As is known to us all, the United States has many famous universities. Now, we’ll take you inside the top 25 colleges with the best student housings. The quality of student housing is one of the factors that show the quality of an institution’s environment, and it is also one of the important reasons for attracting students. Now let’s see, who has your ideal cozy dormitory?
1. Harvard University
There are twelve student housing buildings for undergraduates, nine of which are located on the south side of Harvard Yard and the rest is in the northwest part of the courtyard. Besides, there are two main types of residence hall layout at Harvard University, one is a unit of several rooms connected by a common hallway, and the other is a suite consisting of a study room, one to four bedrooms, and a bathroom, which can accommodate two to six students. Each building is designed as an intelligent door. In this dormitory, the living and learning conditions are very good.
2. Emory University
Emory University residence halls are located on campus, and residents have access to campus facilities. Residence halls at Emory University are divided into first-year residence halls, upperclassmen residence halls, and themed residence halls. A theme room dormitory is a room for students who are participating in research on the same topic. The dormitories are either single-sex or mixed-sex. The room is equipped with basic furniture, Internet, air conditioning and so on. Each dormitory also has a lounge and the dormitory door is with electronic access systems. In addition, most of the dormitories have a bus stop at the door, which is very convenient to board the school bus.
3. Rice University
There are 11 residential academies, arranged in order of completion. Each academy has its own dormitory building, laundry room, kitchen and other public Spaces. Among them, the tallest residential building has seven floors, which is the tallest building on Rice University campus. One of the dormitories is all en-suite, with four people living in the same suite, each with their own small room and sharing a living room. The types of accommodation vary.
3. Brigham Young University— Provo
There are three types of residence halls at Brigham Young University. The first is the common dormitory type, where every two rooms share a bathroom. The second type of accommodation is apartment type, multiple bedrooms, each suite has a separate kitchen, living room, etc., in which the room has a single or double. The third is “foreign language student housing”, in which students agree to speak only one designated foreign language to each other in the dormitory, which is also apartment-style housing.
5. Stanford University
Unlike traditional housing, Stanford student housing areas include academically and singularly themed apartment buildings, ethnically themed apartment buildings, self-managed and co-operative residential areas, project buildings, apartments and suites, and more. All apartment buildings are supported by student backbones and management assistants. In summary, residential education plays five fundamental roles in every residential area: intellectual engagement and expansion; supporting academic progress and success; fostering diverse communities; leadership development; and promoting personal and social development.
5. University of Chicago
The University of Chicago housing system consists of 36 undergraduate residence halls spread across 10 residence complexes. Among them, several are Gothic buildings with oak inlays, one is a modern building with glass walls, and one is a serviced apartment overlooking Lake Michigan. There are single rooms, double rooms, triple rooms and en-suite rooms. In addition, the dormitory has single-sex buildings and co-living dormitories. Students can rest, study and spend time with friends in the dorms and watch movies, discuss issues and debate in common Spaces. Each house has its own “living room” or lounge, and each house has its own traditions, house management committee, a house master and a house assistant.
7. Yale University
Yale University operates a “residential college” system similar to Oxford and Cambridge universities. Each college has its own sophisticated facilities and different styles, including restaurants, libraries, gyms, art studios, piano rooms, photo darkrooms, computer rooms, laundry rooms, billiards and table tennis rooms, student kitchens. Besides, most colleges have their own cinema or theater, climbing rooms, squash halls and saunas, which open 24 hours a day to their students. Therefore, very student who lives on campus feels at home, has many good friends, and lives very happily, which makes their years studying and living at Yale exceptionally special.
8. Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University has a total of 3,233 residential places for students of all grades, however, only half of the students housed at Texas Christian University. Overseas students are guaranteed accommodation for four years. The dormitory rooms are equipped with the latest computer and telephone connections. Freshmen can choose from eight dormitories with beds, bookshelves, desk chairs, wardrobes, dressers, mirrors, microwaves and mini-refrigerators.
8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT has a total of 11 undergraduate residential buildings. In a dorm, you may be exposed to students of a different age and major than you (Of course, you won’t be exposed to students of a different gender). First year students are required to live in dormitories unless there are special circumstances. In addition, the dormitory rooms at MIT are very large and the school even allows students with families to live in the dormitory, and there is a common kitchen on every floor of the dormitory.
10. Clark University
Clark University has more than 1,750 undergraduate and graduate students living in nine dormitory buildings and 14 villas on campus, including five graduate villas. The school provides students with a living environment where they can learn, communicate with others, participate in social activities, and encourage students to express themselves freely.
11. Princeton University
Princeton currently has five residential colleges. Rockefeller Residential College and Marcy Residential College, with the Gothic architectural style, are located to the northwest of the campus. Wilson Residential College, in the south central part of the campus, is newer than Butler Residential College and was built specifically as a residential college.
