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Princeton University
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Princeton University - Campus Housing - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.08

Campus Housing

B-
Where does this grade come from?View all Campus Housing rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Campus Housing Grades:

Quick Stats

On-Campus Housing Available? Yes
Campus Housing Capacity 5,019
Average Housing Costs $6,467
Freshmen Required to Live on Campus? Yes
Undergrads Living On Campus 98%
Number of Dormitories 41
Best Dorms
  • 1903 Hall
  • 1915 Hall
  • Blair Hall
  • Little Hall
  • Patton Hall
  • Witherspoon Hall
Worst Dorms
  • 1940 Hall
  • 1941 Hall
  • Brown Hall
  • Cuyler Hall
  • Forbes Annex
  • Wilcox Hall

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Generally, students are pleased with their housing experience, but they realize that is more of a reflection on the experience rather than the accommodations. While the “upper-campus” residential colleges, Rocky and Mathey, are attractive on the outside, students in the “lower-campus” residential colleges, Butler, Wilson, and Forbes, complain about “waffle ceilings” and far walks. As far as upperclass housing, the quality of your dorm depends on your draw time and personal preference. Whereas one student may like the air-conditioning of Scully, others would complain about its lack of proximity to the rest of the upperclass dorms and live in a smaller, un-air-conditioned room in Brown, Dod, or Edwards.

Princeton’s housing options could be better . . . a lot better. Students view campus housing as a bonding experience, and only 3 percent opt out of it. With few affordable options within walking distance to campus, the University has little incentive to improve the conditions in the dorms, as it knows the students have few other options. In a recent move to improve living conditions on campus, however, the University has started to renovate one large dorm or two small dorms a year. This is a long-awaited improvement, considering that many students in some of the older Gothic dorms still have to walk down four flights of stairs to use a washroom. Generally, the best place to live on campus is the one that was most recently renovated, regardless of the size of the rooms.

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Princeton Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Campus Housing at Princeton University

cmb3087

'15

Molecular Biology

5.0
A+

Butler

Butler has the best dorms I've ever seen on a college campus. I live in a suite with three other people, and we have A/C, heat, hardwood floors, and a bathroom to ourselves. No cockroaches.

Jan 25, 2012

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Campus Housing at Princeton University

ptonstudent14

'14

Anthropology and Archaeology

4.6
A

Full Spectrum

It really depends on where you live. Everything has its pluses and minuses, but no one complains - in fact, a lot of people brag.

Nov 05, 2010

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Campus Housing at Princeton University

Spartacus

'13

3.8
B+

A Clean and Well-Lit Place...Sometimes

As a freshman you mind find yourself in a frighteningly small double or an expansive 8-person suite. Nevertheless after freshman year, you can choose a group of friends to draw with and with a good draw group you'll swing a swanky dwelling. Wilson College, though very well situated, is something of a Dungeon, and Forbes is in another area code entirely. Rocky/Mathey dorms are pretty palatial though. The architecture of all the buildings range from the baroque to Harry Potter.

Feb 09, 2010

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Page 1 of 7

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate campus housing on the following subjects

Facts

Room Types The size of a Princeton room is not standard. Some buildings include a range of rooms from singles to 11-person suites.
What You Get
  • Bed
  • Desk and chair
  • Dresser
  • Internet connection
  • Phone jack
Also Available Substance-free areas, smoke-free areas, special needs housing, independent housing, married housing

Cleaning Service

Yes, in public areas only.

Did You Know?

Housing runs the gamut at Princeton, and there is no general formula. Many of Princeton’s dorms were built before modern amenities were standard in homes, so older buildings have been added to in order to accommodate changing times. The size of a Princeton room is not standard as well. Some buildings will include a range of rooms from singles to 11-person suites. (The Housing Department is also notorious for placing extra students in a room if there is a housing crunch, so, for instance, rooms that were once large singles are now tiny doubles.) The furniture in each of the dorms is as varied as the dorms themselves. The newer dorms all have new furniture that is pretty standard, and students are not permitted to remove it from their rooms. The older dorms have both twin and extra-long twin beds and a mish-mash of furniture. Some rooms do not have closets or any other form of pre-installed storage. Incoming freshmen should buy extra long sheets on the theory that they will get a long bed at least once at Princeton, and it is impossible to fit a regular twin fitted sheet on an extra-long bed.

The simplest way to approach housing at Princeton is by designation. Freshmen and sophomores are split into five residential colleges: Butler, Forbes, Mathey, Rockefeller (“Rocky”), and Wilson. Construction is underway for a sixth college, Whitman, but it will not be ready for several years. Each college has its own dining hall and residential and academic staffs. Generally, the residential staff who assigns rooms tries to keep residential college dorms balanced by gender and by class year. Each dorm section has a residential advisor (RA) and a minority affairs advisor (MAA) or, in Wilson College, a residential community advisor (RCA) and a residential community program advisor (RCPA). Juniors are seniors are spread across campus in the bevy of upperclass dorms, and there are no limits to the number of members of each gender and class who draw into specific rooms and dorms, which can create for crowded bathroom situations, as most upperclass bathrooms are shared by floor.

The dorm where John F. Kennedy lived before transferring to Harvard is no longer standing.

In the mid-twentieth century, Princeton students were responsible for bringing all of their own furniture.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise depicts, in part, residential life at Princeton at the start of the twentieth century.

DormitoriesWhat's This?

