The Princeton Review recently released its Best College Dorms 2027 ranking, highlighting 20 colleges where students give their residence halls and on-campus housing the highest marks.
This year’s list includes highly selective universities such as Vanderbilt, Rice, and the University of Chicago, leading liberal arts colleges including Bowdoin and Amherst, as well as schools that may be less familiar to some students, such as Olin College of Engineering and High Point University.
About The Princeton Review Best College Dorms Ranking
The Princeton Review’s annual college rankings are based entirely on feedback from current students. They surveyed more than 172,000 students at 392 colleges across the United States. These students answered 98 questions covering academics and administration, campus life, fellow students, and their own college experiences.
This year’s list shows that highly ranked dorms are not limited to one type of institution. Small liberal arts colleges such as Bowdoin, Mount Holyoke, Scripps, Pitzer, Bennington, and Amherst all appear in thr ranking. Larger universities also make the list, including Vanderbilt, Washington State University, Texas Christian University, and the University of Oregon.
Several schools are also particularly relevant to students interested in STEM. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering ranks seventh, while Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology ranks twentieth.
The list looks very different from a traditional academic ranking. Many universities that regularly dominate national rankings, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, MIT, and Columbia, do not appear in the Top 20. This is a useful reminder that academic prestige and student experience measure very different things.
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1. Bowdoin College
Location: Brunswick, Maine
As a small residential liberal arts college, Bowdoin places significant emphasis on campus community. Students are required to live in College Housing during their first two years, while juniors and seniors can enter a lottery for permission to live off campus. Housing options range from singles and doubles to larger suites and apartments. Combined with the college’s small size, this residential structure gives Bowdoin one of the tightest-knit living communities among liberal arts schools.
2. Washington University in St. Louis
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
WashU combines the resources of a major research university with a strongly residential undergraduate experience. Housing ranges from traditional dorms for first-years to suite- and apartment-style options for upperclassmen, and the university actively encourages students to stay on campus beyond their first year. For students weighing selective private universities against each other, WashU’s consistently high marks for quality of campus life make it a standout choice.
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3. High Point University
Location: High Point, North Carolina
High Point’s housing inventory includes traditional rooms, suites, apartments, townhomes, university-owned houses, and even tiny homes for some upperclassmen. First-year students can choose among numerous residence halls, though their options are divided into different pricing tiers, giving HPU one of the most varied housing portfolios on this list.
4. Vanderbilt University
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Vanderbilt combines highly selective academics with a distinctive residential experience. All first-year students live together on The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons, where they’re assigned to one of 10 houses, each with its own identity and a faculty head who lives alongside them: a system built around community rather than just providing rooms. Most first-year spaces are doubles, though some houses also include triples and a limited number of singles. After the first year, students can live in residential colleges, living-learning communities, or traditional residence halls.
5. Washington and Lee University
Location: Lexington, Virginia
Located in the college town of Lexington, Virginia, Washington and Lee offers a smaller residential environment that makes it easier for students to form a close-knit campus community. Undergraduates are required to live on campus for their first three years at Washington and Lee, with seniors typically the first to move off campus. First-years live in two First-Year residence halls, where floors are divided into sections of 12 to 20 students, each supervised by a Resident Adviser.
After the first year, students move into a wide variety of housing options, including apartments, townhouses, Fraternity and Sorority housing, and community houses. Community Assistants support residents in these upper-division spaces the way RAs do for first-years.
6. Elon University
Location: Elon, North Carolina
Rather than organizing housing by individual residence halls, Elon divides its residential campus into several neighborhoods that combine housing with shared spaces, events, and programming, which is designed to help students belong to a larger residential community from day one.
First-year students are placed into one of five of these neighborhoods, Colonnades, Danieley, East, Global, or Historic, each led by a team of faculty, staff, and student peer mentors and governed by its own student-and-staff neighborhood association.
7. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Location: Needham, Massachusetts
This tiny engineering college has only two main residence halls: East Hall and West Hall. West Hall houses most first- and second-year students, while East Hall is primarily home to the juniors and seniors.
West Hall consists mostly of double rooms, and each room has its own bathroom. These rooms also include a microwave-refrigerator unit, Wi-Fi and Ethernet access, adjustable heating or cooling, and standard student furniture. Floors include lounges, study areas, laundry facilities, and community spaces. With just over 300 students in total, Olin’s entire residential system essentially fits into two buildings, an unusually compact, close-knit setup even by small-college standards.
8. Mount Holyoke College
Location: South Hadley, Massachusetts
Its residence halls include everything from traditional singles, doubles, triples, and quads to suites and apartments. Some halls feature neo-Gothic or neo-Romanesque architecture, while newer buildings overlook the campus lakes.
