Housing Application & Selection

Application Process

Please contact the Housing Office with any questions. Students receive all email communication to their Northeastern e-mail account with the information that pertains to them.

Incoming First Years

Undergraduates who enter as first-year students in Boston through fall admission and NUin will live in university housing during their first and second years, unless an academic or co-op experience takes them outside of the Boston area. Undergraduates who enter as first-year students in Oakland through fall admission will live in university housing during their first and second years, whether in Oakland or Boston for the second year, unless an academic or co-op experience takes them outside of those cities.

Those first-year students entering through fall admission, live in one of our popular Living Learning Communities (LLCs), themed housing environments that connect students of similar academic and personal interests. LLCs are a great way to enrich your academic experience outside the classroom and to form long-lasting bonds with other students who share the same values and enjoy the same activities.

Applying for First Year Housing

Once you have set up your paid your enrollment deposit (which includes the housing deposit) and claimed your Northeastern Student Account, you will be able to fill out the Housing Application on your Application Status Check, under Housing Online. It can take 24-48 hours from when you pay your deposit to have access to Housing Online. As long as you have paid the enrollment deposit by May 1, 2026 you will be able to fill out the housing application. Housing Applications are due by May 7, 2026 and can be edited until that date. As a required student, if you do not complete the housing application, or are approved to live off campus through the Residency Waiver Process, you will be assigned randomly. 

Assignments for first year students are done in enrollment deposit date order. 

As you review your travel plans in the upcoming weeks, it is imperative that you arrive during your scheduled move-in date and time. If you cannot arrive during that date and time, you must select an alternate arrival date and time from a dynamic list of available time slots for your building. Arrival dates and times are limited per date, time, and building. You can access the Move-in Time Slot Change process in Housing Online.

Transfer Students

Housing for transfer students both incoming and continuing is not guaranteed or required.

Incoming Transfer Students

University housing for transfer students, as well as students in their third year and beyond is limited and on a space available basis. These students live in a mix of university and off-campus housing in Boston or participate in co-op, study abroad, or learning opportunities outside of Boston.

Currently, university housing is not available for transfer students being admitted for the upcoming academic year, and there is no transfer student waitlist. Each year, new transfer students being admitted to Northeastern will be informed of housing availability at the time of admission.

Off Campus Engagement and Support Services provides resources to students looking to secure off-campus housing in the Boston area. Helpful resources on their website include advice on tenant rights, what to expect in a lease, referrals to area realtors, and a real-time database with available property listings.

Transfer students are eligible for university affiliated housing at LightView! You can find information about LightView on the Housing and Residential Life website by clicking on LightView in the Housing tab or directly on the American Campus website. Their leasing center is located inside LightView and is open Monday through Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 11am – 4pm. You can stop by during those hours for more information as well as a sample unit and amenities tour. If you have any questions you can also reach out directly to LightView via e-mail at Lightview@americancampus.com or by phone at 617-681-5022. 

Continuing Transfer Students

After your first semester, please refer to the Upperclassmen Application and Selection Process listed below.

Required Students

Currently, undergraduates who enter as first-year students to Boston through fall admission and NUin are required to live in university housing for their first two years. Beginning with entering undergraduates in Fall 2026, those who enter as first-year students to Boston or Oakland through fall admission and through the N.U.in program are required to live in university housing for their first two years. 

Students completing enrollment programs such as NU Immerse or Foundation Year, should refer to the information for transfer students for their second year in Boston. Students completing NYC Scholars and London Scholars should refer to the Non-Required Information ahead of your first year in Boston.

The chart below is meant as an overview of our processes. Please click on the specific term for more information. 

Non-Required Students

The chart below is meant as an overview of our processes for Non-required Upperclassmen, which for 2026-2027 include students completing New York City and London Scholars coming to the Boston Campus.

Graduate / Law Students

There will not be an application process for new or returning Graduate Student or Law Student housing for the 2025-2026 or 2026-2027 academic year.

We encourage you to utilize the following Northeastern University resources in your search for off-campus housing in the Boston area:

1. Contact Off Campus Engagement and Support Services by calling 617-373-8480, emailing offcampus@northeastern.edu, or viewing their website for referrals to area realtors, and advice on tenant rights and what to expect in a lease.
2. Register to use Northeastern’s Off-Campus Housing Online database or use the Roommate Feature to search for roommates and sublets. The database is continuously updated with property listings by area realtors and landlords.
3. Graduate and Law students are eligible for university affiliated housing at LightView! You can find information about LightView on the Housing and Residential Life website by clicking on LightView in the Housing tab or directly on the American Campus website. Their leasing center is located inside LightView and is open Monday through Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 11am – 4pm. You can stop by during those hours for more information as well as a sample unit and amenities tour. If you have any questions you can also reach out directly to LightView via e-mail at Lightview@americancampus.com or by phone at 617-681-5022.