12. University of California— Irvine
The first semester of student housing is arranged by the university: In order for students to experience the local culture and understand the customs, the university requires students to live with the host family for the first week before moving into the university apartment. The apartment is fully equipped: two bedrooms& two bathrooms /four students, kitchen, laundry, bathtub, pool, local phone, cable TV, DVD. For students, they can live in all four school seasons. It takes about 10-15 minutes to walk to the classroom. Besides, it is only one stop to go to the classroom by bus. If you take only one bus stop.
13. University of California— Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles, has built a dormitory complex in the hills to the west of the campus, and the university provides undergraduate students with housing security on campus. Currently, more than 94% of new students choose to live on campus. As the demand for housing has increased in recent years, the housing department has added about 1,500 places to the campus and is renovating some of the older dormitory buildings in batches to accommodate more students.
14. Michigan State University
With more than 20 undergraduate dormitory buildings, MSU deserves to be one of the “largest on-campus residential institutions in the United States”! The dorms are divided into five major neighborhoods: East, River Trail, North, Brody, and South neighborhoods. All first-year freshmen are guaranteed a place to live, as the university requires most freshmen to live on campus. In any neighborhood, there are on-campus bus stops, gymnasiums, sports fields, activity centers, restaurants, classrooms, and libraries.
15. Vanderbilt University
There are a total of 10 residential buildings. Concretely, five old buildings are nearly 100 years old and five new buildings were rebuilt in 2013. Each residence hall has its own code and culture. Freshmen can choose to stay in one of 10 residence halls, with single and double rooms available. The hostel is equipped with free Wi-fi, air conditioning, TV, kitchen and more.
16. Binghamton University— SUNY
Binghamton University Housing is divided into five communities, each with 4-5 dormitory buildings. There are many types of dormitories, including ordinary dormitories and apartment-style dormitories which include living room, kitchen and other facilities. Every community is different in its environment, atmosphere and activities.
17. University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame is located in Western Australia and has three campuses. The Fremantle main campus is just 20 km from the Western Australian capital. Broome campus is located in the scenic city of Broome in the northwest of Western Australia, surrounded by the beautiful natural environment of Cambury area. Additionally, Sydney Campus is located in the capital of Australia, where the environment is beautiful. So you can enjoy the tropical climate, beautiful natural scenery, historical cultural landscape and a large number of outdoor adventure activities, which is a good place for students to study and live.
18. Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is adjacent to Forest Park and its dormitories are better than many middle-class homes. Golf courses, ice rink, zoo, boating lake and art history museum, amphitheater and science center are all within walking distance. Most of the dormitories were built in an area called South 40, adjacent to the teaching area. All new students can apply for the dormitory and are guaranteed to stay in the next year. The vast majority of freshmen live in double rooms, although some dormitories have single and triple rooms. Students can live on or off campus, but many choose to live on campus. In addition, there are laundry, dry cleaning and other facilities in the dormitory buildings.
19. University of Virginia
The University of Virginia requires first-year students to live on campus. There are currently two types of student housing available to new students. One is the university’s three halls of residence, each with nine or ten buildings, which are only open to first-year students. The other is a residential college is a form of accommodation where students of different majors and grades live together. There are three residential colleges in the school to live in.
20. Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College guarantees adequate on-campus housing for freshmen, and strongly urges freshmen to live on campus to fully experience school life and adjust to the environment. Students are required to bring their own desktop or laptop.
21. Pepperdine University
All of Pepperdine University’s dormitories are located on the Santa Monica Hill overlooking the surrounding city, hills, and sea. Additionally, the school dormitory also provides a variety of services including room cleaning, barbecue grill, beach volleyball court and so on. All types of dormitories have their own independent bathroom and most of the dormitories are suites. The rooms in addition to basic facilities and kitchen, living room, dining room, the area is also very large.
22. University of San Diego
The University of San Diego requires first-year students to live in on-campus housing. The school offers five types of residence halls. There are two types of student housing. One is the regular dormitory, in which most are double rooms and a few are three or four rooms. The second type is apartment-style dormitory, with independent bathroom, kitchen and so on.
23. The University of Alabama
The University of Alabama has two types of student housing. The first is the common dormitory type, mainly double rooms. The second type is apartment type dormitory, 2-4 bedrooms, with independent bathroom, kitchen, living room and so on.
24. Southern Methodist University
Residence halls at SMU come in a variety of room types and locations. All dormitories have carpeted rooms, beds, wardrobes, tables and chairs, Internet access and Wi-Fi, air conditioning, laundry, beverage dispenser, microwave ovens, dorm staff. There are ordinary dormitory and apartment dormitory which has its own independent bathroom and kitchen.
