Q. Who is eligible for Associated Residential Community Housing (ARCH)?
A. Graduate and professional students and undergraduate students in a committed relationship or with children are eligible to reside in an ARCH community. Single graduate and professional students are eligible to reside in the Mesa Residential, One Miramar Street, Coast, and Single Graduate Apartments. Graduate and professional students in a committed relationship (and residing with their partners) are eligible to reside in Mesa Residential, One Miramar Street, and Coast Apartments. Graduate and professional students with children are eligible to reside in the Mesa Residential Apartments. Undergraduate students in a committed relationship are eligible to reside in the Mesa Residential and One Miramar Street Apartments. Undergraduate students with children are eligible to reside in the Mesa Residential Apartments.
TWO YEAR HOUSING QUESTIONS
Q. Has the one year housing program been changed to a two year housing program?
A. Yes. The goal has always been to provide a two year housing guarantee to new incoming students. It will take several years to accomplish this due to the commitments made with current residents. Housing will be honoring the term/duration of each current resident’s rental agreement. A resident with a month-to-month rental agreement may reside in the apartment through normative time to degree plus one year assuming all eligibility requirements are met. A resident with a fixed term agreement must vacate the apartment by midnight on the last day of the term of the rental agreement. In addition, any resident who signed a one year rental agreement on or after October 1, 2008, will be offered one additional year of housing, providing a total of two years of housing.
Q. What are the terms of the two-year housing program?
A. In support of the academic mission of the University, ARCH offers campus housing to graduate and professional students and undergraduate couples and families. In response to the Graduate and Professional Student Experience and Satisfaction Committee Report, which can be found on the Graduate Student Association’s web site at http://gsa.ucsd.edu/node/247, and at the direction of academic administration, housing will be offered to new incoming single students and student couples for a two year term.
The Graduate and Professional Student Experience and Satisfaction Committee Report states, “…that early placement will enhance student recruitment and maximize the educational and social benefits that on-campus housing provides the Graduate/Professional Students….” In order to provide two years of housing to new incoming students, effective October 1, 2008, ARCH has changed the terms of our waitlist as follows:
- Each new resident, with the exception of students with children and priority students, will receive a non-renewable two year fixed term rental agreement. After residing in campus housing for two years the resident will vacate the apartment and move off-campus. The UC San Diego Commuter Student Services, http://commuter.ucsd.edu, is available to assist students in their search for off-campus housing.
- Students with children will receive a month-to-month rental agreement for a Mesa Residential Apartment. Students with children must meet all eligibility requirements during their residency.
- New incoming students nominated by their departments for priority status will receive a month-to-month rental agreement for Mesa Residential Apartments. Students with priority status must meet all eligibility requirements during their residency.
- Each resident will have primary residency status, eliminating the primary/secondary relationship.
- Single students who applied prior to October 1, 2008, will be offered the entire apartment and may choose a roommate from the waitlist or may request that the Residential Services Office assign a roommate.
- Single students who applied after October 1, 2008, will be offered a room in an occupied apartment.
- Each student on the waitlist will receive two housing offers. If the student refuses the housing offers, then the student’s application will be removed from the waitlist. The student may submit a new housing application which will be added to the end of the waitlist.
- Once a student has accepted a two year housing agreement, the student will not be eligible to re-apply for housing.
- Students with priority status who choose to relocate as a roommate to a different apartment will retain the month-to-month rental agreement.
Q. How does the two year housing program affect my rental agreement as a current resident?
A. The two year program will not affect the term or duration of your rental agreement. If you currently have a month-to-month agreement, then you may reside in your apartment for as long as you meet the eligibility requirements. You must provide a 30 day advance notice of your intent to vacate prior to vacating the apartment. If you currently have a fixed term rental agreement (i.e. there is an end date written into your agreement) then you may reside in the apartment until the end date of your agreement, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements. You do not need to provide a 30 day advance notice of your intent to vacate your apartment on the end date. You do need to vacate your apartment on the end date of your rental agreement. If you signed a one year rental agreement on or after October 1, 2008, you will be offered one additional year of housing, providing a total of two years of housing.
Q. How does the two year housing program affect my current application?
A. All applicants, with the exception of students with children and students with priority, will be offered a two year fixed term rental agreement. This includes students who applied prior to October 1, 2008.
