HAHLS Application & Room Selection FAQ

What is HAHLS?
Am I eligible for HLS on campus housing?
What are my chances of getting on campus housing?
What is Harvard University Housing?
What are the residency dates for HLS housing?
Do I need to have paid my admission deposit to apply for HLS housing?
When can I apply for HLS housing?
What is a student classification?
Can I live on campus for only one semester?
What are the differences between the old housing application and room selection processes and the new housing application and room selection processes?
How can I be included in the lottery?
If I want to live near a friend, can I create a group?
How do returning students create groups in HAHLS?
How do incoming students create groups in HAHLS?
When will I find out if I received a room selection window?
How does room selection work for returning students?
How does room selection work for incoming JDs?
How does room selection work for incoming LLMs?
If I applied late for housing or was admitted to HLS after the deadline, how and when can I select a room?
What is the lottery and room selection process for the HLS apartments?
What if I am not interested in any of the available rooms?
How does the waitlist work?
What is Room Swap in HAHLS?
What is Shop & Swap in HAHLS?
What if I want to cancel my room?
Do I have to purchase Harvard’s personal property insurance?
How does housing work for exchange students?
What should I do if I selected the wrong room during room selection?
How does the room search wizard work?

Am I eligible for HLS On-Campus Housing?

All students who will be fully enrolled at HLS are eligible to apply for HLS On-Campus Housing. Unfortunately, spouses and partners (unless they are also Harvard University students), in addition to children and pets, are not eligible. Rooms in the HLS residence halls are single occupancy only.

Harvard University grad students from other schools as well as Harvard Law School non-student affiliates (i.e. visiting researchers and visiting scholars) are eligible to live in HLS housing. However, HLS students have priority and housing offers cannot be made for the upcoming academic year until early August. HLS non students and Harvard University grad students interested in living in HLS housing should contact the housing coordinator at housing@law.harvard.edu toward the end of July or in early August.

What is HAHLS?

HAHLS stands for “Home at Harvard Law School.” It is the housing portal through which students will login to apply for housing, select a room, and even swap rooms if they so choose. HAHLS is located at https://hahls.law.harvard.edu. Please note that the application will become available to students at specific dates depending on their student classification. Similarly, room selection becomes available at specific times. See the Housing Application Dates for specific dates about when you will apply for housing and select a room.

What are the residency dates for HLS housing?

Residency dates are based on the 9 month academic calendar and are determined by your student classification. Check out Housing Residency Dates for move in and move out dates for your student classification.

Do I need to have paid my Admissions deposit in order to apply for HLS housing?

Admitted JD, LLM, and SJD students do not need to have submitted a deposit to their respective Admissions Offices prior to submitting a housing application.

When can I apply for HLS housing?

Please see Housing Application Dates for HAHLS application, lottery, and room selection time lines for the upcoming academic year. Students can also apply for and move into the dorms at any point during the current academic year if there are availabilities. If you are interested in procuring a dorm for the current academic year, please email your interest to housing@law.harvard.edu.

How can I be included in the lottery?

Log in to the HAHLS Housing Portal to fill out an application for the 2013-2014 academic year. Everyone who applies on time will be entered in a lottery for a room selection window. Applicants who apply early in the application process are not given priority over those who apply later, as long as the application is received before the application deadline. Please review the Housing Application Dates for the complete lottery timeline.

What is the lottery and room selection process for the HLS Apartments?

The HLS Apartments are three Victorian houses, located two blocks north of HLS campus. The houses have been converted into apartments for HLS students. The application and room selection process for the HLS Apartments is exactly the same as that for the HLS dorms. However, only returning students are officially eligible to live in the HLS Apartments. If any HLS apartments remain vacant after the returning student room selection period, they will then be offered to incoming students.

Please note that the HLS Apartments do not have the same cancellation policy as the HLS dorms. Once a student has signed a lease for an HLS apartment, he has no grace period during which he can cancel this apartment without incurring cancellation fees or liability of rent.

If I want to live near a friend, can I create a group?

Some of the HLS housing options, Hastings Hall, North Hall, and the HLS Apartments, have housing options for suitemates. Although the bedrooms are always private, students will share common spaces like living rooms. Creating a group is a great way to ensure that you and your potential suitemate(s) are compatible. However, students do not need to have created a group in order to live in a shared suite. For example, a student does not have to create a group in order to select a room in a Hastings 2 bedroom suite. He may select one of those bedrooms, and his suitemate will be whatever student selects the other room.

