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Cornell University

Housing & Residential Life

Residence Halls

Residence Halls for First-Year Undergraduate Students

Cornell's residence halls are vibrant and diverse communities where our students live, learn, and pursue their passions. Each one is a center of activity, study, socialization, cultural exploration, and fun.

A network of staff members, upper-level student RAs, and professors provide a built-in support system through the residence hall living-learning experience. Interaction with faculty members is nurtured through the Faculty-in-Residence and Faculty Fellows programs, among other opportunities for engagement.

Our residence halls are coed, except for Balch Hall, which is for first-year women only. All residence halls have single and double rooms; some also have triples and quads (two doubles that share an entrance). Our housing options vary in physical location and environmental design. Please note that not every building has elevator access, air conditioning, wheelchair accessible rooms, and/or private bathrooms. Please see individual housing pages for more information, or contact the Housing & Residential Life Office at housing@cornell.edu or 607-255-5368.

All first-year residences are grouped together on North Campus, along with nine residential Program Houses, the Carol Tatkon Center for first-year students, two active community centers, three dining rooms, two cafes, a convenience store and grill, two athletic facilities, basketball and tennis courts, and a sand volleyball court.

Unless you're applying to live in a Program House, the decision about which residence hall you'll be in is determined by a random auto-allocation process, based on your preferences. The timing of your application does not influence the selection process; the auto-allocation is conducted based on all the applications received by the published deadline.