Gender Neutral Housing

Gender Neutral housing allows for upperclass students to form room selection groups and/or select room spaces without regard to legal sex.

The Inter-Residence Hall Counsel, with a student Gender Neutral Task Force, made a proposal last year for increased gender inclusion in the housing process for upperclass students. This proposal has been used to help define and implement a Gender Neutral housing option.

The term co-ed operates on the assumption that there are two genders: male and female. It leaves little room for the progressive theories on gender, and no room for those who do not identify as their biological sex or those who are transgender. This idea of Gender Neutral Housing is based on the notion that there are more than two genders, in fact an infinite amount. Allowing for gender neutral housing, as opposed to co-ed, shows more inclusiveness and room for diverse identities.

Over 100 universities offer Gender Neutral Housing options on their campuses.  Here are just some of those universities:

Columbia University

Harvard University

Princeton University

Rutgers University

Stanford University

University of California

Any student that is eligible for the Undergraduate Housing Reapplication and Room Selection process will have the opportunity to select the Gender Neutral housing option.

The Gender Neutral housing option is only being offered as part of the returning undergraduate process at this time. Geographic diversity is a variable in the room assignment process for first year students in order to promote global citizenship and prepare students to take an active role in the Global Network University. Since this policy will directly impact a student’s ability to request another incoming student as a roommate, the Gender Neutral option is not being offered to first year students. However, the Gender Identity assignment preference is still a part of the first year application and assignment process.

You can select the Gender Neutral housing option during Phase 1 of the Undergraduate Housing Reapplication process.

Room assignments are made by New York University on the basis of the legal sex of the student, which is the sex that appears on government issued IDs or legal documents.

Though students will be able to group and/or select rooms without regard to legal sex, we are unable to guarantee that you will room with someone of a different gender. If an individual goes into the Gender Neutral Housing process without a specific roommate request, they will be able to select into suites that have been opened by other students who have selected Gender Neutral housing. In addition, if a Gender Neutral suite cannot be filled with students that have opted into the Gender Neutral option, the members of the suite will need to be re-assigned based on their legal sex.

No. Students will still have the option to group and select rooms based on their legal sex.

Students will be able to select into any available hall via the regular Room Selection process.

No. Students who select the Gender Neutral option will receive their selection times based on the same priority system as students who choose to group and/or select based on their legal sex.

Mixed-Sex housing allowed four students, two legal sex males and two legal sex females, to select into a quad (two bedroom, four person suite) together. Gender Neutral housing allows students to group and/or select any available room without regard to legal sex.

Participants will commit to living in Gender Neutral housing for one full academic year. Students may reapply for Gender Neutral Housing for the following year if they meet housing eligibility requirements of the Undergraduate Reapplication process.

Students can participate in the Post Selection Room Change process if they no longer wish to be considered for Gender Neutral housing. Unfortunately, changes to this preference cannot be accommodated during the Room Selection process.

Students can participate in the Post Selection Room Change process if they wish to be considered for Gender Neutral housing. Unfortunately, changes to this preference cannot be accommodated during the Room Selection process.

If a vacancy occurs, the Office of Residential Life and Housing Services reserves the right to one of the following: place an “unassigned” Gender Neutral housing applicant into the suite, leave the vacancy open and combine two or more under-capacity suites, or convert the room to a single legal-sex room. This decision will be made at the Office of Residential Life and Housing Services’ discretion but reasonable accommodations will be made wherever possible.

No. Gender Neutral Housing is an option for any student who wishes to group and/or select a room without regard to legal sex.

Gender Neutral Housing is not intended for romantic couples, however, we respect and honor the privacy of our students. Current housing procedures do not require students to disclose the reason for their roommate requests. We encourage students to make mature decisions about their living arrangements, and make roommate choices that will help them experience a successful academic year.

We encourage students to maintain an open dialogue with their families so that they can be supportive of a student’s housing decision.