Returning students and incoming students can create groups in order to live with or near another specific HLS student. Students in groups will be given the same room selection window, and one of the group members will be able to assign the other member(s) to adjoining rooms during that room selection window. Please note that being in a group in no way increasing your chances of getting a room selection window.

The grouping process for returning students (2Ls, 3Ls, and returning SJDS) is different from the process for incoming students (1Ls, Transfers, LLMs, incoming SJDS, and exchange students). The processes are as follows:

Returning Student HAHLS Grouping Process

2Ls, 3Ls, and returning SJDS will be able to create groups with anywhere from 2 to 7 students in that group. Groups are created during the HAHLS housing application process, and must be formed and verified by the end of the housing application process – March 13, 2013. Students will not be able to create groups or join groups after March 13, 2013. Groups can be created or joined on the “Suitemate Group” page of the HAHLS application. The HAHLS group pages will walk you through the basic process of creating a group or joining a group that someone else has already created. Here is some information about creating groups that you might need:

Returning students can group with any other returning students, meaning a 3L can groups with a 2L and/or a returning SJD.
Students in groups will receive the same room selection window, but being in a group in no way improves your chances of getting a better room selection window or even getting a room selection window at all.
Group leaders will be able to assign members of their groups, as well as themselves, to rooms during room selection.
Students in a group have the option of selecting a suite together, but they do not have to select as a group if they later change their mind. Students in a group can still decide to individually select their own room outside of the group.
Groups do not have to be exactly the same size as the number of rooms available in a suite. This means that a group of 3 students can still select to live in 5 Mellen St (Baker Hall) even though that house has 7 rooms.
Each group must have one student who is the group leader. The group leader is the student who creates the group.
Once a group leader has created a group, he should give the group name and group password to everyone he wants to group with. Those students will then enter that information on the “Join Group” page when they fill out their own HAHLS housing applications. The group leader will be notified by automatic email every time a student joins his group.
Group leaders must make sure to “Verify” their groups prior to the deadline for HAHLS applications – March 13th. Group leaders can verify their group on the “Suitemate Group” page of the HAHLS application.
Every time a student joins a group or removes himself from a group, the group will become unverified, and the group leader will get an auto-generated email letting him know that his group has become unverified. The group leader will need to make sure to log back into HAHLS to re-verify his group prior to the end of the housing application period - March 13, 2013.
Group leaders can remove group members from their groups on the “Suitemate Group” page of the HAHLS application. Remember to re-verify the group once you have deleted a member.
Group leaders can delete the group that they created on the “Suitemate Group” page of the HAHLS application.
Group leaders can check the status of their group at any time on the “Suitemate Group” page of the HAHLS application.
Group leaders will be able to assign themselves and the rest of their group to adjoining rooms during the room selection period. The HAHLS portal instructions will walk you through this process once your room selection window opens. However, some important exceptions to note about assigning rooms:
- Only group leaders will be able to assign other members to rooms. However, students who are group members will still be able to assign themselves to a room should they ultimately decide not to select with the group they are a part of. A group leader will be unable to assign a group member if that group member has previously selected a room on his own.
- Once a group leader assigns himself and other students to rooms, everyone will need to sign their own housing contracts within three days of the rooms being selected. This means that every student in that group must login to HAHLS and sign his own contract. Room reservations will expire for any student who has not signed his contract within 3 days of the room being selected. Group leaders should make sure to notify the other group members once he has assigned them to rooms.
- Group leaders have the option to assign only part of their group. For example, if you created a group of 3 students hoping to go after 3 Mellen St, but another group claimed that house first, you can then assign yourself and one other member of your group to a Hastings 2 bedroom suite. The third member will have to select his own room.
If a group leader, for any reason, cancels his HAHLS application, it will dissolve the group that he created. However, it will not delete the applications of his group members. If the group leader cancels after room selection, cancelling will delete the group leader’s booking, but not the bookings of his group members.

Incoming Student HAHLS Grouping Process

Incoming students are considered to be 1Ls, Transfers, LLMs, incoming SJDs, and exchange students. However, because the grouping process takes place during the official application period in April, transfers, exchange students, and incoming SJDs will not be able to create groups.

