Finding Shelter

It is overwhelming to choose where to live when you are enrolling in UVA. First years are required to live on Grounds for their first two semesters. The good news is that you have options. The bad news is that you do not have a specific choice in dorms. When choosing housing preference, you have the option of a number of areas that will shape your experience at UVA moving forward.

New Dorms: Alderman Road Hall-Style

New Dorms. The "normal" dorm experience. You and one other roommate in an adequately sized room. Includes a bed that can be lofted (would recommend).

Alderman Road Suite-Style

Former Motels along Alderman. The location is not the worst, but the rooms have no air conditioning, which is a big need in Charlottesville. It is hard to meet people naturally. The rooms are dated and generally not worth it for the location.

Old Dorms: McCormick Road Hall-Style

Old Dorms. Dorms along McCormick Road between Ohill Dining Hall and central grounds. These dorms were just renovated and have turned out fairly nice. There are no elevators so be prepared for stairs when on the third floor. These have a similar hall style to the Alderman road dorms with a more old college feel. Upperclassmen will almost always refer to these as "Old Dorms," even though they were updated recently.

Dorms by Runk:

Gooch/Dillard Suite-Style

Really far away from anything. These dorms have a solid 25-30 minute walk to every academic building. They are close to Runk dining hall with some beautiful outdoor areas, however they are dated and all around worse than Alderman hall style. If you really need a suite style and do not want a residential college, this is your only option in your first year.

Residential Colleges:

There are three residential colleges at the University of Virginia. These are smaller communities within the greater UVA community. Each has their own benefits and drawbacks and each requires an application to join. One of the most important things that residential colleges provide is the ability to easily meet people of all years at UVA. You can go in as a first year, but you will have second, third, fourth, and graduate students next door. Additionally, you get your own room in all of the colleges which is great if space is an issue for you. Living in each is comparatively more expensive then living in first year designated housing, but you are paying for exclusive access to events and better living conditions. Before you apply for them, speak to someone who has lived in the college you would like to join. That brief confirmation can save you from regretting picking one over another.

International Residential College (IRC)

Just as the name suggests, the IRC is geared toward students coming to UVA from other countries. This is one of the most diverse places to live with people form all over the world in your hall. Other than its global student population though, there is not a very unified identity. The dorms are nice with a close walk to Central Grounds, but a bit of a walk to the other First Year designated dorms.

Hereford Residential College

Hereford is focused on promoting sustainability. They host programs to raise awareness of issue and often do joint events with the other residential colleges. There is a sense of unity, but as with the IRC, it is not strong. The largest downside of Hereford is that it is located by Runk dining hall and Gooch/Dillard dorms. This means it is a 30 minute walk to get to anywhere on grounds which makes it difficult to spontaneously do things.

Brown Residential College

Brown College is focused on nothing. It is a band of random individuals that have created an ever evolving identity. It is kind of like a cult to be honest. Brown has the strongest identity at any given time and you should test out the community before blindly joining to make sure that you have a good understanding. Known for hosting things like a Haunted House for Charity leading up to Halloween and a system of tunnels that run through connecting all of their buildings. The dorm has the best location of any dorm. It is the center of Grounds, updated rooms, old feel, and a 5 minute walk to everything. If you can get along with the community, the dorm is unbeatable.

Here is a pricing breakdown of the different areas:

Pricing: 2021-2022 rate $6,810 per academic year for all first year housing scenarios. This is a sunk cost, sorry. Living situations can vary wildly for the same price, so give the location some thought.

Bond, Copeley, Faulkner, Lambeth, or Language House: $8,280 per academic year but you get your own room. These are rooms for upperclassmen, typically second years.

Residential Colleges are in between these last two on cost, however, they cost about $1000 more than first year housing per academic year.