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Cornell University

Housing & Residential Life

Balch Hall

Balch Hall Entrance

Balch Hall, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA

Note: Balch Hall is currently closed for renovation and will reopen starting fall 2024. A community for first-year female-identified students will be provided in Barbara McClintock Hall.

Balch Hall is a residence for first-year female-identified students. A four-story Gothic building that opened its doors in the 1920s, Balch is one of Cornell's most historic and unique residence halls, with ivy-covered stone walls, mullioned windows, and flagstone-bedded interior courtyards and gardens. It also retains other features that hint at its rich past: many rooms still have mirrored vanity tables, their own sinks, and wrought-iron closet racks where women stored their fancy hats.Self-governance - long a tradition for Cornell women - is well established in Balch, with plenty of leadership opportunities. The student-driven Balch Hall Council arranges programs and events for the hall's residents, ranging from group outings to see plays or go apple picking to educational programs focused on women in the workplace, surviving academia at Cornell, sexuality and relationship development, and body image. You can also become a student leader in our very own Women's Center, a resource room housing a library, video, and DVD collection for your use.

Explore the Balch Hall community pages in CampusGroups.

Community features:  

  • Open to first-year women 
  • 230+ residents 
  • Located on North Campus 
  • Single, double, and triple rooms arranged along corridors, with private or semi-private sinks or sink rooms, and shared corridor bathrooms 
  • Lounges, study areas, shared kitchens, two community pianos, and laundry facilities 
  • Bedrooms contain, for each occupant: an extra-long twin bed, a closet and a bureau (or wardrobe/bureau combination), a desk and desk chair, a desk lamp, a wastebasket, and floor carpeting
  • Wireless Internet access 
  • Balch Hall rooms do not have air conditioning.

Faculty involvement:
There will be a Faculty-in-Residence when Balch Hall opens again for regular academic year housing.

Dining options:
Learn about Cornell Dining's meal plans.
Questions? Contact us.