Groups are created during the HAHLS housing application process, and must be formed by the end of the housing application period – April 30, 2013. Students will not be able to create groups after April 30, 2013. Students can search for another student to group with on the ”Suitemate” page of the HAHLS application. The HAHLS suitemate pages will walk you through the basic process of creating a group. Here is some detailed information about creating a group that you might need:

Incoming students will be able to create groups with only one other student of their same student classification. This means 1Ls will only be able to group with one other 1L, LLMs with LLMs, etc.
Students who are suitemates have the option of selecting a suite together, but they do not have to. Students in a group can still decide to individually select their own rooms outside of the group they have created.
Although a group can only have 2 students in it, that group is not limited to only 2 bedroom suites. This means that a group of 2 students can still select to live in 5 Mellen St even though that house has 7 rooms.
A student can search for a suitemate in several ways:
- Suitemate Auto Search – If you do not already know another student with whom you want to live, you can use the “Suitemate Auto Search” to generate potential suitemates. You will be able to see your march percentage with other students by using the profile questions you both answered earlier in your applications.
- Search by Details – If you already know the student with whom you want to live, you can search for that person using their name, HUID, or birth date. You will only be able to search for people who have completed the “Suitemate Opt In” page of their housing application.
- Search by Profile – If you do not already know another student with whom you want to live, you can search for a potential suitemate by specific profile answers they supplied in their housing application.
Once a student finds another student with whom he wants to live, he may request that that person be his suitemate. HAHLS will automatically email that student informing him that someone has requested to be his suitemate, and saying that he must login to HAHLS in order to accept or decline that request.
Suitemate requests must be accepted by the housing application deadline, April 30th, in order for students to select rooms as suitemates.
Suitemates will receive the same room selection window.
Students can remove themselves from a group on the “Suitemate” page of the HAHLS application.
During room selection, in order to select a suite together, one of the suitemates will need to assign himself and his suitemate to a suite.
- Either suitemate will be able to assign the other suitemate to a room. It does not have to be the person that initially made the suitemate request.
Students who have entered into a group can later decide to select individually.
Once a suitemate assigns himself and his suitemate to a room, both students will need to sign their own housing contracts within three days of the room being selected. This means that each student must login to HAHLS and sign his own contract. Room reservations will expire if the student has not signed his contract within 3 days of the room being selected. The student who assigns himself and his suitemate should make sure to notify the suitemate once he has assigned him to a room.
If one of the suitemates, for any reason, cancels his HAHLS application, it will dissolve the group that he is in. However, it will not delete the application of his suitemate. If the suitemate cancels after room selection, cancelling will delete his own booking but not the booking of his suitemate.

What if I want to cancel my room?

Filling out the HAHLS housing application is not binding in any way. After a student selects a room during room select, he will have 3 days from that time to sign a housing contract for that room. If he does not sign, he will lose his reservation of that room, but there is no penalty assigned. After a student signs his housing contract, he can still cancel his dorm room. However, after a certain date, students who have signed their housing contracts will be subject to the cancellation policy for cancelling their housing. The cancellation schedule and fees is as follows:

Cancellation prior to May 31st, 2013 – No cancellation fee or liability for rent
Cancellation between June 1, 2013 and June 30, 2013 – $500 cancellation fee, but no liability for rent
Cancellation on or after July 1, 2013 – $500 cancellation fee and liability for the rent of your dorm until such time that it is re-rented

Please note that the above cancellation policies do not apply to the HLS Apartments. Once you turn in a signed lease for an HLS Apartment, you cannot cancel it. Should you do so, you will be charged a $500 cancellation fee and you will be liable for the rent of the apartment until it is re-rented.

To cancel your HLS dorm prior to June 1, 2013:

Log in to HAHLS at hahls.law.harvard.edu
Select “Application” from the top navigation
Select Academic Year 2013-2014 or Spring 2014 Only, depending on what application you originally applied to
Save and Continue
Select “Cancel Application,” which is above the top navigation all the way to the right
Select “Cancel Application” at the bottom of the page

To cancel your HLS dorm after June 1, 2013, please contact housing@law.harvard.edu.

What is Harvard University Housing?

Harvard University Housing is Harvard University (not HLS) owned off campus apartments in which all Harvard University affiliates are eligible to live. Applying for HLS On-Campus Housing is not the same as applying for Harvard University Housing. While the HLS Dean of Students Office does answer questions and advises students about all available housing options, HLS does not own or operate Harvard University Housing. There is a separate application and apartment selection process for HUH. Please note that it is acceptable to submit an application for both Harvard Law School and Harvard University Housing. In neither case is the application binding, and both applications are free.

HUH will be accepting housing applications for the upcoming academic year lottery (called the “View and Select” period) between March 1, 2013 and May 1, 2013. Students may apply for HUH apartments after May 1, but they will not be able to participate in the view and select lottery process.

When will I find out if and when my room selection window will be?

