Housing & Dining

Only students and certain staff members are permitted in residence halls during the fall semester. Any person who is a member of the Cornell campus community, such as a student who has participated in arrival and surveillance testing, and has completed the re-entry checklist and submitted that day's Daily Check, may enter residential buildings and even student rooms if invited.

• Students must have explicit permission from their roommates and/or suitemates before a guest will be permitted in shared space. Please see the Shared Living Space During COVID-19 video for ideas on how to engage roommates in these important discussions.
• The maximum number of individuals allowed in any residence hall room at a time is the number of individuals assigned to that room plus one. The maximum number of individuals allowed in suite common areas is the number of individuals assigned to that suite. If a room door is open to the common area, then that room is considered part of the common area.
• Guests who are not residents in that building must use a public restroom in the building, and not the restrooms assigned to specific residents. Guests must be escorted by the resident to the public restroom.
• All students and their guests, including overnight guests, are subject to guest and escort terms of the House Rules and Community Standards, Housing Terms & Conditions, and special circumstance terms related to COVID-19.

As stated in the university's travel and visitor policy, visitors, including parents, other family members and alumni, will not be permitted in campus facilities, including residence halls. Students may visit other residence halls. Students are responsible for adhering to the guest policy as stipulated in the Cornell Behavioral Compact.

Cornell has implemented significant restrictions on visitors as a way to de-densify campus and prevent individuals from unknowingly bringing COVID-19 into the community. According to the current Cornell travel and visitor policy, no individual (friend, family member, or other guest) may enter Cornell campus facilities (i.e. residence halls, dining facilities, libraries, community centers, academic buildings, etc.) unless they are a current student, staff, or faculty member approved to be on campus.

Only certain outdoor spaces (i.e. the trail around Beebe Lake and the Botanic Gardens) at Cornell are open to visitors and guests at this time. Cornell’s mask and physical distancing policy must be followed by students, faculty, staff and visitors. Please check prior to visiting any specific site to understand if the location you want to visit is open and accessible to the public.

All travelers and visitors must follow CDC guidelines and New York State travel policies. Additionally, visitors must adhere to the New York State Travel Advisory which requires all travelers coming from states with significant rates of transmission of COVID-19 to quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of their last contact and complete the Traveler Health Form. Visitors from these states are not permitted on campus until the end of the 14-day quarantine period.

Yes, however all travelers and visitors must follow CDC guidelines and New York State travel policies. Additionally, visitors must adhere to the New York State Travel Advisory which requires all travelers coming from states with significant rates of transmission of COVID-19 to quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of their last contact and complete the Traveler Health Form.

Students living on campus can arrange to have items shipped to their campus address and picked up at their assigned service center. If family or friends bring items to campus, the student can meet them in a parking lot close to their residence hall (parking restrictions apply). Visitors who are not included in Cornell's arrival and surveillance testing program (or are otherwise approved per policy) should stay with their vehicle and under no circumstances are permitted inside Cornell-owned housing.

In addition, visitors must adhere to the New York State Travel Advisory which requires all travelers coming from states with significant rates of transmission of COVID-19 to quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of their last contact and complete the Traveler Health Form. Visitors from these states are not permitted on campus until the end of the 14-day quarantine period.

We realize that it will be impractical for some student residents to leave campus prior to the Thanksgiving holiday break. On-campus housing and dining will be available for the periods from Thanksgiving through Dec. 21 and from Dec. 21 until the start of the spring semester. Applications will be available Oct. 5 on the Housing Portal. Please note:

• Remaining in on-campus housing will require a meal plan.
• Fall 2020 financial aid covers Thanksgiving through Dec. 21. It does not cover Winter Break, as classes will not be in session.

Consistent with New York state guidelines for dining, and to ensure proper physical distancing, all dining halls are providing to-go service, touchless payment methods are in place and overall sanitation will continue to be an utmost priority. Limited in-person dining options are available using OpenTable. Visit Cornell Dining for additional details.

Students who are placed in quarantine or isolation housing will be provided food delivery at no additional cost.