UPenn Dorm Room

Where Do Most Students Live At UPenn?

On campus, there are about 5,500 undergraduates. Finding the appropriate place for you is simple thanks to the variety of UPenn dorm room types, amenities, and communities offered by The College Houses.

Where do most students live at UPenn? All members of the university community can find accommodations that can make them feel at home due to the variety of housing and dining options available both on and off campus. Sansom Place and the twelve undergraduate College Houses make up Penn’s residential system.

College Houses

First-Year Communities

• Fisher Hassenfeld
• Hill
• Kings Court English
• Riepe
• Ware

Upper-Class Communities

• Gutmann
• Harnwell
• Harrison
• Rodin

Four-Year Communities

• Du Bois
• Gregory
• Lauder
• Stouffer

Lodging for graduate students is provided in Sansom Place, which is home to 500 graduate students. On Penn’s campus, there is a high-rise residential neighborhood with a prime location. Apartments and single rooms are available as units.

UPenn campus is situated in the University City district in West Philadelphia. Philadelphia offers a wide variety of housing alternatives, and graduate students at Penn live off-campus as well as throughout the city and adjacent suburbs.

If you intend to live off-campus, there are many different options and costs to consider in terms of location, practicality, kind, condition, and size of the rental unit. The Penn Off-Campus Services offers access to a database of rental listings and practical advice on the home search process for students interested in off-campus living.

How Do Dorms Work At UPenn?

An integral component of the Penn experience is living on campus. The campus housing offers a diverse community of students, staff, and faculty that you can connect with as much as you like through the various programs and activities that take place in your College House and Sansom Place. It is available to full-time, registered undergraduate and graduate students. Before it’s time to submit your application, take some time to familiarize yourself with our housing options, prices, and application guidelines which will be discussed as we go on.

How do dorms work at UPenn? Regardless of the number of course credits (CU) or class standing, all University of Pennsylvania undergraduate students are expected to live on campus for the first four semesters (excluding summers). For their first four semesters, sophomore transfers must live on campus. For their first two semesters, junior transfer students must reside on campus.

Room Selection

On May 5, MyHomeAtPenn will open the housing application. The preferred application deadline is May 31 at 11:59 p.m. EDT, which also applies to applying for a Program Community and having your college house choices considered during the initial round of allocations.

Which day you submit your housing application will not matter if you do it by May 31. In addition, if after submitting your application you decide you want to ask for a certain roommate, you can edit your application before May 31 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. You will get your room assignment on June 15 if you submit your housing application by the suggested date of May 31.

Freshmen Students

When filling out the Apply with a Roommate section of the housing application, first-year students can individually specify one roommate. In this phase, one student creates a group name and password and gives those details to the preferred roommate.

The roommate then joins the group by entering the group name and password on the Apply with a Roommate stage. Only one specific roommate may be requested by first-year students on the housing application.

Regardless of whether you opt to request a particular roommate, all students must answer a set of questions about their lifestyles as part of the housing application. These questions inquire about things like your preferred level of neatness and when you wake up in the morning.

If you are allocated to a UPenn dorm room that can hold more than two occupants, the Housing Occupancy Team will utilize your responses to the Lifestyle Profile questions to pair you up with a suitemate if you did not request one.

You will rate your selections for College Houses on the housing application. The housing application does not ask about preferred room types. Please be aware that preferences for College House are not guaranteed.

Single rooms are available to first-year students. You will rate your selections for College Houses on the housing application. Please be aware that preferences for College House are not guaranteed.

Except in cases of a medical emergency, students cannot directly request them. You must request medical accommodation if you need a single room for a medical reason.

Returning Students

Early in the spring semester, the room selection process begins for returning students. Priority is given to students staying in their current College House over those switching.

Although housing is not assured, if students are open-minded about their preferred room type, there should be space on campus. Some students may be added to a queue and offered accommodations all summer long.

