If there’s anything people think of when they hear the word “college,” it’s life in college dorms. And UVA is no different! If you’re not used to communal living arrangements, living in a big building with many other people might be strange at first. But many people make their first friends, and often lifelong friends, through their time in dorms.
All first years are required to live on Grounds. Incoming first years complete the online First-Year Housing Application between May 1 and June 1 prior to matriculation. Housing is randomly assigned after students complete their housing applications, but students can rank their room type (single, double, triple or residential college) in their application. Students have the option to request a roommate or they can have a roommate randomly assigned.
All housing groups have laundry and mail facilities associated with them. Every student living on Grounds has a Resident Advisor (RA) who lives within the residential community, and RA’s are supervised by a Senior Resident (SR) who oversees an entire building or residence area. An RA is an upperclass student who coordinates activities in their area of the residence hall, as well as keeps an open ear for any concerns from their residents.
The dorms at UVA are divided into a few different groupings: Old Dorms, New Dorms (with two different styles) and Residential Colleges.
Old Dorms
The ten Old Dorms are named as such because they were the first residence halls built outside the Lawn, and they’ve been recently renovated. They are located on McCormick Road and host around 1,300 students. The rooms are double-bedrooms, with each hallway containing housing 45 students each and a common bathroom. Additionally, every floor has two RAs, and students have access to kitchens, study rooms, and lounge areas with couches and TVs. For more information and testimonials from residents, visit the McCormick Road hall-style website.
New Dorms
The New Dorms are divided into hall-style dorms and suite-style dorms, housing a little under 2,000 first-year students in total. The nine hall-style dorms house approximately 1,600 residents and have shared common areas and two RAs on each floor, as well as shared bathrooms that serve about 40-50 students each. The three suite-style dorms house up to ten students each and feature shared living areas and bathrooms and five double bedrooms in each unit. The dorms also have large study areas (some of which have wall-size whiteboards!) and TVs in the common areas. Some even have game rooms! For more information and testimonials, visit the Alderman Road hall-style and Alderman Road suite-style websites.
Gooch-Dillard
The Gooch-Dillard dorms are a series of nine four-floor buildings with newly renovated two-story suites, which accommodate six to ten students per suite. The bedrooms are double-occupancy, and each suite has a bathroom facility and a furnished living area. A total of around 610 students live in Gooch-Dillard, along with upperclass RAs (approximately one RA for every three to five suites), and the dorms also have common areas and study areas with computers. Visit the Gooch-Dillard website for more information.
Residential Colleges
UVA’s residential colleges — Brown, Hereford and the International Residency College — are communities that offer shared learning opportunities to those who live there. Each college has Faculty Fellows, Principals, and a distinct identity and culture, as well as student-driven programming. Some of the residential colleges require additional supplements when applying; to learn more about the colleges, take a look at our article on residential colleges.
Dorm life is a great way to get used to college, make new friends, and get comfortable navigating Grounds. Be sure to review at all your options to pick the best living situation for you and your needs.