All students who fill out a HAHLS application by the deadline will be entered in a lottery for room selection windows. Students will receive notification about if they received a room selection and when it is on the following dates:

2Ls, 3Ls, and Returning SJDs – March 15, 2013
1Ls and LLMs – May 2, 2013

Since transfers, exchange, and incoming SJDs are admitted after these dates, they will be able to select from the remaining rooms as soon as they are admitted and fill out a housing application. However, there is no guarantee that housing will still be available at that time.

Please note that there are three different room selection periods and processes – Returning Student Room Selection, Incoming JD Room Selection, and Incoming Grad Room Selection

How does room selection work for returning students?

All students who fill out a HAHLS application by the deadline will be entered in a lottery for room selection windows. Students will not be able to search for rooms until their selection window opens. For returning students, there are 200 rooms available, so only 200 returning students will receive a room selection window. This means that applying on time is not a guarantee that you will receive a room selection window or a spot on campus. Only the 200 students who receive room selection windows are guaranteed a spot on campus. Room Selection works the following way:

There are 10 room selection windows on March 28th.
Each window will have 20 students in it and will last for 30 minutes before the next window opens, letting in more students to the room selection process.
Every 30 minutes, 20 new students are able to join the room selection process. You may still select any time after your 30 minute room selection window until the deadline on August 1st, but the longer you wait, the more students you will be competing with for rooms.
On March 15, 2013, students will receive an email letting them know if they did or did not receive a room selection window. Students who formed and verified groups prior to the housing application deadline will receive the same room selection period.
The March 28th room selection windows are as follows. Please note that all times are EST/EDT:
- 5:00 pm – Window 1
  5:30 pm – Window 2
  6:00 pm – Window 3
  6:30 pm – Window 4
  7:00 pm – Window 5
  7:30 pm – Window 6
  8:00 pm – Window 7
  8:30 pm – Window 8
  9:00 pm – Window 9
  9:30 pm – Window 10
During room selection, students will use the room search wizard to choose exactly which room they would like to live in. A student has several other options if he is not interested in any of the available rooms.
Students in windows 1 through 10 will be guaranteed a spot until 12:00 pm EDT on March 29th.
At noon on March 29^th, all of the rooms that were not selected during the room selection windows will become available for selection to all returning students who applied on time but who did not receive a room selection window.
Students who applied after the housing application deadline will be able to select from remaining rooms beginning at 12:00 pm EDT on April 3, 2013.
Please note that the room selection wizard will open at your room selection window start time and will remain open to you until August 1, 2013. Your room selection window only closes to you once you select a room. At any point this spring and summer after your room selection window opens, you are welcome to login to HAHLS Room Selection Wizard to see what rooms are available and select one if you so choose.

What are the differences between the old housing system and the new housing system?
This is the first year that we have the HAHLS housing software and it is an entirely new application, grouping, and room selection process from what returning students are used to. Here are the notable differences between the old housing system and the new:

Groups are created during the application process, instead of after the housing application deadline. For more information, see the Grouping FAQ.
The lottery and room selection process for the HLS Apartments will no longer be a separate from the HLS dorms. The HLS apartments are still offered only to returning students, but they will be a part of the same room selection process that includes the HLS dorms.
Group leaders select rooms for themselves as well as their group members.
There are no longer lottery numbers. Instead, all students who apply on time will be entered into a lottery to receive room selection windows. Students can select rooms once their window opens and any time after their window opens. Room selection windows do not close.
There is a time component to this new room selection process. For example, if you are in window 3, your room selection period will open at 6:00 pm EDT. You will have a better chance of getting your desired room if you select at 6:01 pm than if you select at 6:25 pm. Rooms are first come, first serve to anyone who can select a room.
There is no longer any bumping! Once someone has selected a room, that room is his.
After your room selection window opens, room selection will remain open to you ALL SUMMER LONG. As long as we have available rooms, those rooms will be listed on HAHLS in the Room Selection Wizard. You will be able to login to HAHLS at any point in the summer to see what rooms on campus are still available.
- For students who do not have a booking, they are welcome to login at any point in the summer to select a room from whatever is available.
- For students who do have a booking, they are welcome to login at any point prior to August 1 to use either Room Swap or Shop & Swap.
Contracts are signed online within HAHLS immediately after you select a room. You actually have 3 days from the moment that you select a room to sign your housing contract. If you do not sign your contract within three days, your room reservation will expire and you will lose that room.
All students who live on campus will be required to have Personal Property Insurance. Students who do not provide proof that they have their own personal property insurance by June 15, 2013, will be charged $75 each semester to be enrolled in CSI Personal Property Insurance’s plan. This price is not built into the price of the dorm or apartment, and will be seen as a separate charge on the term bill.
All residents of the HLS dorms and apartments are required to purchase personal property insurance from HLS’s provider, CSI Insurance Agency, Inc.