Q. If I am a current resident can I submit a new housing application?
A. You may submit a new housing application, if you have not received two years of housing since October 1, 2008. Your housing offer will be based on the terms of the two year housing program. If you have already received or signed a rental agreement for two years of housing as of October 1, 2008, then you are not eligible to submit a new housing application.
Q. Can I choose my own roommate if I live at Mesa, One Miramar Street or Coast?
A. Single residents who applied prior to October 1, 2008, may continue to select their roommates who then will be offered a two year fixed term agreement.
Upon submission of the Notice of Intent to Vacate (NIV) by his/her roommate, resident may elect, in writing, to have the Residential Services Office assign a roommate to his/her apartment. By electing to have the office assign a roommate, the primary resident residing in the apartment will no longer be responsible for the full apartment rent. The Residential Services Office will assign an applicant, who applied on the waitlist on or after October 1, 2008, to the second bedroom in the apartment and will fill any future vacancies in this bedroom. The new roommate will have primary status and will receive a two year fixed term agreement.
Single residents who applied after October 1, 2008, will be assigned a roommate. Please contact the Residential Services Office if you would like to request a preferred roommate.
Q. If I currently reside in the Single Graduate Apartments and my rental agreement will expire on August 30, 2009, can I stay another year?
A. Yes. If so desired, you are eligible for an additional SGA fixed term agreement through August 15, 2010. Please submit a new housing application. The Single Graduate Apartments Office will contact you during Spring Quarter to extend an offer.
Q. I am a secondary resident. Can I take over the apartment as the primary resident when the primary vacates the apartment?
A. If you currently have a month-to-month rental agreement signed prior to October 1, 2008, you may assume the apartment when your roommate vacates if you have resided there for at least one year. If you currently have a month-to-month rental agreement signed prior to October 1, 2008, and you have not resided in the apartment for at least one year when your roommate vacates then you must also vacate the apartment.
If you have a fixed term agreement you may remain in housing through the existing term of that agreement and will be provided a total of two years of residency in your current apartment. If you were initially offered one year of residency the office will contact you to offer a second year. Should you assume responsibility for the apartment you may continue to select your roommate off the waitlist who then will be offered a two year fixed term agreement. If you prefer, you may request that the Residential Services Office assign you a roommate, who will be offered a two year fixed term agreement.
For additional information regarding on-campus housing, please visit http://hdh.ucsd.edu/arch/gradhousing.html. |
Additional FAQ’s:
Q. Are there priority programs for Housing?
A. Yes. Students, not currently residing in an ARCH community, with child/children and students who are pregnant or whose partner/spouse is pregnant are offered housing before single students and student couples. In addition, a secondary resident of an ARCH community who becomes pregnant or whose partner/spouse becomes pregnant while residing in housing are also offered housing before other single students and student couples. Housing will place a maximum of two priority offers to a student with child/children and/or pregnant. If the student refuses both offers then he/she is no longer eligible to receive priority housing and will be offered housing based on his/her application date on the waitlist. Birth certificate and proof of pregnancy will be required at move-in. The student’s child must be 18 years or younger and residing in the ARCH apartment at least 50% of the time to be eligible for priority. This priority program was established and is reviewed on a regular basis by the Affiliated Housing Advisory Committee. For more information regarding the offering process, please refer to the Frequently Asked Question “How are Housing offers made?”
Students with 3 or more children receive priority for the nine Central Mesa three bedroom apartments. If there are not any students on the waitlist with 3 or more children, then the three bedroom apartments are next offered to students with 2 or more children; students with one child; and to all other students on the waitlist. For more information regarding the offering process, please refer to the Frequently Asked Question “How are Housing offers made?”
Office of Graduate Studies hosts a priority program called Student Housing Opportunity Recruitment Enhancement Program (SHORE). New incoming graduate and professional students are nominated by their departments for this recruitment program. SHORE students are housed at the Mesa Residential Apartments without having to wait on the waitlist. The Rady School of Management participates in SHORE. For more information contact the Office of Graduate Studies.
The School of Medicine and The School of Pharmacy host a priority program at the Single Graduate Apartments. New incoming students are nominated for this program and housed with priority at the Single Graduate Apartments. For more information contact the School of Medicine or the School of Pharmacy Admissions Offices.
Q. How long is the wait for housing?
A. The average wait for a student with children is 4-6 months. Depending on the time of the year, some students with children have received a housing offer within 2 weeks of submitting an application. For more information regarding the offering process, please refer to the Frequently Asked Question “How are Housing offers made?”
