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HOUSING

Incoming transfers are placed into New College House West (NCHW), Gregory, Mayer, Du Bois, or one of the three high rise college houses, Rodin, Harnwell, or Harrison. Most students will end up in NCHW or a high rise! Students are required to live on campus for their first year.

Click here for more information about the housing process from Penn Residential Services.

Transfer Living Community

Live with other transfers on a floor in Rodin, one of the high rises! Incoming and returning transfer students will live in this community and form a mentoring relationship with one another. Immediately be immersed in the Penn community with neighbors who have shared experiences with them. TLC will be a community that enhances the transfer student experience through fun and creative ways.

Mayer Hall

Note that Mayer Hall is technically not its own college house; it is a part of Stouffer College House, and is called Stouffer-Mayer. Stouffer-Stouffer is across the street from Stouffer-Mayer, and the two share events and a building government.

PROS

  • Full apartment with kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom

  • Large living room and plenty of space—probably the most spacious of the transfer dorms

  • Relatively quiet hallmates

  • Hall activities almost every night

  • Lots of free food

  • Very supportive faculty, staff, GAs, RAs

  • There is a floor with a bunch of other transfers

CONS

  • ​Double (shared) bedroom (although some people have gotten the apartment to themselves; this cannot be guaranteed)

  • Next to a fraternity

  • You need to make an effort to find community and get out of your apartment (this happens in almost every upperclass residence, however)

  • Many activities are in the Stouffer-Stouffer building at night, which is a walk across the street

MAYER

Gregory College House

Gregory is also split into two buildings. Transfers are generally placed into the Class of 1925 Building.

PROS

  • Lots of Community Events = Lots of Free Food

  • Single Rooms for Everyone

  • Lots of study areas, great for group study or group projects

  • Free Cafe - open to Gregory students at certain times, you can ask them to make you basically anything

  • Lots of Transfer Students live in Gregory - make a lot of close friends immediately

  • Movie Theater, Game Room, and Yoga Studio all available for use

CONS

  • 40th St - right on the edge of campus, farthest dorm

  • It is kind of far from Physics, Chemistry and Music Departments

  • Two buildings - so a lot of the events are split between buildings

  • Only four floors, no chance of a view of Philly

  • Across from Frat/Sorority Houses - it can get a little loud during rush week

GREGORY

Gutmann College House

Gutmann, previously know as New College House West (NCHW), is on 40th Street and houses about 430 residents. It is Penn's newest and nicest dorm, which means it's somewhat competitive to get. Look at photos and a guide from the DP. 

PROS

  • All rooms are suite-style and you'll live in a single, guaranteed

  • Nice views

  • Newest facilities— great bathrooms, fitness rooms, etc.

  • Right across from popular off-campus food places

  • Nice study areas

  • Cafe West (where you can use dining dollars) in the building

CONS

  • Communal floor kitchens instead of personal suite kitchens

  • Is the furthest west dorm, so far from Engineering Quad, but a generally negligible difference

  • One laundry room instead of laundry rooms on every other floor

NCHW

High Rises

Harrison, Harnwell, and Rodin are 24-floor dorm buildings called the high rises. All three high rises are physically similar, but have different cultures and programming. For more on what goes on at each college house, follow the links below.

PROS

  • You have the option of either having your own room or sharing a room (which is cheaper)

  • Nice views

  • Study lounges on all 24 floors, in addition to a nice rooftop lounge and lobby study areas

  • It has the fastest elevators out of the high rises

  • Most rooms have kitchens and common rooms

  • There is lots of free food from events

  • It feels more like living in an apartment than a dorm room

  • Laundry is on every other floor (even floors) and trash chutes are on every floor

CONS

  • Less of a strong community feeling and more apartment-style

  • There can be long waits for the elevator/very crowded elevators before popular class times

  • The walls are relatively thin

  • It gets hot when they transition from AC to heat in the fall

  • Apartments with all singles are more expensive than lots of other options

                        Harnwell:                                                         Harrison:                                                           Rodin:

Dining

Penn has plenty of dining options - some good and some bad, depending on who you ask. Regardless, you'll become well acquainted with them, as all transfers are required to buy dining plans. The dining plans range from plans with 250 swipes and $100 dining dollars a semester to plans with 10 swipes and $875 dining dollars a semester. Many people prefer plans that have more dining dollars! Try to take into account how much you plan on eating out or cooking for yourself if you choose Mayer Hall, for example, which has a kitchen in each room. 

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A list of dining plan options can be found on Campus Express.

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A list of all places to buy food can be found here.

HIGH RISES
DINING
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