Transfer Students

Transfer students are assigned in the first round if their housing applications are received by June 30. Assignments will be posted on Campus Express on or around July 13. While preferences are considered, they cannot be guaranteed due to a lack of resources. Anyone who doesn’t submit a request form before July 11 will be given the first available spot.

Graduate Students

Priority will be given to returning graduate students when it comes to Sansom Place West room allocations. Beginning in late April, new graduate students are assigned on a rolling basis. All graduate students are encouraged to apply early to improve their chances of getting their desired room type.

Residential Services

In partnership with internal and external partners, Residential Services manages residential and hospitality services for students, teachers, staff, and visitors using cutting-edge, customer-focused, and financially responsible techniques.

The Residential Services is a team of committed, creative, and student-focused employees that are here to support the residents from their initial move-in through their successful move-out.  Residential Services has you covered with its 52 staff members and more than 250 student employees.

What Do UPenn Dorms Come With?

A predetermined inventory of basic items is present in every residential room or apartment. These are connected to the room’s kind and capacity and often remain constant.

When moving into UPenn dorm rooms, residents should double-check the list of furniture in their rooms. Unfortunately, the residential system has no storage for unused furnishings. Please be advised that you will be responsible for bringing any furnishings you take out of your room back when you leave.

Now, let’s take a look at the answer to “What do UPenn dorms come with?”

First-Year Houses

The First-Year College House communities are Hill, Kings Court English, and the Quadrangle – Fisher Hassenfeld, Riepe, and Ware. These apartments are designed like typical residence halls, with communal bathrooms in the hallways. The dining area is housed inside each of these College Houses.

Hill

• In a double room, there are two dressers, two beds (frame and mattress), two desks, two desk drawer units, and two desk chairs.
• In a single room, there is one dresser, one bed (frame and mattress), one desk, one desk drawer unit, and one desk chair.

Kings Court English

• Kings Court – One dresser, one bed (frame and mattress), one desk, one desk drawer unit, one bookcase, one desk chair, and one lamp for singles. A double room has two bookcases, two desks, two desk chairs, two lamps, two dressers, and two beds (frame and mattress).
• English – Single room has one bed (frame and mattress), one desk, one desk drawer unit, one desk chair, one lamp, and one bookcase. A double room features two beds (frame and mattress), two desks, two desk storage cabinets, two desk chairs, two lamps, and two bookcases.

Fisher Hassenfield

• One bed (frame and mattress), one bookcase, one desk, one desk drawer unit, one desk chair, and one wardrobe or closet are included in single rooms.
• Doubles have two dressers, two desk drawer units, two desk chairs, two bookshelves, two desks, two desk drawer units, and two wardrobes or closets.
• A triple room (3 bedrooms) features three bookcases, three desks, three desk drawer units, three desk chairs, three wardrobes or closets, three dressers or six under-the-bed storage units, and three beds (frame and mattress).

Riepe

• Single rooms have 1 dresser or 2 under-bed drawer units, 1 bed (frame and mattress), 1 bookcase, 1 desk, 1 desk drawer unit, 1 desk chair, and 1 wardrobe or closet.
• Double rooms feature 2 dressers or 4 under-bed drawer units, 2 beds (frame and mattress), 2 bookcases, 1 desk, 2 desk drawer units, 2 desk chairs, and 1 wardrobe or closet.

Ware

• Single rooms include one bed (frame and mattress), one bookcase, one desk, one desk drawer unit, one desk chair, and one wardrobe or closet.
• Doubles feature two dressers, two desk drawer units, two desk chairs, two bookshelves, two desks, two desk drawer units, and two wardrobes or closets.
• Triple (2 bedrooms) has three dressers or six under-bed drawer units, three beds (frame and mattress), three bookcases, three desks, three desk drawer units, three desk chairs, and three wardrobes or closets.

Other Amenities

The buildings also feature operational amenities to assist your residential experience, in addition to the wonderful communities in each of Penn’s College Houses and Sansom Place.