The average wait for single students and couples can vary greatly depending on your choice of community, apartment availability, and the time of year. The average wait for Single Graduate Apartments, One Miramar Street Apartments and Mesa Residential Apartments is immediate. The average wait for Coast Apartments is 1-2 years.
Q. Are the rental rates subsidized?
A. UC San Diego Housing operates as a self-funded organization. We do not receive Federal, State, or other funds from which to subsidize rates. All operation costs are covered by the rents collected from residents. The rental rates vary by community and are posted on each community’s page.
Q. How do I apply?
A. Submit a New On-Line Application at our Forms/Application page. Upon submitting your application you will receive an e-mail confirmation. Please save this confirmation for future reference.
In order to ensure that the waitlist represents interested students, you are required to update your application twice a year, in March and October. If you do not complete the update process in March and October your application will be removed from the waitlist. If you contact the office prior to the start of the next update process to express your continued interest in housing, then we will reinstate your application with your original application date. If you do not contact the office prior to the start of the next update process, then you must submit a new on-line application.
Once you accept a housing offer and sign a rental agreement, your application is removed from the waitlist. You may submit a new on-line application if you are interested in relocating to a different apartment or ARCH community.
Q. How are Housing offers made?
A. Housing offers are first extended to students with priority (i.e. students with children, SHORE, and School of Medicine/School of Pharmacy priority students). If there are not any eligible students with priority on the waitlist, then housing offers are extended based on the student’s application date, apartment preference, and need housing by date. It is best to list your need housing by date as the earliest date that you can financially afford to pay the rent. Please note that if your housing need by date is January 1st, then you will not be offered an apartment that becomes available prior to January 1st (i.e. You will not be offered an apartment that is available on December 31st.). Also, be sure that your apartment preferences only include the apartments that you are willing to accept. You will have the opportunity to refuse one offer. If a second offer is made and refused, your application will be removed from the waiting list. If you do not respond to an offer, your application will also be removed from the waitlist.
Housing offers are made via telephone. Two phone calls will be placed on two different days at different times providing you with a total of 48 hours to respond to the offer. An e-mail will also be sent to you at the address listed on your application. The apartment that you are offered will have a move-in date that is on or after your need housing by date. It will also be an apartment type that matches one of your selected apartment preferences.
If you accept the housing offer, you will receive an e-mail that describes the process for signing an electronic rental agreement. Follow the instructions included in the e-mail. Your application will be removed from the waitlist. If you are interested in relocating to a different apartment, you may submit a new on-line application.
If you refuse your first housing offer, your application will remain on the waitlist. Please verify that your apartment preferences and your need housing by date reflect the apartment types that you are willing to accept and the date that you are willing to begin paying rent. If you refuse the second offer, your application is removed from the waitlist. You may later submit a new on-line application; however, you will not keep your original application date. Your new application date will be the day you submit your new application.
Q. What if I am going on leave or to study out of town?
A. If you have been waiting the estimated time for your preferred apartment; have not received an offer; and are going out of town, please notify the Residential Service Office in advance so that you do not miss a housing offer. We are happy to call you at a temporary number or call an individual that you designate to accept or refuse a housing offer on your behalf.
Q. Do I have any other options for Housing?
A. Yes. You may become a roommate to a current resident. Current residents are responsible for selecting their own residents. One of the methods they might utilize is our on-line Roommate Information Application. By submitting a Roommate Information Application, residents can view your information and contact you if they are interested in interviewing you to be a roommate. You may also use this tool to search for current residents who are searching for roommates.
If a current resident selects you as his/her roommate, ask the resident to contact the office with your information (i.e. name, PID number, telephone number, and date you will start paying rent). If you haven’t already done so, submit an on-line housing application. This allows Housing to generate and send you an electronic rental agreement via e-mail. Once you sign your electronic rental agreement, your housing application is removed from the waitlist. You may submit a new on-line application if you are interested in relocating to a different apartment.
Our Market Comparison Report (pdf) provides information regarding off-campus apartment complexes in the UTC are of La Jolla.
