Office of Residential Programs

Residential Living at Columbia University

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The residential experience is an integral component of a Columbia education.  Our residential areas include:

Each area of campus listed above is served by a team of Resident Advisers (RAs), Community Programming Assistants (CPAs), Graduate Assistants (GAs), and an Associate Director (AD) who create programs, plan events, and provide opportunities for all residents to be involved.  There is a multitude of ways to connect to the community and we encourage residents to take part in the initiatives sponsored in their hall. 

First-year students have the opportunity to experience a range of living options.  John Jay and Carman Residence Halls offer a Columbia experience alongside other first-year students.  Furnald Hall houses first year students in addition to sophomores, providing a mixed-class experience.   In each of these halls, students will find a supportive environment aimed at helping them acclimate to campus, achieve academic success, learn and live amongst others.  There are a multitude of program offerings in these halls specifically aimed at assisting first-year students ease their transition into the Columbia community.   

A unique residential experience is offered in the Living Learning Center (LLC).  First-years have the opportunity to live amongst and learn from upper-class sophomores, juniors and seniors in suites.  In addition to the programs to assist first-years with their transition, the LLC offers a Faculty in Residence and a Dean in Residence  Students are invited to intimate dinners in the homes of the Faculty and Dean and have conversations with prominent guests and alumni. The Gateway Residential Initiative (GRI) and the Residential Engineering Initiative (REI) also offered in the LLC, offer outstanding outside-of-the-classroom training and education for our engineering students.

Students may choose to live with others around a programmatic interest or theme.  Sophomores, juniors and seniors might want to apply to one of our Special Interest Communities housed in East Campus and The Block.  These communities offer a culturally or theme-based living experience for interested students.  Members of SICs enhance their leadership skills, program for the community they reside in, and engage in conversations with others in the Columbia community around their particular theme.  

Students may select the opportunity to live amongst Faculty members, Deans, and their families.  The Living Learning Center, East Campus, and West Campus all provide Faculty or Deans-in-Residence.  These initiatives allow residents to partake in events with guests and alumni and learn more about life after graduation.

For questions regarding individual areas of campus, please contact the appropriate Associate Director listed here.  For facility-related questions regarding aspects of our halls, visit the Housing website here.