Community Policies

Students, or postdocs, eligible for couple or family housing must certify their couple or family status prior to move-in. Office of Housing Services is unable to provide housing to accommodate friends or relatives other than in very limited number to partners and/or dependent children. If both partners are affiliates and are eligible for housing, only one application will be considered and one offer given (if approved).

Please review our Couples Housing page for full details related to couples housing at CUIMC.

Columbia University Irving Medical Center provides disability housing accommodations to students whose disabilities substantially limit their abilities to live in our traditional housing units.

If you are interested in disability housing accommodations, complete and submit the request form. You must be eligible for University housing in order to apply for disability housing. You can also visit the Disability Services website, call 212-304-7029, or email disability@columbia.edu.

While requests for disability housing accommodations submitted after these dates will be considered, we can't guarantee we'll be able to meet late applicants’ accommodation needs, including any requests that are submitted during the semester. Housing accommodations approved after the deadline are contingent upon availability and current vacancies. 

Please avoid overcrowded elevators and give yourself more time to avoid high volume elevator usage; consider taking the stairs if you are able to do so.

If an elevator is out of service or is not functioning properly and an out-of-service notice is not posted on the elevator, please inform the buildings Door Attendant or Public Safety Officer and submit a work order. When necessary, an elevator service contractor will be contacted and will respond within one to two hours, depending upon the day, time and the availability of service mechanics.

If a passenger is trapped in the elevator, please contact Public Safety at (212) 305-7979 and the Office of Housing Services. 

Gender-neutral housing allows students to reside with other students regardless of sex, gender, gender identity, or gender expression. This option is intended for students who wish to share a room or apartment with other students who identify differently than themselves.

The Office of Housing Services is committed to increasing students' active decision-making and engagement in their housing environment. Offering a gender-inclusive housing option to all students allows increased choice in selecting housing.

In apartment shares, gender neutral housing requests may be accommodated in two-bedroom or three-bedroom apartments. Rooms in 50 Haven Ave. are single occupancy rooms but the community bathrooms on each floor are gender inclusive, except for three floors, where one floor is designated for male-identifying students and two others for female-identifying students. 

The Office of Housing Services discourages students who are in a romantic relationship–regardless of sex, gender, gender identity or gender expression–to live together in shared apartments. Students in romantic relationships are advised to apply for couples housing. 

Current residents have access to the common areas of all residence halls/apartments. While this provides convenient access for all residents in CUIMC on-campus housing, a student is considered a guest across the residential community when in any space other than their contractually assigned room. Students in a building, apartment or room other than their contractual assignment must respect the time and frequency limitations as established below for all guests. 

A resident is permitted to host a guest provided there is no interference with the rights of a roommate and provided further that the visit is consistent with the terms of this policy. 

• Overnight stays for one guest are limited to five days in any consecutive 30 day period. Residents may only host up to two guests at one time.
• Residents may host guests only in the room or suite in which they reside.
• Hosts must check with their roommate(s)/suitemate(s) for approval before inviting a guest to the room. If the roommate(s) do not approve, the guest cannot stay in the room.
• Host must stay on-campus and be present while the guest is visiting and cannot leave the guest alone for an extended period of time (more than 8 hours)
• Guests ten years of age or younger must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian in order to gain access to a residential building.
• Residents may not accept any payment, service, barter, or other remuneration from a guest in exchange for the guest's ability to stay in a room or suite. The University considers any such payment to be a violation to a resident's contract or lease agreement.
• An overnight stay is defined as any stay within the hours of 11 p.m. and 8 a.m.
• Repetition of visits by the same guest(s) over consecutive periods of time is not permitted.
• Any resident who hosts a guest for more than one week will be issued a guest violation, which may result in a loss of on-campus housing. 
• Guests must be accommodated in their host’s room and are not allowed to sleep in floor lounges or other public spaces.
• The Office of Housing Services, Public Safety, and other University staff reserve the right to limit the number of guests who may be signed into the residence halls by one host.
• Hosts are responsible for the actions of their guests during their stay. The definition of a host shall not be limited solely to the individual who signed the guest in, but may also include other residents who the guest has come to visit, or those individuals accompanying the guest at the time of any violation.
• Guests must abide by all Office of Housing Services policies as well as any federal, state, and city laws. 
• Failure to abide by the terms of the guest policy may result in guest privileges being revoked.
• Residents with concerns regarding guests should talk to the host, and then, if necessary, with the Office of Housing Services. 
• The Office of Housing Services, Public Safety, and other University staff reserve the right to revoke a guest's access to the building if the guest disturbs or creates any difficulties for other residents.

