Overview
Manual assignment allows you to assign approved students to specific beds using three different methods. Each method provides a different starting point depending on whether you're working from the student's record, browsing occupancy, or managing inventory directly. Understanding when to use each method—and the critical distinction between individual and group assignments—is essential for efficient housing operations.
Who this is for: Housing directors, assignment managers, and residence life staff who assign students to beds.
What you'll learn: Three methods for manually assigning students, the assignment confirmation workflow, how to assign individuals vs. roommate groups, and when to use each method.
Duration: 20 minutes
When to Use Manual Assignment
Use manual assignment when:
You have specific placement requirements or special circumstances
You're assigning small numbers of students (under 20)
You need to override ruleset recommendations
You're handling accommodations or unique requests
You're placing student staff (RAs) or athletes with early move-in
You need precise control over roommate pairings
For large batches where rulesets can efficiently match students, use auto-assignment (covered in PLS-8D) instead.
The Three Manual Assignment Methods
Housing.Cloud provides three entry points for manual assignment. The workflow is the same—only the starting point differs.
Method 1: From Application Review Page
Best for: Assigning while reviewing applications, or when you're already on a student's application page.
Steps:
Navigate to Applications
Click a student's name to open their application review page
Locate the Current Assignment card
Click the Assign Bed button
What happens: If the student is in a roommate group, a menu appears with two options: "This Application" (individual) or "Entire Roommate Group" (group). If not in a group, assignment modal opens directly.
Method 2: From Resident Detail Page
Best for: Changing an existing assignment or reassigning a student who already has housing.
Steps:
Navigate to Residents
Click a student's name to open their residency detail page
Click Quick Actions (top right)
Select Change Bed from the dropdown
What happens: Assignment modal opens showing the student's current bed assignment in a sidebar. You select a new bed, and the system transfers them.
Feature Requirement: The "Change Bed" option requires the CHANGE_ROOM feature to be enabled. If you don't see this option, contact your super admin.
Method 3: From Occupancy Graph
Best for: Visual bed management, filling specific empty beds, or direct placement when viewing occupancy timelines.
Steps:
Navigate to Inventory → Buildings → [Building Name] → Occupancy
View the occupancy Gantt chart showing bed availability over time
Click on an available bed slot in the timeline
Assignment modal opens with the bed and date pre-filled
Search for and select the student to assign
What happens: You can directly assign students to specific beds by clicking into the occupancy graph. The bed location and dates are pre-populated.
Choose Your Starting Point: All three methods lead to the same assignment confirmation workflow. Pick the method that matches where you're working—reviewing applications (Method 1), managing residents (Method 2), or viewing occupancy (Method 3).
Individual vs. Group Assignment
The assignment workflow changes significantly depending on whether you're assigning a single student or a roommate group.
Assigning an Individual Student
When this applies: Student is not in a roommate group, or you chose "This Application" from the menu.
Workflow:
Click Assign Bed (opens directly, no menu)
Room selection modal opens with header: "Assign Bed for this Application"
View shows Rooms by default (accommodation type: Room)
Browse available rooms or filter by building, room type, tags
Click on a room card to select it
Modal shows "Choose a bed" (singular)
Select a specific bed within the room
Proceed through confirmation steps
Assigning a Roommate Group
When this applies: Student is in a roommate group and you chose "Entire Roommate Group" from the menu.
Workflow:
Click Assign Bed → Menu appears
Select "Entire Roommate Group"
Room selection modal opens with header: "Assign Beds for the Entire Roommate Group"
Footer shows profile avatars of all group members
View shows Suites by default (accommodation type: Suite)
Browse available suites large enough for the group
Click on a suite card to select it
Modal shows "Choose a bed for each roommate" (plural)
For suite accommodations: First select the room for each member, then select the bed within that room
Each student must have a bed assigned before continuing
Proceed through confirmation steps
Group Assignment Requirements: When assigning a roommate group, you must assign ALL members together in the same suite. The system won't let you proceed until every group member has a bed selected. If the suite doesn't have enough beds, you'll need to choose a larger suite or break up the group.
The Assignment Confirmation Workflow
After selecting a bed (or beds for a group), you proceed through a 4-step confirmation process:
Step 1: Assignments
Subtitle: "Assign students to a new bed"
What you do: Verify the bed selection for each student. For groups, confirm each member has the correct bed. You can adjust bed selections here if needed.