How does room selection work for incoming JDs?

All incoming JDs who apply on time for housing will be entered into a lottery for a room selection window. Please note that because transfers are admitted after the room selection deadline, they will not be included in the lottery for a room selection window. Instead, they will be able to select from remaining rooms immediately after they apply for housing.

Students will not be able to search for rooms until their selection window opens. For incoming JD students, there are 250 rooms available, so only 250 returning students will receive a room selection window. This means that applying on time is not a guarantee that you will receive a room selection window or a spot on campus. Only the 250 students who receive room selection windows are guaranteed a spot on campus. Room Selection works the following way:

There are 10 room selection windows on May 6th.
Each window will have 25 students in it and will last for 60 minutes before the next window opens, letting in more students to the room selection process.
Every 60 minutes, 25 new students are able to join the room selection process. You may still select any time after your 60 minute room selection window until the deadline on August 1st, but the longer you wait, the more students you will be competing with for rooms.
On May 2, 2013, students will receive an email letting them know if they did or did not receive a room selection window. Students who formed groups prior to the housing application deadline will receive the same room selection period.
The May 6th room selection windows are as follows. Please note that all times are EST/EDT:
- 12 pm – Window 1
  1 pm – Window 2
  2 pm – Window 3
  3 pm – Window 4
  4 pm – Window 5
  5 pm – Window 6
  6 pm – Window 7
  7 pm – Window 8
  8 pm – Window 9
  9 pm – Window 10
During room selection, students will use the room search wizard to choose exactly which room they would like to live in. A student has several other options if he is not interested in any of the available rooms.
Students in windows 1 through 10 will be guaranteed a room until 12:00 pm EDT on May 7th.
At noon on May 7th, all of the rooms that were not selected during the room selection windows will become available for selection to all incoming JD students who applied on time but who did not receive a room selection window.
Students who applied after the housing application deadline will be able to select from remaining rooms beginning at 12:00 pm EDT on May 10, 2013.
If a students applied for HLS housing after May 10th, the room selection wizard will be available to him immediately after he applies. However, there is no guarantee that rooms will still be available.
Please note that the room selection wizard will open at your room selection window start time and will remain open to you until August 1, 2013. Your room selection window only closes to you once you select a room. At any point this spring and summer after your room selection window opens, you are welcome to login to HAHLS Room Selection Wizard to see what rooms are available and select one if you so choose.

How does room selection work for incoming LLMs?

All incoming LLMs who apply on time for housing will be entered into a lottery for a room selection window. Please note that because incoming SJDs are admitted after the room selection deadline, they will not be included in the lottery for a room selection window. Instead, they will be able to select from remaining rooms immediately after they apply for housing.

A students will not be able to search for rooms until his selection window opens. For incoming LLMs, there are 112 rooms available, so only 112 students will receive a room selection window. This means that applying on time is not a guarantee that you will receive a room selection window or a spot on campus. Only the 112 students who receive room selection windows are guaranteed a spot on campus. Room Selection works the following way:

There are 4 room selection windows on May 4, 2013.
Each window will have 28 students in it and will last for 4 hours before the next window opens, letting in more students to the room selection process.
Every 4 hours, 28 new students are able to join the room selection process. You may still select any time after your 4 hour room selection window until the deadline on August 1st, but the longer you wait, the more students you will be competing with for rooms.
On May 2, 2013, students will receive an email letting them know if they did or did not receive a room selection window. Students who formed groups prior to the housing application deadline will receive the same room selection period.
The May 4th room selection windows are as follows. Please note that all times are EST/EDT:
- 8 am – Window 1
  12 pm – Window 2
  4 pm – Window 3
  8 pm – Window 4
During room selection, students will use the room search wizard to choose exactly which room they would like to live in. A student has several other options if he is not interested in any of the available rooms.
Students in windows 1 through 4 will be guaranteed a room until 12:00 pm EDT on May 6th.
At noon on May 6th, all of the rooms that were not selected during the room selection windows will become available for selection to all incoming LLMs who applied on time but who did not receive a room selection window.
Students who applied after the housing application deadline will be able to select from remaining rooms beginning at 12:00 pm EDT on May 10, 2013.
If a students applied for HLS housing after May 10th, the room selection wizard will be available to him immediately after he applies. However, there is no guarantee that rooms will still be available.
Please note that the room selection wizard will open at your room selection period start time and will remain open to you until August 1, 2013. Your room selection window only closes to you once you select a room. At any point this spring and summer after your room selection period opens, you are welcome to login to HAHLS Room Selection Wizard to see what rooms are available and select one if you so choose.

