Choosing a residence hall at Illinois: Tips for new students
There are only a few short months until our newest Illini are on campus! We can’t wait for you to begin your residential experience in one of our 24 undergraduate residence halls, but first, you have to pick one! After both living in and working for University Housing, I want to share some useful information to help you make your choice.
Making Your Selection
Time slots to select your hall are randomized for everyone who submits their housing contracts before the priority deadline. If you do not submit by the priority deadline, you will be assigned a space. It’s important to note that submitting your contract earlier does not grant you an earlier time slot, and returning residents are generally given the luxury of selecting first.
That means some of our premier, most sought after spaces may not be available for first-year students. Additionally, some residence halls are reserved exclusively for upper-division students – sophomores through seniors, like Bousfield Hall, which features suite-style living, and Taft-Van Doren Halls, which offer some unique amenities, including a little more privacy and some single rooms.
With that being said, it’s important to do your research and have plenty of backup options – just in case! If you don't get one of your top choices this year, don't fret: You'll be near the front of the line to choose next year!
It’s a big decision, but you can’t go wrong. Each residence hall provides great benefits and will help you succeed in your journey at Illinois!
Know the Lingo
Undergraduate halls are grouped into four main areas: Urbana North, Urbana South, Ike North and Ike South. Within these four areas, some halls are further grouped by street name. You may be hearing things such as “FAR,” “LAR” and so on. These names come from specific locations of residence halls. For example, FAR stands for Florida Avenue Residence Halls. FAR consists of Trelease and Ogelsby Hall, which are located – you guessed it – on Florida Avenue.
Each group of halls offers lots of benefits and are unique in their own way. I’ll walk you through them!
Allen, LAR and Busey-Evans
These are a few of our Urbana halls in Urbana North. LAR (Lincoln Avenue Residence Halls) and Allen Hall are connected, sharing an all-you-care-to-eat dining hall in the basement as well as LAR’s Field of Greens – a vegan/vegetarian dining hall. Also, connected residence halls give you more access to more friends and common areas!
One huge perk for residents living in Urbana North is the quick and easy access to CRCE – the Campus Recreation Center East. Living in these halls means excellent workout spaces are just a few steps away!
Busey-Evans is a short walk to both the LAR and ISR dining halls, and is a smaller, stand-alone hall with a great community. Busey is an all-female hall with a non-visitation wing, and Evans is an all-male hall.
Lastly, if you are musically inclined or artsy, Allen Hall – or Unit One – is our creative living-learning community! You can take art classes, music lessons and more right in your own hall and have access to an on-site music recording studio, darkroom and ceramics lab.
PAR & FAR
PAR and FAR – Pennsylvania Avenue and Florida Avenue Residence Halls – are home to six residence halls that are all a short distance away from each other. These are located in the Urbana South area.
A benefit of PAR and FAR is the easy access to the PAR dining hall. Sky Garden, PAR’s stir-fry station, is a campus staple that so many students love.
Our newest retail location, Corner Café offers a cozy, inviting space inside FAR to enjoy a nice cup of coffee and a bite to eat.
PAR and FAR are adjacent to some of the most interesting outdoor spots on campus, and there is an excellent bus system with stops directly outside of the halls and buses running every few minutes, making it easy and convenient.
There is also a dining retail location in PAR, a fitness room in FAR and various classes and activities within the halls – and outside of them! There are tennis and basketball courts as well as Illini Grove, one of the most peaceful nature spots on campus, right outside. It’s also a great community!
ISR
ISR – Illinois Street Residence Halls – consists of Townsend and Wardall, our newly renovated residence halls, dining center and programmatic spaces. Between the all-you-care-to-eat dining hall, TerraByte convenience store and InfiniTEA tea bar, there's always a delicious meal you can find, plus a fitness center, great study rooms and lounge spaces.
Lots of University Housing events take place at ISR, so you wouldn’t even have to leave your own hall to attend!
Ike North & South
Home to 11 residence halls, Ikenberry Commons is our most populated area! It has everything a resident could need and is arguably the most social of residence hall areas. It also has its own open green space – the Ike Quad!
You are a short walk away from the Ike Dining Center, which is in the SDRP (Student Dining and Residential Programs Building). The SDRP has everything – dining, study lounges, fun events and more – including The Caffeinator and 57 North retail locations. You are also across from the ARC (Activities & Recreation Center), which gives you access to a full gym, workout classes and more activities.
LLCs & Special Living Options
There are 10 LLCs, or living-learning communities, throughout the residence halls. Living in an LLC connects you to like-minded individuals with similar interests, who can help you progress in your career and Illinois experience. There is a Business LLC, the Sustainability LLC, Women in Math, Science and Engineering LLC and more. You can learn more about living-learning communities on our website.
In addition to LLCs, there are also a number of special living options – including the scholars community, gender-inclusive housing, a substance-free community and more.
Compare Your Options
The best resource is the Compare Options and Cost Calculator page! Here, you can look at pictures, costs and more detailed descriptions of each individual hall. I recommend doing your research in advance for an easy selection process.
You can also learn more about each individual hall and consider your options one-by-one through the Undergraduate Residence Halls page on our website. This page has all the information in one place – including hall groups! Each hall has different groups and clubs that you can be a part of – take a look at which groups interest you!
Be Prepared, and We'll See You Soon!
One final tip: Make sure to keep up with important dates and deadlines so you are ready to make your selection. Wherever you end up, we can’t wait to welcome you home!
