How to Apply

The Office of Housing and Residence Life at California State University, Los Angeles, offers undergraduate students apartment-style housing accommodations on the north side of campus. Our residential community offers apartments with double- and triple-occupancy bedrooms for a total of four to eight residents. Students also have the opportunity to apply to participate in one of our Themed Communities (Halisi Scholars, Resident Scholars, Gender Neutral or First Year Experience). Due to limited spaces, new students will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Housing placement is not guaranteed, so we encourage you to apply early. For more information about what we offer, visit Future Residents.

The priority deadline for the online application was Monday, May 8. We are still accepting applications but as stated above, new students will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis and housing placement is not guaranteed.

To complete the online application and License Agreement please have the following items available:

  • “MyCalStateLA” username and password
  • Emergency Contact Information (First and last name, address, phone number, etc.)
  • Missing Persons Contact Information (First and last name, address, phone number, etc.)
  • Debit, Credit or Checking Account Information – In order to officially complete your online application, you will need to submit a payment at end of the application after submitting your License Agreement.

2017-2018 Housing Application Process for First-year Students (Freshmen) and Transfer Students:

Step 1 – Pay Your $100 Enrollment Confirmation Deposit (ECD)

Only students who have paid their $100 ECD to confirm enrollment with Cal State LA will obtain access to the online housing application and License Agreement. Once you pay the Enrollment Confirmation Deposit (ECD), it will take 2–3 days for you to gain access to apply online through the Housing Portal. You won’t receive an email alert about this, so we encourage you to try logging on to the portal daily.

Step 2 – Fill Out the Online Housing Application and License Agreement in the Housing Portal

Log on to the Housing Portal using your "MyCalStateLA" username and password and select the 2017-2018 License Agreement. The system will take you step-by-step through each section of the application and Agreement. You will have the opportunity to indicate your preference for room type, Meal Plan, payment plan and other important reminders.

Step 3 – Make a $140 Payment

After you’ve completed the signature page in the Housing Portal, you will be redirected to the University’s CashNet system. There you’ll make a $140 payment (a $40 non-refundable application fee and $100 security deposit). Follow these steps:

  1. When in CashNet, indicate payment option (credit, debit or e-check) and click on “Continue Checkout.”
  2. Then enter your payment information and click on “Continue Checkout.”
  3. Review and confirm that your payment information is correct and submit your payment.
  4. A payment receipt will appear that reflects the transaction.
  5. Click “Return to the Housing Application” at bottom of the page. Please be sure to do this step to ensure your payment confirmation information has been sent to our office.

Step 4 – Complete a Tuberculosis Test and Submit a Verification Form to the University Health Center by Monday, May 8

University policy requires that all residents provide proof that they are free of tuberculosis or that they are not at high risk for tuberculosis and require a TB test. Complete the TB Verification Form and submit it to the Student Health Center. Please note that although the form indicates compliance is due prior to moving in, it must be completed by when you apply.

To view Cal State LA’s tuberculosis policy and procedures for residents, visit the Student Health Center’s Registration Health Requirements and click on “Housing Residents.”

Step 5 – If You’re Under the Age of 18, Submit a Consent Form to Housing and Residence Life by Monday, May 8

This step must only be completed by applicants who are under the age of 18. The Consent Form must be signed by a parent or legal guardian who agrees with the terms and conditions of the 2017-2018 License Agreement and to provide consent authorization for medical treatment in case of an emergency. The form must be completed, signed and returned to the Office of Housing and Residence Life when you apply.

A Completed Application Includes:

  • Completion of the online housing application and 2017-2018 License Agreement
  • Successful submission of the $140 fee
  • Submission of a completed TB Questionnaire to the University Health Center
  • Residents who are under 18 years old only: submission of a completed Consent Form to the housing office

Requesting Roommates

Students who have completed an application may request one or two roommates on the Housing Portal through June 4. You can only request to live with someone who has submitted a completed application. We’ll try to honor all requests, although there may be factors that may prevent students from sharing a room. For example, one student is offered a space but the other is on the waitlist, or a student declines a roommate request. Also, apartments are separated by gender and age groups (“under 21” and “21 and over”). Roommate requests have two parts: one student initiates the request and the other student or students must accept the request. Knowing the CIN number of your potential roommate(s) is not mandatory, but it is the only way to ensure their identity because sometimes people have the same first and last name.