Obtaining a Guest Pass

In order for guests to enter and exit their hosts’ residence hall/apartment, they must obtain a Guest Pass. To obtain a guest pass, the host should complete the Guest/Visitor Request form in the housing portal. Most guests passes are now automatically sent within seconds of sending in a request.

As a reminder, guests should abide by all policies that are in place during their time of visit.

Request a Guest Pass

Card-operated laundry facilities are available to all residents, located throughout your assigned building. Washing machines and dryers are available to residents in the manner and at the times building staff or other representatives of Office of Housing Services may direct.

Please report problems to laundry equipment to the Office of Housing Services so a technician can be called to repair the machines. 

When sending packages to your new residence, keep in mind that packages can only be accepted on your behalf 7 days prior to your official move-in date.

Mailing address for 50 Haven Ave; Towers 1, 2, and 3; 154 Haven Ave. and Georgian Residence :
Your Name
60 Haven Ave., UNI#
New York, NY 10032

390 Fort Washington mailing address:
Your Name
390 Ft. Washington Ave
Unit #
New York, NY 10033

Package Pick-up Locations by Residential Building

390 Fort Washington Ave.: Packages may be delivered to the lobby; however, if a package needs a signature, you must sign for it. Security will not sign or hold packages.

All other Residential Buildings: Residents may pick up their packages and mail at the centralized mailroom and package center, 1st Floor of Tower 1, open Monday–Friday, 10:00 a.m. –7:00 p.m. and Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 

Non-emergency maintenance requests may be submitted online (UNI authentication required).

Emergency maintenance requests should be submitted by calling (212) 305-HELP, option 2. The CUIMC Facilities Management Customer Service Center is staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

The Faculty Club offers a semester-long student meal plan that is available to all Columbia University Irving Medical Center students, part- or full-time. Review the meal plan details to learn more about the program, schedule and pricing. 

Dogs, cats, and any other animals are not permitted in any apartment or residence hall at CUIMC. Service and assistant animals first must be approved by the Office of Disability Services before being allowed into housing. 

Residents may not block or leave anything in or on fire escapes, sidewalks, entrances, driveways, elevators, stairways or halls. Public access ways may be used only for entering and leaving the unit and building. Baby carriages, bicycles or other property may not be left in halls, passageways, public areas or courts of the building.

All residents must cooperate with CUIMC and New York City’s recycling programs. Separate all newspapers, corrugated cardboard, and magazines, and rinse and separate jars, bottles, and cans before placing them in the designated recycling area of your building. Recycling and regular sanitation procedures are posted in your building. If you have any questions, contact the superintendent or Operations Manager of your building. 

Learn more about the medical center's energy and sustainability initiatives and NYC's Zero Waste program.

The Office of Housing Services is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and supportive experience for all students. We recognize student observance of their faith tradition may require provision for reasonable accommodation. We will work with students in an effort to meet their individual needs and will engage in an interactive process to determine reasonable accommodations.

To submit a request for accommodation based on religious observance, the following Religious Observance Request form must be submitted within five business days of submission of the housing application:

Religious Accommodation Documentation

• This document must be received and signed by the student requesting accommodation AND the student's religious leader. Contact information for the religious leader must be included for follow-up.

Statement of Support from your Religious Leader

• This supporting documentation must be on the religious leader's organizational letterhead. The purpose of this letter is to affirm for the student's current and sincerely-held religious/faith practice and provide support for their request for reasonable accommodation.

Requests submitted after housing assignments have been made may not be able to be accommodated. If the Office of Housing Services becomes aware that false information was submitted on behalf of an applicant, we may not accept the forms or may cancel the housing contract.

The Office of Housing Services does not provide storage space on campus. It can, however, recommend local companies that could be of assistance to CUIMC students. 

Trash and refuse must be disposed of in specified containers. Residents may not sweep or throw any dirt, garbage or other substances out of the windows or into any of the halls, elevators or elevator shafts. Carpets, rugs or other articles may not be hung or shaken out of any window of the building.