1. Why is there a housing lottery process?
The lottery process is used when demand for a home is expected to exceed available supply. Rather than awarding homes on a first-come, first-served basis or through subjective selection, the lottery provides a fair and transparent way to allocate opportunities among eligible faculty.
The system is designed to balance three priorities:
- Fairness: giving all eligible participants a meaningful chance
- Transparency: using a random, auditable selection method
- Access over time: increasing the likelihood of selection for those who have participated without success
By combining a random drawing with accumulated entries, the process recognizes both equal opportunity and persistence.
2. Why not just sell homes on a first-come, first-served basis?
A first-come, first-served approach can disadvantage faculty who are unavailable at the moment a listing opens or who need time to evaluate a purchase decision.
The lottery ensures that all eligible participants have a reasonable and equitable opportunity to participate within a defined timeframe, rather than rewarding speed alone.
3. Why do additional entries accumulate over time?
Additional entries recognize continued participation by those who have not yet been successful.
Participants earn one additional entry for each unsuccessful lottery they enter, increasing their likelihood of selection over time.
4. Is the lottery truly random?
Yes. The selection process uses a best-practice random-number generated drawing.
Each participant’s number of entries determines how many chances they have in the drawing, but the selection itself is random.
5. Why are some homes not offered through the lottery?
In limited circumstances, certain homes may not be made available via a lottery, and may be allocated outside of it to meet institutional priorities.
When a home is offered through the lottery, the published process governs the selection order.
6. Why are there consequences for declining a home after being selected?
Entering the lottery is intended to reflect a genuine intent to purchase. Without consequences for declining, participants could enter multiple lotteries without meaningful commitment, reducing opportunities for others, and potentially gaining an advantage by accumulating additional entries without ever intending to proceed.
These consequences help preserve fairness across the participant pool.
7. What happens if I win more than one lottery at the same time?
If you are selected for multiple homes, you may only proceed with one purchase.
Declining a selected home will trigger the standard consequences for declining.
8. What happens if no offers are received by the deadline?
If no offers are received by the deadline, the home may be offered on a first‑come, first‑served basis rather than through a lottery.
9. Can I withdraw my offer after submitting it but before the lottery?
Yes, subject to any applicable withdrawal deadlines.
Withdrawing before the lottery does not count as a decline and does not affect your accumulated entries.
10. What if my financial situation changes after I submit an offer?
You should notify FSH as soon as possible.
If you are unable to proceed after being offered the home, it will be treated as a decline under the lottery rules.
11. What happens if I am selected but cannot complete the purchase?
If a selected participant does not complete the transaction, it is treated as a decline and the next participant in the lottery order may be offered the home.
12. What is a “dual‑eligible couple,” and how do they participate in the lottery?
A dual-eligible couple is a household in which both individuals independently meet the eligibility requirements to purchase Stanford housing.
Each individual is treated as a separate participant in the lottery, with their own accumulated entries and participation history.
To participate, they may submit an offer separately using their unique logins.Dual-eligible couples may use the same prequalification letter if it reflects their shared financial qualification. Participation requirements, such as attending a tour, may be satisfied by either attending individually or designating a proxy in accordance with program requirements.
13. What are the next steps once I win the lottery?
If you are offered a lottery home, FSH will contact you with next steps, including confirmation of your intent to proceed, execution of purchase documents, and timeline requirements.
Failure to proceed within the required timeframe may be treated as a decline.
14. Are accumulated entries transferrable?
No. Accumulated entries belong only to the original entrant and cannot be transferred for use by another.