Schedule an event

Events in classrooms

An “event” is defined as scheduled activity that is not an academic class and is compatible with the academic nature of classrooms. General purpose classrooms are available for reservation for events by University groups on the Twin Cities campus.

General purpose classrooms are not currently available for reservations to Non-University (external) groups.

You may request a reservation up to one year in advance. Learn more about the timeline of event request processing and classroom expectations of use. 

Define your group

Groups are defined as external or internal and have different processes to reserve rooms.

• Internal: Refers to a University department or a student organization registered with Student Unions and Activities hosting the event. 
  • For University departments working collaboratively with an external entity, please see Co-Sponsorship to see if it applies to your situation. 
• Co-Sponsorship: If you are a University department working with a non-University group or company on an event, you should contact the Real Estate Office (REO) at reo@umn.edu to help you determine if your event may officially be considered a Co-Sponsored event. 
  • REO approval is required for co-sponsorships and they are governed by the Use of University Real Estate for Co-Sponsored Events Appendix of the Use and Lease of Real Estate Administrative Policy. 
  • Co-sponsorships are very rare.
• External: A group with no formal affiliation with the University of Minnesota.

Classroom availability

Classrooms are available for events during standard hours of operation. They are not available on Sundays or on official University holidays.

Schedule an event

What you will need

• Internal Groups:
  • An active University Internet ID and password.
  • University of Minnesota account number (either EFS or student organization number).
  • Registration with Student Unions & Activities (SUA) if you are scheduling an event for a student organization. 
    • Only a registered officer of the Registered Student Organization (RSO) or Campus Life Program (CLP), as defined by SUA, is allowed to reserve a room for an event. 
    • A Facility Use Agreement is required for RSOs prior to event approval if the classroom seats 100 or more.  
    • There may be other applicable University scheduling guidelines you will need to follow as well. SUA and OCM will help guide your student group through the process.
• Co-Sponsorship:
  • Varies depending on REO approval and University scheduling guidelines. 
• External Groups:
  • External groups are not currently able to be accommodated in general purpose classrooms. Contact Conference and Event Services to determine if another venue will work for you on campus.

Submit a room request

1. Read the guidelines for our general purpose classrooms to understand the responsibilities of holding an event in a classroom.
2. If needed, review room locations and features using Room Search.
3. Log in to Astra with your University Internet ID and password.
4. In the upper left column, click “Request an Event.”
5. From the dropdown box, choose the “Twin Cities General Purpose Classrooms.”
6. Fill out the form, answering all the required fields.
7. When finished, click “Submit” near the top of the page. 
   1. Note: Astra does not auto-save the form and you cannot save a draft of your request.
   2. When you complete an event request in Astra, you will receive an email acknowledgement of the request. However, this acknowledgement is not an event confirmation. Please wait for an event confirmation prior to advertising your event. The timeline to receiving your event confirmation varies depending on the time of year. Refer to timeline of event request processing for more information.

Scheduling timeline and priority

OCM prioritizes event requests based on many factors. Learn more about the event scheduling timeline. 

Event costs and fees

• Internal groups: If you are from a University department or a student organization registered with Student Unions and Activities, you may reserve classroom space without an OCM room-use charge. 
  • Note: Events may incur charges from other University departments for after hours or additional services (e.g., Facilities Management, etc.).
• Co-Sponsorship: Costs and fees vary depending on REO and University scheduling guidelines. 

Find more details about eligibility and requirements in our classroom expectations of use.