Ultimate Ranking of UConn Dorms

It can be difficult to attend a university for the first time and try to learn the best housing on campus when you’ve never lived at that college before. From my perspective and what I’ve observed, I’ve come up with a list of residence halls on campus ranked #1 (most popular, best dining hall, greatest location, great sized rooms) to #10 (worst location, terrible dining hall, smallest rooms). UConn has many residence halls to choose from not in this list. This list is based on opinion and in no way undermines other perspectives, but hopefully will help students anyway. Keep reading for the ultimate ranking of UConn dorms!

1. Hilltop Apartments

Hilltop Apartments is the housing selection that is filled by the afternoon of the first day of housing pick times. You get the opportunity of living in an apartment, but still live on campus! There are different styles of these apartments, such as the double efficiency, two-bedroom/four person and four-bedroom/four person. You have the luxury amenities of a laundry room in your apartment, full kitchen (including dishwasher), living room, dining area and bathroom. The residential area tends to be mainly seniors, so you’ll get a closed-door environment since people know each other within their apartments. With the luxuries and the A/C, it’s a perfect set up.

2. South Campus

South is the second most popular residential area that goes quickly when housing pick times come around. There are four co-ed floors with single sex suites. There are single rooms with private or shared bathroom and no living area, double rooms with living area and shared bathroom, and one four person room on each floor with a private bathroom shortly down the hallway and no living area. This area is full of suites, so it is not apartment style. You have your double bedroom with a common area and another bedroom and bathroom within the four-person suite. South Campus dining hall and McMahon dining hall are the two options for this area and are both top liked dining halls on campus. This area is primarily upperclassmen with a chunk full of sophomores. The Honors Learning Community and Veterans Learning Community are both placed in this area. This area is always fun and nice and cool during the warm weather.

3. Nathan Hale Inn

Is that a hotel? I think yes!! The Nathan Hale Inn houses students on the fourth and fifth floors. The hotel rooms available to students are filled with campus furniture, not hotel furniture. You do get the TV and the phone, too! Also, not only is there central air-conditioning and access to room service (you have to pay for it with your own money), but the maids also clean your room twice a week. The laundry room is in Snow Hall of South Campus just across the way, but what’s a few feet just to clean your dirty underwear? Since there are only two floors, it goes quickly when it comes to housing selection!

4. Alumni

Alumni is definitely the best traditional style housing we have on campus. There are two dining options of McMahon dining hall and South dining hall. The room sizes are bigger than the other traditional buildings. There are single sex and co-ed floors as well as the following learning communities: Business Connections, Connecting with the Arts, Fine Arts, Humanities, Human Rights and Action, La Comunidad Intelectual, Leadership and Honors. Elevators are a must in these buildings, too! Each of the four buildings has six floors. There’s also a volleyball court and basketball court outside of the residence halls!

5. Garrigus Suites

These suites are nice with central air and close to the gym! I’ve experienced living here and was a five-minute walk to the classroom buildings in the middle of campus. There are triple rooms and singles. One triple shares a bathroom with the next triple. The building has five floors and each floor is co-ed! Starting this fall this residential area will have a newly upgraded dining hall, too!

6. Busby Suites

Busby Suites is slightly bigger than Garrigus Suites, same style with the triples and singles, although it’s off a seriously steep hill and your dining option is North dining hall (not the best). The atmosphere is great in this residential area and there are also study lounges on each floor. The game room for this location has a flat screen TV and DVD player, as well as many other gaming equipment and available cookware.

7. Northwest

Northwest contains six buildings with four floors each. The Learning Communities here are Nursing and Pre Pharmacy. This is a traditional style building, so no central air, and the rooms are a bit small. The dining hall is great and is a good alternative to North dining hall since it’s right next to it.

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8. East

I would have to say that this residential area has the best atmosphere on campus. Everyone is so accepting and friendly. The dining hall is nice and fresh with the food and healthier (or so I have been told) and has the best breakfast. The Learning Community in this area is the Gender Inclusive LC.

9. Shippee

I’ve personally never been in Shippee, but I’ve heard good things about it. The atmosphere is great and it normally contains lower classmen. There are six co-ed floors and even contain C Section rooms with a private bathroom. First year Honors students also live in this building. The downside to this residence hall is that it’s a bit far from the middle of campus and your dining hall option is Buckley dining hall.

10. Buckley

If you’re a first year student in Honors, this residence hall has good-sized rooms. It’s a long walk to class and the absolute worst dining hall on campus, but at least you can live in a 24/7 quiet building and meet other first year students, this is the perfect place!

Those are my top ten ranked residence halls in a nutshell. Hope you’ve learned something and get to see each one of these buildings for yourself one day! Until next time…!