If I applied late for housing or I was admitted after the HAHLS application deadline, how and when can I select a room?

Students apply after the housing deadlines for several reasons – they did not know they would need HLS housing, forgot to apply on time, returned from leave of absence, mistakenly thought the HUH housing application was the application for HLS housing, etc. Similarly, transfer students and incoming SJDs, as well as students admitted off of the waitlist, are not admitted until after all of the housing application deadlines have passed. Whatever the reason for applying late, the room selection process is the same.

Students who apply after the designated housing application deadlines are still eligible for housing, but they are not guaranteed a spot on campus. Students should fill out their HAHLS application as soon as possible. Creating a group with other students is not an option for late housing applicants. Room selection in the HAHLS portal will open to late applicants at the following dates and times:

2Ls, 3Ls, and returning SJDs – April 1, 2013 at 12:00 pm EDT
1Ls, Transfers, LLMs – May 10, 2013 at 12:00 pm EDT
Exchange Students – June 1, 2013 at 9:00 am EDT

On this date, students will be able to login to HAHLS and select from any of the remaining rooms. There is no guarantee that rooms will be available. Students may also select from remaining rooms at any time after the above-listed dates, as the room selection page stays open all summer long. However, the longer you wait to select a room, the less likely it is that rooms will be available.

If you are applying anytime after the above-listed dates, room selection will be open to you as soon as you fill out your housing application. This will be the case for transfers and admitted SJDs.

How does the waitlist work?

The waitlist is an option that becomes available in HAHLS once your room selection period begins. The waitlist is one of the options for students who are not interested in living in any of the rooms that are available. For example, if you are only interested in living in a North Hall small single, but none of those rooms are available, you can skip to the “Waitlist Search” page and place yourself on the waitlist for a North Hall small single. If a North Hall small single becomes available, the housing coordinator will assign you to that room and notify you that you have three days to sign the contract for that room. Should you decide not to sign the contract, your room reservation will expire, but you will not receive any kind of cancellation penalty.

Please note that the waitlist is not automated. Instead, the housing coordinator will assign available rooms to the waitlist once each business day. Because of this, it is recommended that students place themselves on waitlists, but also continue to search for availabilities using the Room Search Wizard in HAHLS. If a room becomes available, students on the waitlist will have to remove themselves from all waitlists in order to select the available room.

You are welcome to be on multiple waitlists for multiple types of dorms. You can check your spot on the waitlist on the “Waitlist Search” page of the HAHLS application.

Please note that once you are on a waitlist, you will not be able to select a room. If you would like to select a room, you will first need to remove yourself from all of the waitlists. You may remove yourself from waitlists on the “Waitlist Status” page in HAHLS. To access the waitlist:

1. Log in to HAHLS

2. Select “Application” from the top navigation bar

3. On the Term Selector page, select “Academic Year 2013-2014”

4. Select the “Waitlist Search” page from the top menu navigation

5. You can later view your status on the waitlist by checking the “Waitlist Status” page

What if I am not interested in living in any of the rooms that are available?

If you are not interested in any of the available rooms, you have several options available to you:

You can decline to select a room at that time and check back daily to see what rooms have become available. Because of our flexible cancellation policy, we get dorm cancellations throughout the summer, with lots of rooms opening up toward the end of May and toward the end of June. As soon as a room is cancelled it automatically goes back into the pool of available rooms, so the list of available rooms changes on a daily basis.
You can select a room and then advertise to swap rooms with another student using Shop & Swap.
You can select a room and then use the Room Swap function in HAHLS to see if any preferred rooms have become available. For students who have bookings, all available rooms will all show up on the Room Swap page. The availabilities on this page will change daily, and you can swap into any available room at any point prior to August 1, 2013.
You can place yourself on a waitlist or waitlists.

What are my chances of getting on campus housing?

The pattern for room selection is that all of the 599 rooms fill up immediately during the official room selection periods. However, due to our flexible cancellation policy, we get quite a lot of cancellations, with large chunks of cancellations happening in late May and throughout June. If you do not receive a room during the official room selection periods, do not panic.

