10 National Universities Where Students Usually Live on Campus
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Many college students plan to spend about $10,000 or more this school year on room and board, according to a report from the College Board, a nonprofit organization that manages standardized tests used for college admissions.
The high price of living on campus can be worth it, though. Impromptu slumber parties and late-night game nights can make living at school a fun, bonding experience. Schools' policies vary on whether living on campus is required, encouraged or unnecessary, but at some institutions students strongly prefer to live there.
At Harvard University, for example, 99 percent of undergraduates lived on campus in fall 2013. It had the highest percentage of undergraduates at a National University living on campus, according to data submitted to U.S. News by 252 ranked schools. National Universities offer a full range of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees.
Find out [where students pay the most for room and board.]
Harvard also topped this list for fall 2011, but it has other Ivy League schools close on its heels. During fall 2013, 97 percent of undergrads at Princeton University lived on campus, and 94 percent of Columbia's baccalaureate students chose campus housing over living elsewhere in New York.
The University of Rochester and Case Western Reserve University haven't always made this list in the past, but this year they're in the middle of the top 10. At Rochester, 93 percent of undergrads lived on campus; 89 percent of students seeking a bachelor's degree lived on campus at Case Western Reserve.
Discover [which schools charge the least for room and board.]
The average percentage of undergrads at National Universities who lived on campus was 38.6, U.S. News data show. University of Colorado--Denver, University of Nevada--Las Vegas and University of Texas--San Antonio each had 5 percent of undergrads living on campus -- the lowest proportion among all schools.
Below is a list of the 10 National Universities that had the highest percentage of undergraduates living on campus during fall 2013. Schools that were designated by U.S. News as Unranked were not considered for this report. These schools did not meet certain criteria that U.S. News requires to be numerically ranked.
National University (state) | Percent of undergrads living on campus | U.S. News rank |
|---|---|---|
99 | 2 | |
97 | 1 | |
94 | 4 (tie) | |
93 | 33 (tie) | |
91 | 4 (tie) | |
89 | 38 (tie) | |
88 | 11 | |
88 | 7 | |
88 | 181 (tie) | |
87 | 3 |
Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find campus housing data, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed nearly 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2014 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The housing data above are correct as of March 3, 2015.
Delece Smith-Barrow is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering graduate schools. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dsmithbarrow@usnews.com.