• Electronic locks to building, room, and bedroom
• Free laundry facilities
• Free Wi-Fi and cable TV
• Information centers with 24-hour security
• Mail and package rooms

How Much Is the Room And Board At UPenn?

How much is the room and board at UPenn? There are two room prices for the College Houses. The cost of a first-year student room is $11,754. Depending on the accommodation type chosen, upper-class rooms have two different room rates: $11,754 or $15,418, respectively.

Rates for each available UPenn dorm room during your timeslot will be listed at the bottom of the selection process for returning students.

Please be aware that after room selection is complete, the University’s Board of Trustees reviews the rates and confirms them. The room rates you will see throughout the procedure are based on those for the current academic year. Usually, UPenn dorm room rate increases range from 3% to 4%.

Based on the average room rate in the University College Houses, the housing allowance is calculated. During their first two years of enrollment, students are required to live on campus. A housing stipend is provided to students who pay off-campus rent to cover their living costs for nine months.

Furthermore, during their first two years of attendance, students must take part in a meal plan. An allowance for food expenditures is given to students who reside off-campus.

Penn Dining Meal Plans

First-Year 187 – Ideal for eating more meal consumption at retail locations. Priced and contracted annually and billed per semester.

Cost: $6,134 (annually)

Includes:

• 187 swipes every semester
• $400 Dining Dollars per semester
• 12 meals per week on average

First-Year 296 – Best for consuming most meals at all-you-care-to-eat locations. Priced and contracted annually and billed per semester.

Cost: $6,134 (annually)

Includes:

• 296 swipes every semester
• $125 Dining Dollars per semester
• 19 meals per week on average

What Is Special About UPenn’s Residential Life?

What is special about UPenn’s residential life? The thirteen College Houses, which are in the center of historic Philadelphia, bring together undergraduate, graduate, faculty, and staff members to create lively residential communities.

Most of the residents—approximately 6000 in total—are freshmen, however, Penn undergraduates are free to live on campus for the full four years if they so choose. Architectural designs range from larger, 4-story brick homes with 170 occupants to smaller, 24-story modern high-rises with nearly 800 residents.

The 13 College Houses are vibrant communities that reflect the character of the University as well as the diverse interests of the people who attend the school. And because there are so many fantastic dining options on campus and in the surrounding area, Penn meals are at the center of both the collaborative process and the culture.

In addition to a huge team of student Resident Advisors (RAs), student technology assistants, and numerous student managers in important positions, each House has a Faculty Director, one or more Fellows, a House Director, a House Coordinator, and several RAs.

Numerous leadership possibilities, personal services, and cultural, intellectual, and recreational events are offered by each House. Although the emphasis and traditions of each House vary, they all provide the same wonderful amenities and opportunities for personal growth.

Living with students and instructors who are passionate about a certain subject is one of the College House system’s biggest advantages. Program Communities are living-learning settings that offer this chance. It is entirely optional to join a PC, and there is a particular application process that typically involves an essay and maybe House-specific qualifications.

Within the Houses, there are more than 40 specific “theme floors” called Program Communities where students can choose to dwell. You can share a residence with faculty members and students who are passionate about the same subject. You can choose from a variety of topics, such as those that concentrate on politics, the humanities, sciences, or the visual or performing arts.

Entering college might be overwhelming however, just imagine yourself living in a UPenn dorm room and enjoying the community within the Houses. UPenn is commonly referred to as the “Social Ivy” since students at this university lead active lives outside of the classroom and the mentality of “work hard, play hard” dominates the campus. If you think this type of learning environment might fit you, then you should prepare yourself for the tough UPenn admissions.

AdmissionSight has helped students from all over the globe attend the school of their choice. With our programs and services, you could easily craft great college essays and seek advice regarding which majors and minors to take. The earlier you prepare for college, the better. So, feel free to contact AdmissionSight and schedule an initial consultation as soon as possible.