At BU, we offer more than just a comfortable place to lay your head, study, and eat. We provide housing that nourishes the mind, and spirit, by connecting students through academic or extracurricular passions.
There are two types of shared-interest communities on campus: Living-Learning and Specialty. The key difference is the former is connected with academic credit and the latter is not.
Living-Learning Communities (LLC)
These faculty-guided communities focus on experiential learning and discovery beyond the classroom. They offer opportunities for interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration with students and faculty from across disciplines, direct advising and mentoring, and interactions that promote intellectual development and foster community learning.
Some examples of BU’s LLCs include Earth House, focusing on sustainability and environmental issues, and Global House, centered around foreign language proficiency. Kilachand Honors College also offers an LLC, and another is built around the Core Curriculum.
Specialty Communities
Specialty community houses, and floors in dormitories large and small, are accommodations in which students with similar interests live, study, and socialize. They are created and sustained by students with the support of faculty and staff and provide unique living environments based on mutual intellectual, cultural, and social affinities. The specialty houses on campus are centered around such interests as educational interests, community service, and music, to name a few.
Specialty community residences are designed to:
- Encourage the in-depth exploration of academic disciplines and/or special interests.
- Promote group participation in University programs and events.
- Facilitate the development of mutually respectful relationships within the community.
- Provide safe forums in which to freely share personal perspectives.
- Offer access to a resident assistant whose interests, qualifications, and training help effectively guide and assist community members.
- Provide residents, in most cases, access to an involved faculty advisor who is able to answer course- and career-related questions.
For more information about living-learning and specialty communities, please contact Residence Life at 617-353-4380, or visit any residence office. Learn more about Living-Learning and Specialty Communities.
How to Apply
Freshmen and Transfers
Can indicate their interest in up to three Living-Learning Communities or Specialty Communities on their New Student Housing Application; no further application or approval is required.
Continuing Students
Must complete an application and be approved to live in Living-Learning Communities or Specialty Communities. Current students must receive approval before they can select the residence during room selection in the spring or change rooms (through a direct swap or room change offer). This application process is administered by Residence Life.
Instructions for how to apply to live in a Living-Learning Communities or Specialty Communities, as well as the application itself, can be found on the Living-Learning and Specialty Community Residences website.
There are specific times each year when students are encouraged to apply for Living-Learning Communities or Specialty Communities (e.g., prior to the Room Selection process). However, students may submit an application at any time.
Living-Learning and Specialty Communities Requirements
Living-Learning Communities |
Requirements |
Earth House
7 Buswell Street |
Strong interest in the environment and environmental issues; participation in sustainability initiatives on campus; involvement in events such as Earth Hour and Recycle Mania. For more information click here. |
Global House
610 Beacon Street, 4th Floor |
Proficient in a language at the second-semester level or above. For more information click here. |
Kilachand Honors College House 117 Bay State Road |
All students in good standing in the Kilachand Honors College are eligible to live in the Kilachand Honors College House. No application necessary. |
Kilachand Honors College – Floors
Kilachand Hall 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6
|
Enrollment in the Kilachand Honors College. No application necessary. |
Core Curriculum House
141 Carlton Street |
Enrollment in the College of Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum Program. |
Core Curriculum Floor
Marshall 11 |
Enrollment in the College of Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum Program. |
Specialty Communities |
Requirements |
Classics House
176 Bay State Road |
A major or minor in classical studies, Greek, Latin, Modern Greek, or archaeology. |
College of Communication Floor Shields 11 |
Enrollment in the College of Communication. |
College of Fine Arts Floor Claflin 9 |
Enrollment in the College of Fine Arts. |
College of General Studies House 166-168 Bay State Road |
Enrollment in the College of General Studies (juniors and seniors who are selected to reside in the House will act as mentors to the underclassmen and will be expected to participate in House activities). |
Common Ground House
158-160 Bay State Road |
Martin Luther King Scholar, Howard Thurman Center Ambassador, or demonstrated commitment to the Howard Thurman legacy by attendance at Common Ground Orientation or other programs sponsored by the Howard Thurman Center. |
Community Service House 31 Buswell Street |
Involvement in local community service organizations and projects; participation in FYSOP or the Community Service Center strongly preferred. |
Education House 179 Bay State Road |
Open to any undergraduate student enrolled in the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development. |
Engineering House
1 Buswell Street |
Enrollment in the College of Engineering. |
Engineering Floors Marshall 9, Shields 12, Towers 4W |
Enrollment in the College of Engineering. |
Lavender House 165 Bay State Road |
Find out more information here. |
Limited Parietal House 157 Bay State Road |
For female students who prefer more restricted visiting hours (no Specialty Residence application required). |
Management House 161 Bay State Road |
Enrollment in the Questrom School of Business. |
Management Floors Towers 8W, 9W |
Enrollment in the Questrom School of Business. |
Music House 207 Bay State Road |
A major or minor in music or the ability to demonstrate an active interest in music. |
Sargent College House 205 Bay State Road |
Enrollment in Sargent College. |
Sargent College Floor Towers 7W |
Enrollment in Sargent College. |
Trustee Scholars House 200 Bay State Road |
Enrollment in the Trustee Scholars Program. |
Wellness Housing some suites on floor 7 Kilachand Hall |
Desire to live in a substance-free space with other students who want to support their mental & physical health. |
Women in Science and Engineering Upperclass (WISE-UP) 163 Bay State Road |
WISE-UP: Female students (sophomores, juniors, and seniors) who are declared majors in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Preference given to former WISE@Warren residents. WISE-UP house activities will include special seminars, interaction with STEM female faculty, peer and graduate student mentoring, academic support, STEM career experiences, creativity and innovation, and societal outreach in STEM. |
Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Floor Fairfield 15 |
WISE@Warren: Female students who are entering freshmen and are interested in majoring in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) discipline. Residents must register for a freshman seminar (First Year Experience) that meets twice a month and focuses on career opportunities, discussions with STEM female faculty and non academic professionals, academic preparation and social and community outreach around STEM topics. For more information click here. |
Writers’ Corridor Kilachand 4 |
Interest in writing and in sharing your work with others, and in submitting original work for floor publications. |