Steps to Request Roommates

  1. Log on to the Housing Portal.
  2. Click on the correct License Agreement term and then click on “Save & Continue.” It will take you to the Application Status page.
  3. Click on the Roommate Request page from the Process Menu, Step 6.
  4. On the Roommate Request page, look to see if your potential roommate has already initiated the roommate request (if so, you will see an “accept” link). If they have and you want to live with them, click on the “accept” link.
  5. If your friend has not initiated the roommate request, start the process by clicking on “Search for Roommates by Details.Enter the person’s Campus ID Number (CIN) and click Search.
  1. If the person submitted a License Agreement, their name should appear in the results.
  2. Click on the “Request” link to initiate the request. Your friend will then need to log on to the Housing Portal and click the “accept” link.
  3. If the person did not complete a License Agreement, then contact your friend to verify their status and their CIN.
  1. Once the roommate request has been initiated and accepted, you should see a “confirmed” link. This means that both of you have agreed to be roommates. Again, we will consider all requests made by the deadline of June 4, but being assigned together is not guaranteed. 

Additional Information

Housing Assignment Process

Applicants are reviewed for housing placement on a first-come, first-serve basis. The dates that the online agreements and $140 payments were submitted will be utilized to determine order. Since housing is not guaranteed, we encourage students to complete the process early in order to increase their chances of receiving a bed space for the fall. Applicants who are not offered a bed space for the fall will be placed on a housing waiting list and will be considered if a cancellation occurs in the summer or at the start of the school year. Please see the housing waiting list process outlined below.

Apartment styles and room types are limited. Our room inventory consists of double- and triple-occupancy bedrooms. Triple-occupancy bedrooms are very limited. Therefore, if you are assigned to a double-occupancy room but prefer a triple-occupancy room, you will have the opportunity to request to be placed on the waiting list for a triple-occupancy room in case of cancellation.

Special Accommodations 

The Office of Housing and Residence Life is committed to equal opportunity in our housing facilities and will provide reasonable accommodations as determined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Housing Act (FHA) policies and guidelines, on a case-by-case basis. If you are a “qualified individual” with a documented disability who requires ADA housing accommodations, please contact the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) for more information on the registration process. You can find out more about OSD on their website and contact them at 323-343-3140 or OSD@calstatela.edu.

Payment Schedule

Once a student has received a housing assignment confirmation, they must adhere to the payment plan they initially selected when they applied and submitted their License Agreement. Please see the payment schedule on Rates and Dates to confirm when your first payment is due and the amount required. Failure to submit your first payment by your selected payment deadline will result in the cancellation of your housing assignment and License Agreement.

Housing Waiting List

After we’ve completed the new student room assignment process in June 2017, students who have not received a housing assignment will be automatically placed on a waiting list. As cancellations occur, we will automatically assign a room to the students on the waiting list. We’ll do this based on availability of space as well as students’ gender and position on the waiting list.

Once we assign a room to a student, we will send a confirmation email to their Cal State LA email account. Students who receive this confirmation email are expected to review the payment schedule and adhere to the payment schedule as outlined above.

Students assigned from the waiting list will be required to make a payment within 72 hours of receiving their housing placement confirmation email. Payment due dates will also be outlined in the housing confirmation email which will be sent to your Cal State LA email account.

Students who plan to utilize financial aid to fund the cost of their housing fees (room and board) must set aside any disbursements received prior to placement to ensure available funds once housing charges are officially applied to their account. Therefore, students assigned from the waiting list in August or a later date will need to use out-of-pocket funds and financial-aid disbursements to make a payment within the date specified on the confirmation email to secure their room.

Housing Cancellation Policy and Procedures

Students seeking to cancel their 2017-2018 License Agreement must fill out the online Cancellation and Refund Request Form and submit to the Office of Housing and Residence Life. Reasons for cancellation may include that a student is transferring, withdrawing, residing at home or privately off campus, or if their admission to the University has been rescinded.

The Cancellation and Refund Request Form must be received by the housing office no later than Tuesday, July 18, at 5 p.m. to qualify for a refund of all housing fees (room and board). Fees that will not be eligible for refund or are subject to charge on a student account are the $40 application fee and a $50 cancellation fee.

Please note that students and required co-signers are entering into a legally binding contract with the Office of Housing and Residence Life of California State University, Los Angeles. Students who request to cancel after the occupancy period may be approved for release from their Agreement based on reasons outlined in the 2017-2018 License Agreement, Terms and Conditions.