1901 Hall
Floors: 4
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad, suite

1903 Hall
Floors: 4 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad
Special Features: Kitchen, laundry

1915 Hall
Floors: 2 + basement
Bathrooms: Basement
Coed: Yes
Residents: Butler College
Room Types: Triples (male), singles, and doubles (female)
Special Features: Laundry

1922 Hall
Floors: 2 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Butler College
Room Types: Single and double suites
Special Features: Music room

1927-Clapp Hall
Floors: 3 + basement
Bathrooms: In-room, shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Wilson College
Room Types: Double and quad suites
Special Features: Laundry, game room

1937 Hall
Floors: 3 + Ground floor
Bathrooms: Shared by floor, in-room
Coed: Yes
Residents: Wilson College
Room Types: Single, double, suite

1938 Hall
Floors: 3 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor, in-suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Wilson College
Room Types: Single, double, suite

1939 Hall
Floors: 4 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor, in-suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Wilson College
Room Types: Single, double, suite

1940 Hall
Floors: 3
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Butler College
Room Types: Single, double, suite

1941 Hall
Floors: 3 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Butler College
Room Types: Single, double, suite

1942 Hall
Floors: 3 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Butler College
Room Types: Single, double, suite
Special Features: Computer cluster

2 Dickinson Street
Floors: 3 + lower level
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Single, double
Special Features: Vegetarian coop in the building, study area, laundry

99 Alexander Street
Floors: 2 + lower level
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Forbes College
Room Types: Single, double, triple
Special Features: “Pink House,” (literally a pink house) owned by the University; features a living room, dining room, and two kitchens

Blair Hall
Floors: 4 + Basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Rocky College, Mathey College
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad
Special Features: Lounge, study rooms, Blair Arch, home of the famous Princeton a cappella arch singers

Bloomberg Hall
Floors: 4
Bathrooms: Shared by suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Single suites
Special Features: Laundry

Brown Hall
Floors: 4 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad
Special Features: Kitchen

Campbell Hall
Floors: 3 + Basement
Bathrooms: Basement
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Mathey College
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad
Special Features: Fitness Room

Cuyler Hall
Floors: 3 + basement
Bathrooms: Basement
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad, suite
Special Features: Kitchen

Dod Hall
Floors: 5 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, triples
Special Features: Kitchen, laundry, study rooms

Dodge-Osborn Hall
Floors: 3 + basement + ground floor
Bathrooms: Shared by floor, in-suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Wilson College
Room Types: Single, double, suite
Special Features: Kitchen

Edwards Hall
Floors: 5 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mathey College
Room Types: Single, double
Special Features: Kitchen, computer cluster

Feinberg Hall
Floors: 4 + ground floor
Bathrooms: Shared by floor, in-room
Coed: Yes
Residents: Wilson College
Room Types: Single, double, triple, suite
Special Features: Laundry

Forbes Addition (Annex)
Floors: 4 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Forbes College
Room Types: Single, double
Special Features: Kitchen, lounge, music room, computer cluster, laundry, darkroom, theater, TV room, cafe

Forbes Main Inn
Floors: 4 + basement
Bathrooms: In-room
Coed: Yes
Residents: Forbes College
Room Types: Single, double, triple
Special Features: Kitchen, computer cluster, music room, laundry, theater, TV room, library

Foulke Hall
Floors: 4 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad

Gauss Hall
Floors: 2 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Wilson College
Room Types: Single, double, suite
Special Features: Computer cluster

Hamilton Hall
Floors: 2 + ground floor
Bathrooms: Basement
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mathey College
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad
Special Features: College offices, conference room

Henry Hall
Floors: 5 + ground floor
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad, suite
Special Features: Kitchen, laundry

Holder Hall
Floors: 3 + basement
Bathrooms: Basement, shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Rocky College
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad, suites
Special Features: Laundry, lounge, library

Joline Hall
Floors: 3 + basement
Bathrooms: Basement
Coed: No, men only
Residents: Mathey College
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad
Special Features: Laundry

Laughlin Hall
Floors: 3 + ground floor
Bathrooms: Shared by entryway
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad
Special Features: Kitchen

Little Hall
Floors: 4 + basement + ground floor
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Rocky
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad
Special Features: Lounge, laundry

Lockhart Hall
Floors: 4
Bathrooms: Shared suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad suites ( up to 8- person rooms)

Lourie-Love Hall
Floors: 4 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Butler College
Room Types: Single, double, suite
Special Features: Laundry

Patton-Wright Hall
Floors: 5 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad, suite
Special Features: Laundry

Pyne Hall
Floors: 4 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclass
Room Types: Single, double, triple, quad
Special Features: Kitchen

Scully Hall
Floors: 4
Bathrooms: Shared by floor, in-room
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Single, double, quad
Special Features: Kitchen, laundry rooms, air conditioning

Spelman Hall
Floors: 4 + basement
Bathrooms: In-room
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Suites with ktchens, dining area, and bathroom
Special Features: Married housing, laundry, vending

Walker Hall
Floors: 3 + basement + ground floor
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen, Butler College, Wilson College
Room Types: Single, double, quad

Wilcox Hall
Floors: Third floor of main Wilson College building
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Wilson College
Room Types: Single, double
Special Features: Dining hall

Witherspoon Hall
Floors: 5 + basement
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Rocky College
Room Types: Single, double, quad
Special Features: Laundry kitchen, study rooms, lounge

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at Princeton

Name: Kristen McCarthy

Hometown: Mahwah, N.J.

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