Forbes Beeler Special Selection Process
A special selection process will be utilized during Room Selection 2025 for assignments in Forbes Beeler Apartments. A special selection process is used prior to General Room Selection because Forbes Beeler offers a unique apartment layout not found anywhere else within university housing, and because the overwhelming popularity of Forbes Beeler means that only a small percentage of Forbes Beeler applicants will have the opportunity to select there (and we want to make sure that that residents have an opportunity to formulate a back-up plan.)
This page includes all of the important dates and details related to this special process. Please read this page in its entirety, as the information below outlines the process steps and expectations. If you have additional questions, please email us at rmassign@andrew.cmu.edu.
Eligibility Requirements
In order for you and your roommate group to be considered for the Forbes Beeler Special Process, individuals and groups must meet the following requirements:
All 4 group members must be eligible for Room Selection (defined as living in campus housing at the time of Room Selection and meeting all other eligibility requirements)
Within the Housing application, the following application steps must be successfully completed:
- All 4 eligible applicants start a housing application beginning February 12, 2025.
- All 4 eligible applications must select "Forbes Beeler Special Process" from the "Application Process Selection" page of the Housing application.
- All 4 eligible applicants must "submit" their application no later than 12 p.m. noon on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
- All 4 eligible applications must be part of a confirmed roommate group consisting of 4 members no later than 12 pm noon on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
Due to the tight turnaround time and the anticipated demand for this building, groups will not be able to participate in the Special Selection Process if:
- Any member of the group is not eligible for Room Selection (i.e. off-campus student applying to return to housing through the waitlist application).
- If any of the 4 group members do not successfully complete the required application components prior to the noon deadline (select "Forbes Beeler Special Process" on the Application Process Selection page, "submit" their application, and form or join a confirmed roommate group of 4).
- If groups alter their group members after timeslots are generated.
- If groups select rooms from two different "sides" of the unit (each side consists of one double, and two single rooms).
Forbes Beeler Special Process Dates and Deadlines:
- February 12 at 9 am - Room Selection application opens for all Room Selection-eligible applicants
- February 19 at 12 pm (noon) - Deadline for all applicants to individually start their application, select "Forbes Beeler" as their process, submit their application, and join a roommate group of 4.
- Afternoon of February 19 - Randomly generated timeslots will be issued; one timeslot will be issued per group; all groups will be notified that they fall into one of the following three categories.
- Will be able to select - These groups received a timeslot within the range of times that we expect will be able to select rooms within Forbes Beeler
- Waitlisted to select - These groups received a timeslot just outside of the range of times that we expect to be able to select a room; however, if an earlier group chooses not to select or doesn't complete the process, waitlisted groups may have an opportunity to select rooms
- Will not be able to select - These groups received a timeslot that fell later than the time that we expect Forbes Beeler to be completely full; these groups will have their applications converted to General Room Selection applications, but will need to return to the application if they wish to make any changes to their roommate group (i.e. change from a group of 4 to a group of 2).
How will the Special Selection Process work?
- Each group of 4 that successfully completes all of the required application steps will be entered into the lottery/timeslot generation process.
- Timeslots will be randomly generated on the afternoon of Wednesday, February 19, and emails will be sent out shortly thereafter. Each group of 4 will receive one timeslot.
- If the number of groups exceeds the max number of timeslots available for selection, some groups will not receive a selection timeslot. Those groups will be notified by email on the afternoon of Wednesday, February 19. Also, some groups may receive a "waitlist" timeslot - these are groups that are not expected to be able to select, however, if groups drop out or for any reason, the waitlist groups will be the next in line based on their timeslot.
- All timeslots will occur on Thursday, February 20, and will run from 9 am to approximately 3:30 pm (official end time will depend on the final number of units determined to be available for selection).
- All 4 group members will receive the same timeslot; based on class schedules and other obligations, groups should appoint one group member to log into the portal at their selection time
- At the assigned timeslot time on Thursday, February 20, one group member should return to the application and the Forbes Beeler Special Process Room Selection pages will be available.
- At that time, the individual selecting for the group will be able to browse available units and select one side of the unit for their roommate group.
- One side of a unit consists of one double bedroom and two single bedrooms - groups should plan in advance who will be assigned to the singles and who will be assigned to the double room.
- Side 1 of the unit will have rooms labeled A, B, and C. Side 2 of the unit will have rooms labeled D, E, and F.
- The gender of the unit will be set by the first group to select one side of the unit. However, if near the end of the day, the gender of the remaining half-unit does not align with the gender of the groups remaining to select, Housing Services will consolidate to allow all groups to be placed. Groups that selected closer to the end of the day will be most likely to be consolidated, although consolidations will only be made if needed.
