of 5 will only see available 5-person rooms in Stowe Hall and Howard Hall. A group of 6 will only see available 6-person apartments in Harpswell and Park Row. And so on.
- If your group doesn’t like their options, they can reconfigure at any point between when your timeslot begins, and the lottery closes to see different sized available rooms. A group of 8 can split into two groups of 4 and select quads near each other, two groups of 1 can join to select a double together, etc.
- Your group leader will select a building, a room/suite/apartment within that building and then assign each member of the group to a bed. If they change their mind, they can “go back” and look at a different building until they are ready to commit to a room.
- Once that selection is confirmed, your roommate group has housing next fall! You’re all done. No “give backs” once the room is confirmed.
- Keep in mind that there are roommate groups behind you whose timeslots may be reached while you are still making your housing decision. The sooner your group leader finalizes their choice, the more options there will be to choose from. The selection will be held in the “cart” for ten minutes. If not finalized after ten minutes, the room will be released for others to select and your group will need to select a new room.
Things to Consider
- Who do you want to live with?
- Do they want to live with you?
- Have you asked them yet?
- Are they neat and you are messy? Are you sure that will work?
- What about the group? Will they stay up all night partying but you need to go to bed early due to practice?
- Are you sure living with that group will work?
- Remember, great friends do not always make great roommates.
- What have you learned about yourself and your housing needs in the past year(s)?
Talking honestly now will help you avoid stress and conflicts later. Be sure to discuss lifestyles, habits, and expectations plainly before agreeing to room with someone. Don't assume anything; ask them!
Roommate Matching
Many students find themselves without a roommate when their friends decide to live with others, move off-campus, or study away. If you are in this situation, 1) attend the “Find a Roommate” event on Tuesday, April 7 5:00-6:00pm, 2) talk to your Proctor as they may know others with the same dilemma, or 3) search the “mandatory profiles” in the online lottery for someone with similar habits who is also looking for a roommate. If you need more help, contact the Office of Residential Life.
Housing Changes after the Lottery
There are three ways to seek alternate housing:
- After all lotteries are complete, e-mail Lisa Rendall, Director of Residential and Housing Operations and request a change. Post-lottery changes happen over the summer and made as available space permits. Once classes begin, you'll need to seek a change through the other two options.
- The Residential Life Office allows upperclass students to swap rooms during the first two weeks of classes each semester. The swap must be mutually agreed upon by all students living within the suite(s)/apartment(s) involved in the swap.
- Any upperclass student may make an appointment with Lisa Rendall to discuss available open rooms and request to be reassigned.
Off-Campus Study
Abroad fall semester only: You do not participate in the Housing Lottery, and you do not need to find someone to swap with who is going abroad in the spring. Your study abroad form will be used as your request for spring semester housing. You may update this form through November 1. Typically, students are assigned to one of their top three choices. Sometimes students with opposite study away plans (fall v. spring) plan to swap rooms. Please indicate this proposed plan on your study abroad form. The Office of Residential Life will do its best to accommodate these requests, but there is no guarantee the specific assignment can be made. Spring housing assignments are made in early December and posted to the Bricks and Beyond housing portal.
Abroad all year or only in the spring semester: You may participate in the lottery process in April on-line. Before you leave the country, please be sure you have set up your Okta verify to use abroad so you can access the site.
Your Lottery Application Form Becomes Your Residence Agreement
Your lottery application form is also your Residence Agreement. By submitting the lottery application form you agree to abide by all Bowdoin rules and regulations. This agreement includes all rules and regulations in the most recent edition of the Code of Community Standards, Residential Life Opening and Closing Notices, Break Notices, Break Housing Applications, the annual Housing Lottery Guide, on-line housing information, and any other Residential Life notices.
The Residence Agreement becomes binding when you take occupancy of college housing during the 2025-2026 academic year.
Additional Circumstances
Students interested in receiving a housing accommodation should have submitted their request via the Student Accessibility Office website on or before January 31, 2026. Requests made after the deadline will be reviewed after the housing lottery and in these cases, approved accommodations may not be able to be implemented until the following semester (Spring 2027.)
The Director of Residential Life will defer to ADA accommodation decisions made by the Director of Student Accessibility and make housing accommodations accordingly.
Students interested in more information regarding married student or family housing should contact Lisa Rendall via email by March 28, 2026.
Fall 2026 Opening
Upperclass students are expected to arrive for the Fall 2026 Semester on or after 12:00pm (noon) Saturday, August 29, 2026. Please plan accordingly. This opening date is firm. No upperclass student will be allowed to return prior to this date unless they are approved to participate in a college-sponsored training or activity.
The Right to Assign or Reassign
The Director of Residential Life reserves the right to assign any vacancy in college housing at any time, and/or to reassign any student at any time. If you have questions, contact the Office of Residential Life.
Changes to these Procedures
The Director of Residential Life reserves the right to change, modify, or alter these procedures as necessary.
Questions
Attend a Lottery info session, call, e-mail, or stop by the Office of Residential Life with any questions about the lottery process.
