Best college dorms in the US
If you plan on living in campus after going off to college, looking for an ideal dorm that properly attends all your necessities should be your top priority. Considering how the dorm will be your home for the next couple of years, doing extensive research on top of it is very important.
In this article, we listed the colleges with the best dorms, while taking in account crucial factors, such as housing cost, crime rates, and average students reviews. Are also ranked the best dorms under specific categories, such as “best food”, or “most quiet”.
Best College Dorms
Our list starts with the renowned Washington University, in St. Louis. Holding over 3,200 students, the 40 acres main campus contains 24 residence halls and has an average housing cost of $13,580. According to reviews, some of the dorms feel more like castles, being spacious, having personal bathrooms and a well-trained cleaning staff. It feels very luxurious compared to other universities. With a housing crime rate of 0 per 1000, the Washington University campus is rated an astonishing 4.4 out of 5 by its students.
Another contender for the title of the best dorm in the US is the Bowdoin College, in Brunswick — Maine. With special individual laundry and bike storages, the extremely comfortable rooms and affordable pricing definitely explains why this college has one of the highest in-campus living alumni rates. With an estimated housing cost of $12,010 and a crime rate of 0 per 1000, the average rating the dorms received by its students is 4.6 out of 5.
Next, we have the Union University, in Jackson — Tennessee. Allowing only full-time undergraduate students to live on campus, each room has a kitchen, washer and dryer facilities. According to students, it is basically an apartment and a place to retreat to at end of the day. With a very low average housing cost of $8,760, a crime rate of 0 per 1000, and an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 by its students, this is basically the dream for any undergraduate.
Following up, Rice University, in Houston — Texas. With a random housing system that deploys students to a specific group, in which they will remain until graduating, dorms here are like very close communities. The average housing cost here is of $12,600, the crime rate is 0 per 1000 and the average rating by the students is 4.3 out of 5.
And last but not least in our top five best college dorms, the Christopher Newport University, in Newport News — Virginia. Students here are required, during the first three years, to reside on campus. According to reviews “the dorms are very nice, almost like apartments — even for the freshmen;”, the campus scored an average of 4.3 out of 5. With a housing crime rate of 0 per 1000, the average cost here is $9,728.
By grouping the universities with the best dorms by region, it is easier to narrow down your options and choose the perfect campus to live in.
In the Southeast region we have: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Nova Southeastern University, Duke University, University of Florida and the Elon University.
In the Southwest, we have Union University, Rice University, Trinity University, The University of Texas, Christopher Newport University, Austin College and the University of Tulsa.
In the Northeast, we have Bowdoin College, Brown University, Boston University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Brown University.
In the Midwest, we have Washington University, University of Michigan, Ohio State University, University of Iowa and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
And in the West, we have University of the West, Brigham Young University, Heritage University, Brigham Young University and the Soka University of America
Food is another extremely important factor to take in consideration when picking the perfect dorm. Not every student can take the time of the day to cook or go grocery shopping for ingredients, and as everyone knows, keeping a healthy balanced diet is extremely important.
Luckily, this category has already been objectively ranked. The renowned website Daily Meal has a yearly list called “Best Colleges for Food in America”, where the best in this very important category get their deserved recognition.
This year’s winner was Bowdoin College. They spare no expenses when it comes to treating their students with the best food, the perfect proof of that is the traditional bake made every year in homage to its graduating seniors, where lobster composes every main dish on the menu. With a healthy and sustainable food plan that suits all nutritional needs one might have, its easy to see why Bowdoin took home the award.
A close runner to the title is the Washington University, in St. Louis. With a sustainable, in-house made food plan, the student feedback this university gets for its food is truly award-worthy.
But there is no need to worry if you live outside the United States. Considering how many foreign students are interested in finding the ideal dorm that suits all of their needs, we selected the best college dorms outside the US for you to consider when choosing where to live during the best years of your life.
The Cité a Docks, in Le Havre, France, is a well renowned, and brilliantly designed college dorm. Built mostly from old shipping container parts, the residences are fairly big and come with private bathrooms and kitchens. The place also has parking spots for both cars and bikes and a very special recreational area. This is as good as a dorm can get.
The Campagneplein Dormitory at the University Twente, in Enschede, Netherlands, has everything a student could dream for its dorm. Included in the package are a private kitchen and private bathrooms, parking spots, and a recreational area. The biggest differential here is that one of the sides of this huge dorm is the second highest climbing wall in the Netherlands. The 121 feet tall building can be climbed by the students at will.
The Tietgen Dormitory in Copenhagen, Denmark, has a unique circular design that is supposed to be a symbol of equality and community. This dorm offers more recreational areas than one could ask for, it feels almost like an amusement park. With two music rooms — instruments included, a gym, outdoor areas for basketball and tennis, and large, fully stocked communal kitchens, students here wish they could reside forever.
For those who prefer books over parties, there are some campuses designed specially to provide quietness and peacefulness to its students. If study rooms are not enough for you and you need 24/7 quiet hours to focus on your academic problems, definitely your best option is the Bucknell University. With designated floors for quiet housing only and very heavy noise rules, the chances of anyone else disturbing you here are close to zero.
Campus design can be a very important factor for some. Innovative, and out of the box architecture can definitely spark your inspiration to study or complete a designed task from time to time. One that instantly comes to mind when thinking about the best-designed college dorms is the Simmons Hall, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). Commonly referred to as “The Sponge” because of its unique exterior, the relaxed ambient, that has plenty of communal lounges, provides for a laid-off and inspiring atmosphere.
If you are looking for a really cool and interesting dorm though, there are some really crazy options out there. From yurts to cowboy bunkhouses, one that definitely stands out a lot in the College of William and Mary. Seniors here get to live in a 1737 house in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. With a garden, a fireplace, and furniture from the 18th-century. Residing here is a unique experience within itself.
Worst College Dorms
In 2011, the website DormSplash.com conducted a research where feedback from students and form students was analyzed in order to point out the “worst dorm in America”. With an astonishing 2.2 average rating out of 5, the title of the worst dorm in America went officially to the University of Illinois, more specifically to the Urbana-Champaign section. If you don’t think it can’t be as bad as it sounds, here are some of the reviews written by the students:
“Extremely fun but kind of gross. I don’t think they have renovated it in about 30 years.”, “Elevators are constantly breaking down, extremely poor internet connection, looks like a prison.”, and “In general, there is not a lot going on. It is far from campus and classes. I hated sharing a bathroom with 10 other people. It would have been nice to have a kitchen. My RA wasn’t very involved either.”. Well, that is a nightmare you for sure do not want to get into.
