Living with Others

Living in university housing will enrich your freshman year. Joining a community of fellow residents, faculty, and staff members and engaging in activities and programs will broaden your interests and support your studies.

Gender-Specific Housing In USC residence halls, men and women are typically assigned to different wings or floors with separate bathroom facilities. In buildings with apartments or suites, each individual unit is designated for a single gender. Gender-inclusive housing is also available for freshmen. Contact the Division of Student Affairs regarding application requirements and space availability.

The Roommate Experience One of the most anticipated events for college students is meeting their roommates. Living with new people is an opportunity to learn from others and share experiences. Students have different expectations regarding roommate relationships. Some people simply want a person who is easy to live with, whereas others are looking for a new best friend. You don’t have to be best friends to be good roommates. In fact, it can be easier to live with someone when you spend most of your time with other people. What is important is learning to adjust to new people.

Roommate Requests If you have a specific roommate in mind, one of you will need to form a roommate group in our online portal, then invite the other to join the group. Everyone in the group must list identical housing preferences, including any special interest programs, when completing their housing applications. You can search for your requested roommate on the “Search by Known Roommates” page of the housing portal and then add them to your application.

Online Roommate Matching Most new students do not have a specific roommate in mind when they apply. Our online roommate-matching process will help you search for and contact potential roommates. To use this feature, follow the instructions on page 33 for registering with USC Housing. Profile questions will ask you about your study and sleep habits, level of cleanliness and what you like to do in your spare time. Your answers will be used by our search tool to match you with students who have similar habits and interests.

You will be prompted to create a screen name, enabling you to participate anonymously in the matching process. USC does not use your screen name for any other purpose. (Note: Screen names deemed inappropriate or offensive will be deleted and information about their use forwarded to Student Judicial Affairs as necessary.) Once you apply, you can use our website to search for roommates. You will be provided with potential roommates’ screen names and be able to review their answers to the profile questions. Using screen names, you can then contact anyone you think may be a good match for you. If you find someone compatible, log in to the online application and create a roommate group. USC Housing will make every effort to honor your request but cannot guarantee that it will be fulfilled. Once you have been assigned, you may no longer search for roommates.

Roommate Assignments If, like most freshmen, you do not have a specific request, you will be assigned a roommate based on gender, building assignment and the information in the “Your Profile” section of your housing application. Unlike requested roommates, these matches are subject to change as students are reassigned.

Roommate Information For applicants participating in roommate matching, updated roommate information will be available on our website as assignments are completed. You will communicate with your roommate or roommates by screen name and may share contact information as you see fit.