Historically, every student who has applied on time ultimately received an offer of housing prior to August Move Ins. Furthermore, an offer of on-campus housing has been made to every student who has applied for housing by the end of June.

Please note that past results are not a guarantee that this will repeat for 2013-2014.

What is a student classification?

Your student classification is determined by your program and year. Here are the following types of student classifications that you will see in HAHLS:

Student Classification	Description
Admitted JD	This is how incoming JDs will be listed prior to Admissions sending student information to the Registrar’s office.
JD 1L	This is how incoming JD 1Ls are listed after the Admissions office has sent student information to the Registrar’s office.
Transfer	This is how incoming JD 2Ls are listed after the Admissions office has sent student information to the Registrar’s office.
Admitted LLM	This is how incoming LLMs will be listed prior to the Grad office sending student information to the Registrar’s office.
LLM	This is how incoming LLMs are listed after the Grad office has sent student information to the Registrar’s office.
Admitted SJD	This is how incoming SJDs will be listed prior to the Grad office sending student information to the Registrar’s office.
SJD	This is how incoming SJDS will be listed after the Grad office has sent student information to the Registrar’s office. This is how returning SJDs will always be listed.
JD 2L	This is how returning JDs who will be 2Ls in the 2013-2014 academic year will be listed.
JD 3L	This is how returning JDs who will be 3Ls in the 2013-2014 academic year will be listed.
Exchange	This is how exchange students will be listed after their information is sent to the Registrar’s office.
Student	This is how exchange students will be listed before their information is sent to the Registrar’s office.

Can I live on campus for only one semester?

Harvard Law School Housing offers a “Fall Only” and a “Spring Only” contract to students who have an academic reason that will take them out of the Greater Boston area for one of the semesters. This includes study abroad, exchange programs, Semester in DC, early graduation, and approved leaves of absences.

If you will require housing for Fall 2013 but not Spring 2014, please select Academic Year 2013-2014 as your term when you are filling out the HAHLS application, making sure to designate yourself as “Fall Only” on the “Personal Details” section of this application.
If you will require housing for Spring 2014 but not Fall 2013, please select Spring 2014 Only as your term when you are filling out the HAHLS application.
If you are unsure about whether or not you will need partial academic year housing, please select Academic Year 2013-2014 as your term when you are filling out the HAHLS application, making sure to designate yourself as such on the “Personal Details” section of this application.

Fall Only students will be able to participate in the regular room selection window lottery and process. However, they are only welcome to select rooms in Gropius or North Hall. Spring Only people will not be entered into the lottery for a room selection window. Instead, the housing department will contact all Spring Only students in November 2013 about availabilities for the spring.

Please note that grouping, as well as Room Swap and Shop and Swap are not options open to Spring Only students.

What is Room Swap in HAHLS?

Room Swap is a function in the HAHLS application room selection process that allows a student with a reserved booking to trade his current reserved room for an available room. You have to have selected a room in HAHLS and signed your housing contract in HAHLS in order to use Room Swap. Room Swap will remain open until August 1, 2013. You are welcome to swap your room for an available room as many times as you would like prior to August 1, 2013, when you room location will become finalized. Due to cancellations, we have dorms open up throughout the summer, with large blocks becoming available in late May and late June. Once a student cancels his dorm room, that room will automatically become available on the Room Swap page to anyone who already has a booking. Therefore, the rooms listed on the Room Swap page will change on a daily basis throughout the summer.

Whereas Room Swap is trading your reserved room for an empty room, Shop and Swap is trading your reserved room with another student’s reserved room. You are welcome to make use of both Room Swap and Shop & Swap at the same time.

To access Room Swap you need to have selected a room and signed a contract. After that is done, you may access Room Swap by following these instructions:

1. Log in to HAHLS
2. Select “Application” from the top navigation
3. On the Term Selector page, choose Academic Year 2013-2014
4. Choose Room Swap from the numbered navigation line toward the top of the page

What is Shop & Swap in HAHLS?

Shop and Swap is a function in HAHLS that allows students with reserved bookings to trade their current reserved room with another student’s current reserved room. Only students who have selected a dorm room within HAHLS and who have signed their housing contract will be able to access Shop & Swap.

On this page, you can advertise your room as well as what other types of HLS dorm rooms you would be willing to swap it for. For example, you could list your Dane Type 1 Single room and say you would be willing to swap it with a Hastings 2 bedroom suite or North Hall Small single. If someone who had one of those types of rooms wants a Dane room, he would contact you and ask if you would like to swap. Please note that no swap will happen without your approval!

