University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown

Upper-Class Group Housing

 

Jump to:  What's considered a group?  |  Step-by-Step Group Application Process  |  How to Accept a Group Invitation 

Group housing is a great way to create an on-campus living environment where you and your friends can reside in the same location.  Group housing is available in Willow Hall, Townhouses, College Park Apartment, and lodges (please note group housing is different from Organizational Housing). 

What’s Different this Year?

With our conversion to a new housing system, the following changes have been made for this year:

  • Groups will only need to submit ONE group application.  In the past, groups were required to submit separate applications for each area of interest (Willow, CPA, townhouses, etc.).  Beginning this year, group leaders will rank-order their areas of interest. 
  • Group applications will be submitted in the new housing portal and NOT Pitt Passport.

What are the Requirements for Group Housing?

  • Students should form a group composed of the appropriate number of members based on where they wish to live. 
  • All members of a group must have completed their 2025-2026 housing application paid the $150 deposit BEFORE the group is formed. 
  • One member of the group should be designated "group leader."  This person will be responsible for submitting the application, checking email messages frequently and responding in a timely manner, and communicating with the group members.
  • Each group member will receive an email notifying them that they have been invited to join the group.  All members must accept the invitation by following the instructions in the email message.  Members who fail to accept the invitation within one week will be disqualified, which will then make their group ineligible for consideration.
  • A student cannot be a member of more than one group housing application.  A student who is part of an organizational housing application cannot be listed on a group application, otherwise the group will be disqualified.

How Many Members Must be in a Group?

The group size must equal the number of beds available in their preferred living area.  A private room request cannot be substituted for a group member. 

Three People:

  • CPA 3-person (1 shared bedroom and 1 private bedroom)

Four People:

  • Willow Hall 4-person (all private bedrooms)
  • Townhouse 4-person (2 shared bedrooms)
  • CPA 4-person (2 shared bedrooms)
  • Lodge 4-person (2, 2-person rooms connected by a shared bathroom)

Five People:

  • Willow Hall 5-person (4 private bedrooms and 1 shared bedroom)
  • Townhouse 5-person (1 shared bedroom and 1 tripled bedroom)

Eight People:

  • Lodge 8-person (4 2-person rooms connected by a shared bathroom in either a private lodge or private floor)

Who's Eligible for Group Housing?

Students must be enrolled for the current spring term in order to be included as a member on a group housing application.  Students who are not currently enrolled can be included if all of the following conditions are met:

  • Student resided on campus for at least five weeks during the 2025 Spring Term
  • Student officially withdrew from all 2025 Spring Term classes
  • Student’s account must be in good standing with the University
  • Student is enrolled for the 2026 fall term (it is the student’s responsibility to notify the Housing Office staff when they have enrolled for the fall term)

How is Group Housing Awarded?

  1. Group applications are first reviewed to ensure they have the required number of members. 
  2. If the group has the required number of members it will be evaluated based on the combined number of terms each member has resided on campus (terms-in-residence). 
  3. Applications are reviewed and approved according to the group’s preferences and combined terms-in-residence in the following order Willow Hall, townhouses, CPA, and lodges. 
  4. Group leaders are informed via email of whether or not their application has been approved.  If a group is approved the email message will confirm the area for which they have been approved along with a date and time when they can log into the system and assign their group members to specific rooms/beds in the unit.  The date and time are based on the group’s terms-in-residence.  If the group leader will not be available during their group’s assigned time, they can assign the role of leader to another member.

Common Reasons for Group Housing Applications NOT being Approved

  • One or more members did not submit an individual housing application for 2025-2026.
  • Not all members accepted the invitation to join the group.
  • The group did not have the required number of members based on where they wish to live.
  • The group had a lower number of terms-in-residence than other groups.

Step-by-Step Instructions

These instructions are for the group leader and will walk you through all of the steps required to successfully submit a group housing application.

  1. Log into the Housing Portal: upj.starrezhousing.com/StarRezPortalX
  2. Click on "Housing Application" at the top of the page.  
  3. Click “continue” next to Academic Year 2025-2026.
  4. On the selection process page, click the drop-down and select “group process,” then click “save and continue”.
  5. You will be on the Group Process Roommates page.  Please read the information on the page before beginning the process.
  6. You must add the required number of roommates for the area in which you wish to be housed.  Please note:  Your invited group members have one week to accept or decline the invitation.
  7. Once you have added all your roommates, click "save and continue" to select your preferred housing.
  8. On the Group Selection Preferences page, rank order your preferred building preferences.  Please read the information provided on the page.  Once you rank your preferences, they cannot be changed.
  9. Once you have created your rankings, you are done for now.  Qualified groups will be determined based on group terms in residence and group leaders will be notified for which of their preferences they have qualified.

How Do I Accept a Group Invitation?

If you are invited to be part of a housing group, you will receive an email notification.  You must respond to this message within one week, otherwise you and your group will be disqualified from the process.  Here are the steps to accept the invitation:

  1. Log into the Housing Portal: upj.starrezhousing.com/StarRezPortalX
  2. Click on the "Group Process Roommates" option on the left.
  3. Click "accept" or "decline."