- If any groups select rooms outside of one side of the unit (i.e. selects the 4 single rooms and leaves the 2 double rooms vacant), the bookings of the entire group will be removed by Housing Services and the group will not be able to reselect.
- If any groups alter their roommate group size from anything other than 4, the bookings of the entire group will be removed by Housing Services and the group will not be able to reselect.
- Applicants whose group did not select (or any applicants who had a timeslot but were not able to select) as of 3:30 pm on Thursday, February 20, will have their application switched to General Room Selection. (However, individuals will need to return to the portal to make alterations to their roommate group if they want to adjust to a group size other than 4).
When reviewing floor plans to determine which rooms make up "one side" of a unit, look for the large living/dining room area that separates the two sides.
In the example below, rooms A, B, and C are one side for a group of 4, and rooms D, E, and F are another side for another group of 4
Frequently Asked Questions about the Forbes Beeler Special Selection Process
What will the cost be for the new Forbes Beeler Apartments?
How many units will there be?
Forbes Beeler Apartments consists of 35 units (that will primarily be filled with groups of 4 residents) for a total of 266 beds. For Room Selection 2025, we estimate that 31 units will be available to general groups, with 56 available sides for groups of four (please note that some units will be half-filled RA units).
A document listing out all available four-person units, as well as indicating which units will be sharing with an RA, will be available prior to Forbes Beeler Selection Day on Thursday, February 20.
Who will be eligible to live in Forbes Beeler Apartments?
How do I know what "one side" of the unit consists of?
When selecting, each group of 4 is limited to only selecting from ONE SIDE of the 8 person unit. Most "sides" consist of one double, and two single rooms. Groups that select rooms from both sides of the unit will have their assignments removed, and the group will not be eligible to reselect.
Below is a sample apartment layout demonstrating what consists of a "side" of the unit. In the example below, rooms A, B, and C are one side, and rooms D, E, and F are the other. Each side is clearly separated by the large combined living and dining room in the center of the unit, and each side has it's own bathroom and kitchen.
When will we be able to see floor plans?
If my group gets a good selection time, can we select with a group of friends that has a later timeslot?
What will happen if we are one of the last groups to select?
There will be a predesignated number of groups to select, and the gender of those units will be known in advance. Groups that select during the second half of the day should be aware that groups may be consolidated to different units if there aren't any remaining units for the gender of the groups still left to select.
Housing Services will try to limit consolidations as much as possible, but groups should understand that the possibility does exist.
How do I alter my roommate group if my group didn't get a timeslot for the Forbes Beeler special process?
For groups that didn't receive a timeslot for the Forbes Beeler special process, those applications will be changed to a General Room Selection applications.
If groups wish to change or alter their roommate groups in any way (i.e. break up their group of 4 into two different groups of 2), applicants should return to the Roommate Groups page of the Room Selection application, and select the "leave" group option. Then, those individuals that left the original group can continue through the application as an individual, or can reform into a new group size with others.
What if I want to cancel after my group selects?
Your Housing Contract goes into effect at the moment that you are assigned to a room for the 25/26 academic year - whether that assignment occurs via self-selection, by being assigned by a roommate group member, or by being assigned by a member of Housing Services (i.e. RA and CA assignments, medical accommodations, etc.) The Housing Contract is legally binding and cancellations will only be permitted for limited, approved reasons, such as withdrawing from the university or taking a leave of absence. Group members should all be on the same page regarding what the group ultimately selects, since the selection of a group of rooms will lock all group members into their housing contract at the time of selection.
If an individual wishes to room change following Forbes Beeler selection, that person can add their name to the room change waitlist for the buildings and room types they are interested in.
Following Forbes Beeler special selection day, roommate groups will no longer "control" the unit, and any vacancies that occur due to approved cancellations (such as students leaving the university) or assignment changes (applicants requesting to be moved to a different building or room type) will be filled exclusively by Housing Services assignments staff based on room change waitlist applicants, and waitlist applicants trying to get back into campus housing.
Will all/any-gender roommate groups be permitted?
Yes, any-gender and all-gender roommate groups will be permitted as part of the Forbes Beeler Special Selection process. Applicants must sign the all-gender agreement through the Housing Portal Form page PRIOR to reaching the Roommate Groups portion of the Room Selection application in order to be able to pair up in all-gender roommate groups.
A few units will be labeled as "co-ed" in advance of Forbes Beeler Selection Day for all-gender groups to consider, but these groups (particularly those with earlier timeslots) can also make an appointment with Housing Services at the time of their timeslot to assist with the selection of a different unit.
Based on the total number of all-gender roommate groups that apply, there will be a limited number of all-gender units. All-Gender groups selecting near the end of the day will likely be limited to only one or two options.
Please keep in mind that the ENTIRE until will be all-gender once one side of the units becomes all-gender.