25. University of Southern California
The school has nine general dormitory buildings, eight on the Park Campus and one on the Health Sciences Campus. Most of the rooms in the dormitory building are reserved for new undergraduate students only. The ordinary dormitory is mainly dominated by traditional double rooms, and a small number of single rooms. The dormitory has simple furniture such as bed, table, chair, book, dresser, etc. Each floor has a public bathroom.
| Rank of the Best University Dormitories in the US | |
|---|---|
| Rank | University |
| 1 | Harvard University |
| 2 | Emory University |
| 3 | Rice University |
| 3 | Brigham Young University—Provo |
| 5 | Stanford University |
| 5 | University of Chicago |
| 7 | Yale University |
| 8 | Texas Christian University |
| 8 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 10 | Clark University |
| 11 | Princeton University |
| 12 | University of California—Irvine |
| 13 | University of California—Los Angeles |
| 14 | Michigan State University |
| 15 | Vanderbilt University |
| 16 | Binghamton University—SUNY |
| 17 | University of Notre Dame |
| 18 | Washington University in St. Louis |
| 19 | University of Virginia |
| 20 | Dartmouth College |
| 21 | Pepperdine University |
| 22 | University of San Diego |
| 23 | The university of Alabama |
| 24 | Southern Methodist University |
| 25 | University of Southern California |
| 26 | University of Wisconsin—Madison |
| 27 | Purdue University—West Lafayette |
| 28 | University of California—Davis |
| 29 | Indiana University—Bloomington |
| 30 | Duke University |
| 31 | Wake Forest University |
| 32 | Northwestern University |
| 33 | Virginia Tech |
| 34 | California Institute of Technology |
| 35 | University of California—Santa Barbara |
| 36 | Ohio State University—Columbus |
| 37 | Miami University—Oxford |
| 38 | University of Denver |
| 39 | University of Michigan—Ann Arbor |
| 40 | University of Texas—Austin |
| 41 | Tulane University |
| 42 | Clemson University |
| 43 | University of Massachusetts—Amherst |
| 44 | University of Pittsburgh |
| 45 | University of Georgia |
| 46 | University of lowa |
| 47 | Lehigh University |
| 48 | Pennsylvania State University—University Park |
| 49 | Fordham University |
| 50 | Northeastem University |
| 51 | New York University |
| 52 | Carnegie Mellon University |
| 53 | Brown University |
| 54 | Johns Hopkins University |
| 55 | University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill |
| 56 | North Carolina State University—Raleigh |
| 57 | University of California—Santa Cruz |
| 58 | University of Tulsa |
| 59 | Colorado Schoal of Mines |
| 60 | University of Washington |
| 61 | Baylor Unrversity |
| 62 | University of Missouri |
| 63 | Loyola University Chicago |
| 64 | University of illinois—Urbana-Champaign |
| 65 | Georgetown University |
| 66 | University of Minnesota—Twin Cities |
| 67 | University at Buffalo—SUNY |
| 68 | University of Califoria—San Diego |
| 69 | Syracuse University |
| 70 | Saint Louis University |
| 71 | University of Rochester |
| 72 | University of Pennsyivania |
| 73 | Columbia University |
| 74 | Tufts University |
| 75 | University of Florida |
| 76 | University of Connecticut |
| 77 | University of Colorado—Bouider |
| 78 | Stevens Institute of Technology |
| 79 | Texas A&M University—College Station |
| 80 | Yeshiva University |
| 81 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
| 82 | University of Miami |
| 83 | Cornell University |
| 84 | Boston University |
| 85 | University of Maryland—College Park |
| 86 | Marquette University |
| 87 | George Washington University |
| 88 | University of Delaware |
| 89 | Georgia Institute of Technology |
| 90 | American University |
| 91 | College of William & Mary |
| 92 | Drexel University |
| 93 | VillanovaUniversity |
| 94 | Rutgers University |
| 95 | Auburn University |
| 96 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry |
| 97 | Brandeis University |
| 98 | Case Western Reserve University |
| 99 | Stony Brook University—SUNY |
| 100 | University of Vermont |
| 101 | Florida State University |
| 102 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
| 103 | Boston College |
| 104 | University of California—Berkeley |
| 105 | Rochester Institute of Technology |
FAQ
At public universities, dormitory expenses are generally more budget-friendly. These institutions typically benefit from state funding, which can contribute to lower housing costs for residents. On average, one might expect to spend between $7,500 to $9,000 per academic year on dormitory housing, which often includes a basic meal plan.
Opting for a private university, the costs ascend, reflecting the exclusive nature of these establishments. Without the cushion of state funding and with enhanced facilities, the yearly expenses can range broadly from $10,000 to even $15,000 or more, including meal plans that may offer more variety.
Typically, dormitory fees include utilities, furniture, and sometimes even meal plans. While foresight tells us that the upfront cost could be higher than renting an apartment off-campus, dorms provide predictability, an often-overlooked financial virtue.
In contrast, living off-campus presents a patchwork of potential expenses – rent, utilities, internet, groceries, furniture, and transportation to the campus – these can quickly add up. The initial allure of lower rent can be deceptive when you factor in these additional outlays. Yet, off-campus housing can offer more personal space and freedom, ingredients that some may find crucial for their intellectual growth and overall well-being.
In essence, whether living in a dormitory is cheaper or not is interwoven with personal factors unique to each student. It remains an intimate financial decision, one that calls for thoughtful consideration and should resonate with your academic aspirations and personal voyage.
Bancroft Hall at the United States.
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