Returning Students
Navigating housing in your second, third, or fourth years can be tricky. We’re here to assist you in navigating the housing lottery and more.
In order to be eligible for on-campus housing, students must meet all deadlines and have no outstanding financial obligations to the college and/or Capstone Management. This includes all residence hall damage fees and community standards sanctions. Students must also be in good disciplinary standing.
On-Campus Housing for your Second Year
Current first time college students who spend their entire first year in campus housing will be guaranteed a second consecutive year in housing. All published deadlines must be met in order to be guaranteed housing.
How To Participate
Housing lottery applications will be available in January. If you wish to participate in the housing lottery for the 2026-2027 academic year, you must do the following:
- Complete the StarRez PortalX housing lottery application by the deadline.
- Housing Lottery Information for Guaranteed Students: housing availability and a roommate request process will open up for students between the end of January and early March. More detailed information about this will be sent out at the end of January.
- Housing Lottery Information for Non-Guaranteed Students: In late February, a limited number of non-guaranteed applicants will be randomly selected to move forward with the lottery process and participate in room selection. Those who are not selected to participate due to limited space will be notified and given information on how to sign up for the waiting list. Off-campus housing resources and information will also be included in this email.
On room selection day students will be able to log into StarRez PortalX at their assigned time and select their space for next year. These start times will be posted in the portal a few days before the day of Room Selection and an email will be sent out notifying students that they are available.
All license agreements are for the full academic year (September through May). Unfortunately, MassArt is not able to offer housing for just one semester. Students who are not intending to be at MassArt for the full academic year should pursue off-campus housing options.
Within a few days after the room selection, a $240 non-refundable housing deposit will be added to the student accounts of those who selected a space during room selection and made available for payment in Student Self Service. The deposit is required in order to finalize a student’s assignment.
It’s the process through which MassArt helps students select their room for their second (or possibly third/fourth) year in on-campus housing.
MassArt is launching a new housing management software, StarRez PortalX, as part of the housing lottery process for current students to select housing for next year. Students can access PortalX as part of the MassArt single-sign-on program. This system will better meet the needs of our students and provide an enhanced user experience through the StarRez housing portal, PortalX. As of this time, only the housing lottery process has been activated in PortalX, but additional functionality will be added over the next several months.
Non-guaranteed students are those who:
- Are first-time college students but did not live on campus for their entire first year
- Transferred into MassArt after taking classes at another institution
- Will be in their 3rd or 4th year at MassArt
- Did not complete the application process within the established deadlines
Non-guaranteed students are those who:
- are first-time college students but did not live on campus for their entire first year
- transferred into MassArt after taking classes at another institution
- will be in their 3rd or 4th year at MassArt
- did not complete the application process within the established deadlines
Students interested in living on campus next year should still participate in the lottery even if they’re not guaranteed housing. Although we do not have enough space for everyone, many non-guaranteed students will be randomly selected to move forward through the housing lottery to select a space. This random selection will happen shortly after the housing application deadline and students will be notified of the results at 5pm on Friday, February 27th.
Please see the Housing and Meal Plan Costs page to find the housing and meal plan charges for the current academic year, 2025 – 2026. These charges will be updated for next year as soon as this information is available.
The housing deposit is required in order for a student to finalize their on-campus housing for next year. Students will be billed for the $240 housing deposit within a few days after selecting their room and payment will be due by April 7th. Unless a student cancels their housing, the deposit will be applied to their fall semester MassArt tuition and housing bill.
If a student has a disability or condition that requires special living arrangements or that requires a meal plan accommodation, they must submit a completed Accommodation Request to Student Accessibility Services by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. For further information about this documentation, please visit the Student Accessibility Services webpage. Requests received after the deadline may not be eligible for consideration.
Students with approved housing accommodations for the current academic year should reach out to Student Accessibility Services at student.accessibility@massart.edu for information about requesting to renew for next year.
Both the lottery application and room selection process will happen online in the new StarRez housing portal. Additional information about for students will be sent out and made available on MassArt Connect as we progress through the lottery process
Room selection will be happening on Saturday, March 21st. Specific room selection start times will be assigned to eligible students and posted in the housing portal at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18th.
No, the lottery will be done entirely online through StarRez PortalX. Students will be assigned a specific start time to select their space for next year. They can log in anytime on this day at or after their start time, but it’s encouraged that they log in as close to this time as possible. For students who are on campus during room selection, the Housing Office will be available to assist them with their selection if needed.
The Office of Housing and Residence Life maintains an off-campus website that provides information for residents seeking off-campus housing. There are listings for apartments/roommates and educational information on the site. The website is offcampus.massart.edu
Additionally, educational sessions about leases and securing off-campus housing will be hosted by the Office. More detailed information about these sessions will be sent out once they have been scheduled.