Requirement: All students must have a bed selected. Cannot assign two students to the same bed.
Step 2: Ruleset Review
Subtitle: "Check assignments against rulesets"
What you see: Any violations of hard rules from YOUR ruleset (created in PLS-4) appear here.
Examples of violations:
"Student tagged 'Quiet Hours' must room with 'Quiet Hours' roommate" - but assigned roommate doesn't have this tag
"Student tagged 'ADA Accessible' must be assigned to room with 'ADA' tag" - but selected room doesn't have ADA tag
Your options: Acknowledge the violations and continue anyway, or go back and adjust the assignment to comply with rules.
Rules Are Warnings, Not Blocks: During manual assignment, ruleset violations appear as warnings but don't prevent you from completing the assignment. This gives you flexibility to override rules when you have specific reasons. Auto-assignment (PLS-8D) treats hard rules differently.
Step 3: Charges & Fees
Subtitle: "Add new charges or optional fees"
What you see: Housing charges based on YOUR charge codes (configured in PLS-6).
What you do:
Review automatically calculated charges
Optionally add additional fees (damage deposits, administrative fees)
See transaction summary
Example: Student is assigned to a double room priced at $5,000 per semester. The charge code you configured in PLS-6 automatically applies this rate. You see a $5,000 charge in this step.
Step 4: Confirmation
Subtitle: "Review and finalize assignment changes"
What you see: Complete summary of:
All students being assigned
Their bed assignments (Building → Suite → Room → Bed)
All charges and fees
What you do: Review everything carefully, then click Confirm to finalize.
What happens after confirmation:
Residency record(s) created with status "Assigned"
Application status changes from "Approved" to "Resident"
Bed status changes to "Occupied" or "Assigned"
Housing charges are posted to student accounts
Student receives notification (if enabled)
Modal closes and assignment card updates
Comparing the Three Methods
Method |
Starting Point |
Best For |
Shows Current Assignment |
|---|---|---|---|
Method 1 |
Application Review Page |
Reviewing and assigning during application processing |
No |
Method 2 |
Resident Detail Page |
Changing existing assignments or reassigning current residents |
Yes (sidebar shows current bed) |
Method 3 |
Occupancy Graph |
Filling specific empty beds or visual occupancy management |
No (but graph shows all occupancy) |
Room vs. Suite Selection
The modal shows different accommodation types depending on whether you're assigning an individual or a group:
Individual Assignment = Room View
Accommodation type defaults to Room
Grid shows individual rooms with available bed counts
Select a room, then select a specific bed within that room
Cannot switch to Suite view for individual assignments
Group Assignment = Suite View
Accommodation type defaults to Suite
Grid shows suites with total bed capacity
Select a suite, then assign each group member to rooms and beds within that suite
All group members must be assigned to the same suite
Why Suite for Groups: Roommate groups must be housed together in the same suite to maintain group cohesion. The system enforces this by defaulting to suite selection for group assignments.
Filtering Available Inventory
In the room/suite selection modal, use filters to find appropriate beds:
Available filters:
Show/hide unavailable rooms: Toggle to see only available inventory
Filter by building: Select specific buildings
Filter by suite: Select specific suites
Filter by room type: Single, double, triple, quad, etc.
Filter by tags: Room features like "ADA Accessible", "Private Bathroom", etc.
Click Clear Filters to reset all filters.
Available Count
The modal header shows the count of available rooms/suites matching your current filters:
"15 rooms available" - for individual assignments
"8 suites available" - for group assignments
This count updates dynamically as you apply filters.
Comparing Options (Optional)
When you select 2 or more rooms/suites, a Comparison button appears.
Use this to:
Compare room features side-by-side
Compare pricing differences
Review amenities and bed types
Make informed decisions between multiple options
Click the comparison button to open a side-by-side view. This helps you choose the best option when multiple beds meet the student's needs.
Practical Examples
Example 1: Assigning a First-Year Student (Individual)
Scenario: You approved Emma's Fall 2025 application. She's not in a roommate group. You need to assign her to a double room in East Hall.
Steps:
Open Emma's application review page (Method 1)
Click Assign Bed
Modal opens showing room view
Filter by Building: "East Hall"
Filter by Room Type: "Double"
Select East Hall Room 201
Choose Bed A
Review ruleset (no violations)
Review charges ($5,000 housing fee)
Confirm assignment
Result: Emma is assigned to East Hall, Room 201, Bed A. Status: Assigned.