Q. Do I have to have a roommate?
A. Yes. A single student living in a two-bedroom apartment at Mesa Residential, One Miramar Street, or Coast Apartments is required to share the apartment with at least one other eligible student. For eligibility information refer to the Frequently Asked Question “Who is eligible for Associated Residential Community Housing (ARCH)?” Single students who applied prior to October 1, 2008, have 30 days from their rental agreement start date to find an eligible roommate. The single student residing in an ARCH community is responsible for the total monthly rent during these 30 days. If the resident is unable to find a roommate, he/she may elect, in writing, to have the Residential Services Office assign a roommate to his/her apartment. By electing to have the office assign a roommate, the primary resident residing in the apartment will no longer be responsible for the full apartment rent 30 days from the date the office receives the written request to assign a roommate. The Residential Services Office will assign an applicant, who applied on the waitlist on or after October 1, 2008, to the second bedroom in the apartment and will fill any future vacancies in this bedroom. The new roommate will have primary status and will receive a two year fixed term agreement.
Residents who signed rental agreements on or after October 1, 2008, will be assigned a roommate. Please contact the Residential Services Office if you would like to request a preferred roommate.
If a student’s partner/spouse plans to reside away from the apartment for more than one quarter, then the student will be required to sublet one bedroom in a two bedroom apartment to an eligible student during the partner’s/spouse’s absence. For questions/concerns, please contact the Residential Services Office at 858.822.3291 or the Coast Apartments Office at 858.558.2886.
Q. If I am a secondary resident can my roommate request that I move out of the apartment?
A. If you signed a rental agreement prior to October 1, 2008, then your roommate, the primary resident, reserves the right to ask you to move out of the apartment with 30 days notice. You also reserve the right to notify your roommate that you will be moving out in 30 days. If you signed a fixed term rental agreement on or after October 1, 2008, then your roommate does not reserve the right to ask you to move out of the apartment.
Please stop by the office and speak with a Resident Relations Coordinator if you have housing concerns.
Q. What if I am an undergraduate or graduate student with a disability or have dependents who have a disability, and need housing/dining accommodations due to the disability?
A. If students and/or their partners or minor children are requesting accommodations due to a medical diagnosis or disability, students are strongly encouraged to plan well in advance by obtaining an Authorization for Accommodation letter (AFA) from the Office for Students with Disabilities. Students are responsible for submitting the AFA to the Residential Life Liaison on behalf of themselves and/or their family members. The AFA will state what accommodations a student and/or their family members are eligible for. Every effort to provide eligible accommodations will be made. Offers will be made based on availability of the space needed and the date the AFA is received by the Residence Life Liaison.
Information regarding this process in Housing*Dining*Hospitality at UC San Diego can be obtained from the Residential Life Liaison at 858.822.1782 (V); 858.534.7674 (Fax); http://hdh.ucsd.edu/; or via e-mail at reslifeliaison@ucsd.edu.
For additional information about accommodations due to disability at UC San Diego, contact the Office for Students with Disabilities at 858.534.4382 (V); 858.534.9709 (TTY); 858.534.4650 (Fax); http://osd.ucsd.edu; or via e-mail at osd@ucsd.edu.
Q. I want to live in Single Graduate Apartments (SGA) and I identify as transgender. How does this impact my housing assignment as I understand apartments at SGA are assigned by gender?
A. As are all our residents, transgender students are valued members of the affiliated housing living community at UC San Diego. When completing your application please self-identify when asked about gender. Additionally, in order to support the needs of transgender students, we strongly encourage students to contact Windi Sasaki, the Residence Life Liaison to discuss individual and specific needs. The contact information is wsasaki@ucsd.edu or 858-822-1782. More information on transgender living and the transgender community at UCSD is available at the LGBT Resource Center website at lgbt.ucsd.edu
Q. What if I do not agree with housing policies or charges that have been applied to my account?
A. There is an appeal process in place within ARCH to review disputes. Any resident or wait list applicant who is unsatisfied with a policy, practice, or decision may submit a written request for review to the Associated Residential Community Housing Advisory Committee (ARCHAC). ARCHAC is comprised of 12 voting members; 5 graduate program staff members and 7 graduate students. All you need to do is contact the Residential Services Office by phone 858-822-3291 for Mesa, OMS, SGA or 858-822-7607 for Coast or LJDS, or by email ARCH@ucsd.edu or LJDS@ucsd.edu and we will provide you with an Appeal Cover Letter. Complete the Appeal Cover Letter, attach your written request and submit it to one of the ARCH offices. Appeals are generally reviewed on a weekly basis so depending on the number of appeals being reviewed it could take several weeks or longer to receive a decision. Once a decision is made by the ARCHAC committee it is final and you will receive written notice of their decision.
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