Frequently Asked Questions About Applying for Housing

To apply for housing, you must be admitted to the university and have a MyCSULB account. You do not need to commit to the university to apply. The housing application can be found on the Housing Portal (located on your MyCSULB SSO). It is highly recommended to complete the application as soon as possible, as we reach full capacity nearly every year. 

Visit our website to learn about important application dates and deadlines.

After completing your housing application and making the license service fee payment, you will receive an automated email to confirm that your application was completed and received. 

You can also check your application status online by logging onto the Housing Portal (from your MyCSULB SSO). 

The license service fee is $275 and is non-refundable. The license service fee is $100 for qualifying students that select the fee deferment option.

The service fee is credited toward your semester housing/meal cost. If you have not paid your license service fee, your housing application is considered incomplete. 

You can pay online through the MyCSULB Housing Portal's secure payment system (CashNet) or send in a personal or cashier's check. Money Orders are not accepted. If paying by check, make checks payable to CSULB. Postmarks will not be honored. Be sure to include your name and Campus ID on all correspondence, on each check, and the completed service fee payment card.

Payments by check can be mailed to:

Cashiers Office BH155
1250 Bellflower Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 9084

When prompted to pay your License Service Fee online, please select “International Payment”. This will reroute you to our foreign currency payment partner, Convera, to complete your transaction.

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If you are making an international payment, do not select to pay by credit card or bank account payment. The transaction will be denied, which will delay the completion of your Housing Application.

New applicants will be notified of their housing status (confirmed or waitlisted) shortly after the priority deadline. Communication will be sent to your preferred email address, until campus switches it to your CSULB student email. It is imperative that you check your email and the CSULB Housing Portal often for any updates to your status. We will continue to confirm applicants throughout the summer. 

Please note: A completed housing application does not guarantee a confirmed space in housing.

Our primary method of communication is email. Please be sure to update your email accounts to mark housing@csulb.edu as a safe sender. We will use your CSULB email address in communications. You can also log into the Housing Portal to read any messages and updates. 

Applicants will be contacted about their housing status depending on their classification. Visit our website to see important application dates. 

Housing is not guaranteed to any student, regardless of class level. However, we do prioritize housing spaces to new residents.  

If you have been notified that you are on a waitlist, you can call or email the Housing Office to get an update on your waitlist number.

This is difficult to predict as it varies from year to year. It depends on the number of students who change their decision related to housing or to attending CSULB after their initial acceptance of housing confirmation. Some years we go quite deep into the waitlist and others we do not. We encourage students to look for alternative housing options as it is unpredictable if/when spaces will become available. It is imperative that students constantly check their emails to see if they are offered a space. Our office will be contacting them using their CSULB email address.

The waitlist can also exist a few weeks after the semester starts. This is to account for no-shows, last-minute cancellations, and situations where students request to vacate soon after move-in.

There are approximately 2600 beds for new students in Housing. If you apply before the priority deadline, the 2600 students at the greatest distance from campus with completed applications and paid service fee will receive housing priority. If you apply by the priority deadline but our initial capacity has been reached based on the distance calculator, you may be placed on the waitlist. All applications received after the priority deadline will be placed on a waitlist based upon date of application. 

You can cancel your application by logging into the Housing Portal. If you experience issues with cancelling your application on the Housing Portal, please contact the Housing Office and we can assist you.

If your admission was rescinded or you have withdrawn your admission, it is imperative that you cancel your housing application through the Housing Portal (even if you have already cancelled with the Admission or Enrollment Services Office).

Please refer to the Cancellation Policy to read more about cancellation fees and policies.

• Canceling while on the waitlist: Your service fee is refundable.
• Canceling after receiving a confirmed space: Your service fee is non-refundable. 

Academic Year Application:

• Roommate selection: All confirmed students are given a timeframe to select a roommate on the Housing Portal.
• Room selection: Housing will complete all room assignments based on preferences indicated on your Housing Application.

Spring Semester Application:

• Roommate and room selection: All roommate and room assignments will be done by Housing Office personnel, based upon your room type preference and profile answers that you answered on your Housing Application.

When completing your housing application, you can rank the thematic community you are interested in. If you are not interested in a thematic community, please select “General Housing” as your first choice. We try to honor your thematic community preference based on availability. If you wish to change your thematic community preferences, log back into the Housing Portal and update your preferences before the set deadline.

The benefits of housing for first year students have been proven to be highly impactful. We want to allow as many students as possible to experience and benefit from housing. Also, first-year students are less likely to be knowledgeable about the areas of Long Beach that are most appropriate for student housing. Returners have more experience with the area and are generally able to make more informed decisions about their housing. Finally, as some of our first-year students arrive start their education before they are 18, they are not old enough to sign a lease for an off-campus apartment.