Occasionally, students wish to transfer to another residential House.
Once you are assigned to a House as a rising sophomore or transfer student, it is assumed that you will live in that House for the remainder of your enrollment at the College. Because we want students to spend some time getting to know their new house community, students who matriculated to the College as first-year students may only apply to transfer houses after living in their assigned House for two full terms. Intercollegiate transfers may apply to transfer after one term living in their assigned house.
Transfer Rounds
Spring: Approved students will be housed where space permits for the spring term and are not guaranteed any particular room type or configuration.
Fall Round 1: The application for Round 1 fall transfers opens after spring transfer decisions are released. Decisions are released prior to the House lotteries and approved students will select their room according to the process set by their new house.
Fall Round 2: The application for Round 2 fall transfers opens late in the spring term. Decisions are released late in the summer once it is clear how many students will be returning for the fall. Like the spring transfer round, students are transferred on a space-available basis and are not guaranteed any particular room type or configuration.
Eligibility
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You must have lived a minimum of two full semesters in your currently assigned House to qualify. (Inter-Collegiate Transfer exception: If you transferred into the College, however, you only need to have lived one full semester in your assigned House.)
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You must have a booking for the term you wish to transfer (If you are currently off campus, please submit a Returning Student Application before requesting a transfer).
- Your application must be submitted by the deadline to be considered for a specific round.
Conditions for Transfer
The submission of an inter-house transfer does not guarantee that a transfer will be approved. Should your application for an interhouse transfer prove successful, you are required to transfer to the new House. You may apply to transfer between Houses as an individual or as part of a group of two. If applying as a group, both students will be approved or denied together for the transfer. If you wish to make changes or withdraw your application after submission but before decisions are made, you should email the College Housing Office at collegehousing@fas.harvard.edu.
Medical Transfers
Requests for an inter-house transfer based on medical reasons are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. If you are seeking a medical inter-house transfer, you should speak with your House Administrator and schedule an appointment with the Disability Access Office. Transfers between Houses for medical reasons are rare, and specific Houses are not guaranteed.