Community Associates

Stanford University provides housing to over 72% of its 9,400 graduate students in a variety of housing configurations; from studio apartments for singles to courtyard apartments for students with families.

CAs are selected by the Graduate Life Office and report to the Dean within their assigned area: Escondido Village (EV) Singles and Couples, EV Families, Kennedy Residences, Rains, Munger, Lyman, Escondido Village Graduate Residences B, C, D and Off-Campus Subsidized Housing.

• You must be a current matriculated graduate student.
• You must be eligible to be paid for the full academic year (autumn-spring quarter). Admin Guide: Limits on Hours
• You must be enrolled all three quarters of the academic year (fall – spring).
• You must be physically present on campus and cannot be away from campus more than 2 weeks total per quarter.
• You must have housing priority years. For more information, go to Assignment Guarantee and Priorities.
• You are required to live in the neighborhood you are assigned to.
• You may not have been found responsible or have an open investigation for serious university and housing policy violations.
• Returning full-time matriculated graduate/professional students with housing priority will be prioritized.

• Stipend is $1500/quarter during the academic year and $1200/summer.
• Exemption from the housing lottery (you are required to live in your assigned area/neighborhood).
• You may request to exempt one roommate, who must also have housing priority years.

CA appointments do not have a fixed percentage or hours attached to them. Please check in with your department to make sure you can receive an additional $1500 stipend each quarter without having it affect your funding.

The applications are organized by area. Select the appropriate application based on the area where you would like to serve as a CA. If you would like to considered for more than one area, apply to your first choice. In the application, you will have the opportunity to indicate if you'd like to be considered for an additional area. If you would like more information about the types of housing in each area, please visit the Graduate Housing Rates and Billing Information website to determine which area is right for you. 

It varies each year, but EV Singles & Couples is one of the bigger areas that usually offers more openings than others. However, it depends on which housing type you want to live in and the availability of those spaces in the different areas. 

Returning full-time matriculated graduate/professional students with housing priority will be prioritized. Please note that second-year co-terms do not have housing priority.

We want CAs coming into the position to have already experienced at least a year of campus life at Stanford. We also don’t want to overwhelm first-years with additional responsibilities and time commitments.

You will submit your application via the secure SlideRoom portal. SlideRoom is used by many Stanford departments for various types of applications, leadership opportunities, or roles. The application asks for basic demographic questions to verify your eligibility for the position. You will also be asked questions that help us understand your interest in building community and supporting residents as a student leader in graduate housing. Interviews are offered based on the strength of your application and the availability of spaces in the areas you applied to.

Interviews are 30 minutes long and will be an opportunity for deans to gain a deeper understanding of your interest in the position and what you can bring to the graduate community.

Slideroom has been vetted by the university as a secure platform departments can use to collect and process information from students. If you have questions about SlideRoom security, you can visit the following link.

It varies depending on each CA’s circumstance and their degree progress, but most CAs stay on until they graduate. We do understand when CAs can no longer continue due to academic obligations and/or personal priorities. We encourage CAs to be communicative about their plans with their dean if these issues come up.

Community Associates are required to attend CA Training during the Spring Quarter and prior to the start of Fall Quarter. These trainings include: Team Development, Session with Campus Partners, Event Planning, Protocols and QPR Gatekeeper Training.