A True Home Away From Home
At Elmira, there are six traditional halls, the Twin Towers and the Cottages. It's in the residence halls that students forge friendships and find support systems. Each floor has a Resident Assistant, a student staff member who helps answer your questions and help you find solutions to problems. They also plan activities and events that bring the hall together, creating a home away from home.
Helping You Find Your Perfect Roommate
Many questions we get center on the living arrangements and Elmira; we do everything we can to help you transition to college and find success. First-year students receive a survey that helps us pair roommates based on study habits, sleep patterns and special interests like music and sports.
Programming & Activities
There’s a lot more to do at Elmira than hanging out at your residence hall and going to class. You can join a club or organization, participate in preprofessional groups, or be part of an intramural team or recreation league. Head over to the fitness center and work out. Or join friends for a movie night. The Campus Activities Board brings new events to campus each week.

Explore Our Residence Halls
Our Residence Halls are where students live, hang out, have fun and support each other. You and your classmates will have the chance to form a real community, and many students choose to live with the same friends and classmates they started with in their first year.
First-Year Housing
All first-year students are assigned to either Anderson Hall or Columbia Hall, so you and your classmates will be able to get to know one another as you start your college career. Our survey for roommates helps us put together the right people so you have a good fit from the first day. Each room houses two people, with furniture, Wi-Fi and free laundry facilities. Each hall also includes pantries you can cook in and lounges for meeting up with friends.
Upper-Class Housing
All undergraduate students must live on campus, unless they live with a legal guardian within 30 miles, are 25 years of age or older, or are married or living with biological children. Students go through a Housing Selection process in which they can request roommates, a suite or single room, or a specific choice of residence hall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are students required to live on campus all 4 years?
Yes. Elmira College has plenty of rooms in their residence halls, and our feeling is that when undergraduate students live together, they can support each other while having a good time. The exception to living on campus is any undergraduate student who lives with a legal guardian within 30 miles, is 25 years of age or older, or is married or living with biological children.
What is the housing selection process?
Incoming first-year students start by completing a survey about their habits. Questions include study habits and living routines. Then, you will be matched with a roommate with similar interests. Upperclassmen will use the Housing Selection process for their residence hall options.
Who do I talk to if I have an issue or question as a resident?
We want to take good care of every student. So, each residence hall is supervised by a professional staff member, the Residence Life Coordinator or RLC. The RLC lives in the building that they are supervising. Each floor has a student staff member who is a Resident Assistant or RA. Elmira College Residence Hall staff members are given extensive training to help meet the diverse needs of students.