Shop & Swap will remain open until August 1, 2013. Students with reserved bookings are welcome to swap rooms with other students as many times as they would like prior to August 1, 2013.

To access Shop & Swap you need to have selected a room and signed a contract. After that is done, you may access Shop & Swap by following these instructions:

1. Log in to HAHLS
2. Select “Shop & Swap” from the top navigation

Do I have to purchase Harvard’s personal property insurance?

All students living in the HLS dorms and apartments have to purchase personal property insurance from HLS’s provider, CSI Insurance Agency, Inc. Students will be term billed $65 each semester. This amount will cover them for up to $7500, with a $25 deductible. Students will be covered from August 1, 2013 to June 1, 2014, and will be covered if their personal property is lost or damaged anywhere, include if they are travelling internationally.

There is no option to opt out of purchasing this personal property insurance, even if a student already has coverage. However, if a student only lives on campus for one semester, he will only be charged for one semester’s worth of insurance.

How does housing work for exchange students?

Exchange students, even those who will be here only one semester, are eligible to live in HLS On Campus housing. Exchange students who are admitted and who apply for housing by May 31st will be able to select from available rooms on June 1st. Please note that there is no guarantee that there will be rooms available on June 1st. If no rooms are available at that time, students are encouraged to place themselves on any of the waitlists. Due to our very flexible cancellation policy, we get a lot of cancellations at the end of May and throughout June. Historically, we have been able to make an offer of housing to every exchange student by August 1st. Exchange students can apply for housing through the HAHLS Portal.

Still have questions?

What do I do if I selected the wrong room during room selection?

If you selected the wrong room during room selection, do not cancel your application in order to cancel your room. You will end up losing your room selection window if you cancel the entire application. Instead, you can do one of two things:

1. Call or email the housing coordinator at housing@law.harvard.edu or 617-496-6054. The housing coordinator will be able to delete your booking without cancelling your application.

2. If you are unable to reach the housing coordinator, you should sign the housing contract. This will then open up Room Swap to you. Room Swap will show all of the same available rooms that you saw in the room search wizard. You can swap your reserved room for any available room using room swap. Do not worry about the fact that you will be signing a contract for a room you do not want because you can cancel all HLS dorm rooms until the end of May for no cancellation fee or rent liability.

How does the room search wizard work?

Room search wizard is the tool within HAHLS that allows you to select exactly your room during room selection. The room search wizard is located on the Rooms page in HAHLS. Both the Rooms page and the room search wizard will not become available for you to access until your room selection period opens. Room selection using the room search wizard works progresses as follows:

The first page of the room search wizard will show all of the buildings on campus, giving explations about each building. You will select a building and continue to the next step.
The next page will show how many floors are in that building, as well as how many available rooms there are on each floor. You will select a floor and continue to the next step.
The next page will show exactly which rooms are available on that floor. There will be information about each room, as well as a displayed floorplan so that you can see the location of each room on the floor. You will be able to select one or several rooms that you are potentially interested in and continue to the next step.
- Note: if you are selecting rooms as part of a group, you will need to select at least as many rooms as you have people in your group. For example, if you have 3 people in your group, you need to make sure to select 3 rooms on this page.
The next page will have a dropdown of all of the rooms you selected from the previous page. If you only selected one room, you will only see one room in the dropdown. There is a counter on this page set for 5 minutes. All of the rooms in your dropdown are on hold for you for 5 minutes. You have that amount of time to decide which room you would like to select. After 5 minutes, you will automatically be taken back a step and lose your hold on those rooms. This is the final selection, so do not select and confirm the room unless you are sure you want to accept it.
- Note: if you are selcting in a group, you will also assign your groupmates to their rooms on this page.
After you select a room, you will need to sign your housing contract within 72 hours of selecting the room, or your room reservation will expire.

So, where can I find the application?

2013-2014 HAHLS Housing Application

Please note that this is a secure web portal that only HLS students will be able to access. You will need to login using your username. Your username is based on your Harvard email address. It is everything in your email address before .law.harvard.edu, but replacing the @ with a period. For example, if you email is xbrown@jd16.law.harvard.edu, then your username will be xbrown.jd16. Similarly, if your email address is xbrown@llm14.law.harvard.edu, then your username will be xbrown.llm14. Your password is the same password that you use to login to your HLS email account. If you have any difficulty with your username or password, please contact the HLS Student Help Desk at 617-495-9576.

Please contact Hayley Brown, the Student Housing Coordinator in the Dean of Students Office, at housing@law.harvard.edu or at 617-496-6054, and she would be glad to explain anything you have questions about.