Example 2: Assigning a Roommate Group of 3 Students
Scenario: Sarah, Jessica, and Amanda formed a roommate group. All three are approved. You need to assign them together to a triple room.
Steps:
Open Sarah's application review page
Click Assign Bed → Menu appears
Select "Entire Roommate Group"
Modal opens showing suite view with all 3 member avatars
Filter by Room Type: "Triple" or suites with 3+ beds
Select West Hall Suite 5
Assign Sarah to Room 501, Bed A
Assign Jessica to Room 501, Bed B
Assign Amanda to Room 501, Bed C
Review ruleset (check for compatibility violations)
Review charges (3 x $5,000 = $15,000 total)
Confirm assignment
Result: All three students are assigned to West Hall, Suite 5, Room 501 in adjacent beds. All application statuses change to "Resident."
Example 3: Reassigning a Student to a Different Room (Change Bed)
Scenario: Michael is currently in North Hall Room 105 but needs to move to South Hall Room 220 due to a roommate conflict.
Steps:
Navigate to Residents
Search for Michael and click his name
Click Quick Actions
Select Change Bed (Method 2)
Modal opens with right sidebar showing current assignment: "North Hall → Room 105 → Bed A"
Filter by Building: "South Hall"
Select South Hall Room 220
Choose Bed B
Review ruleset violations (if any)
Review charges (may include change fee or rate difference)
Confirm assignment
Result: Michael's original residency in North Hall 105 changes to status "Transferred." A new residency is created for South Hall Room 220 with status "Assigned" (or "Current" if he's already checked in).
Common Assignment Scenarios
Scenario: Student Requests Specific Roommate Not in Group
Challenge: Two students want to room together but didn't form a roommate group during the application phase.
Solution: Assign them individually to beds in the same room. Use Method 1 or Method 3. Assign the first student to Room 301, Bed A. Then assign the second student to Room 301, Bed B.
Scenario: Partially Filled Room Needs One More Student
Challenge: A triple room has 2 students assigned. You need to add a third.
Solution: Use Method 3 (Occupancy Graph). Navigate to the room's occupancy view. Click on the empty bed in the timeline. Assign the third student to the available bed.
Scenario: Student Needs ADA-Accessible Room
Challenge: Student requires specific accessibility features.
Solution: In the assignment modal, filter by tags. Select tag "ADA Accessible." Only rooms with this tag will appear. Assign student to one of the filtered rooms.
Troubleshooting Manual Assignment
Issue: No Rooms/Suites Appear in Modal
Cause: Filters are too restrictive, or all inventory is occupied for the selected date range.
Solution: Click "Clear Filters" to reset. Adjust the assignment start/end dates. Verify you have available beds in the system for this cycle.
Issue: Cannot Select Specific Bed - Shows Red X
Cause: Bed is already occupied by another resident or marked as unavailable.
Solution: Choose a different bed in the room. Or use Method 2 to transfer the current occupant first, freeing the bed.
Issue: "Assign Bed" Button Doesn't Appear
Cause: Application is not in "Approved" status, or you lack assignManual permission.
Solution: Check application status. Only approved applications can be assigned. Approve the application first (PLS-8B). If status is correct, contact your super admin to verify permissions.
Issue: Roommate Group Option Doesn't Appear
Cause: Student is not in a roommate group for this cycle.
Solution: Only students with confirmed roommate groups see the menu. If the student should be in a group, add them to a roommate group first, then return to assignment.
Issue: "Invalid Cycle Container" Error
Cause: Housing cycle has invalid dates (end date before start date).
Solution: Contact your super admin to fix the cycle configuration in Setup → Cycles. Cycle dates must be valid before assignments can be made.
What's Next
Continue your Product Learning Session 8 journey:
PLS-8D: Auto-Assignment Workflow - Learn how to automatically assign large batches using YOUR rulesets
PLS-8E: Managing Residency Changes - Handle cancellations, transfers, and swaps after initial assignment
Complete PLS-8: PLS-8: Managing Applications & Assignments
Manual Assignment Mastery: You now know all three methods for manually assigning students, how to handle individual vs. group assignments, and the complete confirmation workflow. Next, you'll learn how auto-assignment can handle large batches automatically using YOUR rulesets.