Most residence halls also include students from all four class years rather than separating first-year students from upperclassmen. Incoming students are assigned a hall and a roommate based on a preference questionnaire, while returning students select their rooms through an annual housing lottery.
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9. Scripps College
Location: Claremont, California
Part of the Claremont Colleges consortium, Scripps is known for its residential liberal arts environment in Southern California. The college describes residential life as an essential part of the Scripps experience, emphasizing community and belonging as part of campus life.
Students at Scripps also benefit from being part of the larger Claremont Colleges community, which gives them a campus experience different from that of a completely standalone small college.
10. Sacred Heart University
Location: Fairfield, Connecticut
Sacred Heart University stands out for a residential experience that combines comfortable housing, strong community spaces, and a variety of living options as students progress through college. First-year students live in traditional residence hall communities, while sophomores have access to suite- and apartment-style housing. Upperclassmen can choose from apartments and townhouses that offer greater independence while still providing university support.
Some residence halls include amenities such as fitness centers, study and event spaces, coffee shops, laundry facilities, kitchens, and shared living areas. For example, Christian Witness Commons offers suite-style housing with spacious study lounges, living and dining areas, kitchens, and an on-site fitness center.
Top 20 College Dorms, Ranked by The Princeton Review
Rank | College | Location |
1 | Bowdoin College | Brunswick, ME |
2 | Washington University in St. Louis | St. Louis, MO |
3 | High Point University | High Point, NC |
4 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN |
5 | Washington and Lee University | Lexington, VA |
6 | Elon University | Elon, NC |
7 | Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering | Needham, MA |
8 | Mount Holyoke College | South Hadley, MA |
9 | Scripps College | Claremont, CA |
10 | Sacred Heart University | Fairfield, CT |
11 | Brigham Young University | Provo, UT |
12 | University of Chicago | Chicago, IL |
13 | University of San Diego | San Diego, CA |
14 | Pitzer College | Claremont, CA |
15 | Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX |
16 | Reed College | Portland, OR |
17 | Washington State University | Pullman, WA |
18 | Bennington College | Bennington, VT |
19 | Rice University | Houston, TX |
20 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Terre Haute, IN |
What Makes a Good College Dorm?
A high dorm ranking can be a useful starting point, but the “best” dorm will depend on what matters most to you.
Some students may prioritize newer buildings, air conditioning, or private bathrooms. Others may care more about their location, room size, or whether the residence hall has a strong sense of community.
When comparing college housing, pay attention to the following:
- Room type: Are most first-year students placed in singles, doubles, triples, suites, or apartments?
- Bathroom setup: Are bathrooms communal, suite-style, or private?
- Location: How far are residence halls from classrooms, dining halls, libraries, and recreation facilities?
- Amenities: Do they have kitchens, lounges, study spaces, laundry rooms, air conditioning, or fitness facilities?
- Housing guarantees: How many years are students expected to live on campus?
- Residential communities: Does the college offer residential colleges, living-learning communities, themed housing, or first-year neighborhoods?
- Cost: Are all residence halls priced similarly, or do premium housing options carry significant additional fees?
- Campus culture: Do students actually spend time in their residence halls, or is social life found elsewhere?
Dorm rankings can help students identify schools with strong residential experiences, but they should not be the only factor. Looking at individual residence halls, housing policies, costs, and current student experiences will give you a much better sense of what living on campus is actually like.
Should College Dorms Affect Your College Decision?
College dorms should be part of your decision, but not the ultimate deciding factor. Academics, costs, location, campus culture, available programs, and long-term goals will usually matter more than whether a residence hall has a private bathroom or newer facilities.
However, residential life still deserves attention. At many colleges, first-year students are required to live on campus, so your dorm can shape a huge part of your daily experience. A strong residential community can make it easier for you to meet people, get involved on campus, and feel connected to the school.
This ranking also shows why students should look beyond overall prestige when comparing colleges. Schools such as Bowdoin, Olin, Mount Holyoke, Elon, and High Point rank highly for dorms, while many universities that regularly appear near the top of national academic rankings are not included in the Top 20.
Once you have narrowed down your college list, take time to research the actual living experience. Look at residence hall options, housing requirements, costs, and campus location. If possible, tour the dorms and speak with current students about what living on campus is really like.
Preparing for the Transition with Aralia
Figuring out the right living situation is one small piece of a much bigger transition into college life, and it helps to have guidance along the way. Aralia Education offers programs designed to support students through every stage of that journey, from college applications to the skills that will help them stand out once accepted. Explore Aralia’s programs to learn how we can help you start your college experience on the right foot.
