6 of the most incredible (and expensive) dorms in the U.S.
Photo courtesy of MIT's Division of Student Life
College living isn't what it used to be.
The standard dorm used to include beds and desks, and that was pretty much it. Now some students can expect infinity pools, indoor golf, ball pits, private hot tubs, high-tech systems for tracking environmental footprints, spas, private balconies and movie theaters.
There are even luxury dormitory chains, of sorts, like the Hub on Campus facilities created by the Austin-based developer Core Spaces. These six facilities, including one at the University of Arizona in Tucson, and another at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, have outrageous features typically found in the wildest dreams of even adult high-end condo owners. They include volleyball courts, saunas, private beverage refrigerators, tanning beds and bike storage.
Not surprisingly, luxe living for co-eds comes with a price to match. Some astonishingly expensive rooms are on this list, some costing more than $7,000 per student per month.
Check out six college residence halls that will make you want to head back to school.
Few Hall – Emory University – Atlanta, Georgia
Photo courtesy of Emory University
Few Hall, a five-story, environmentally conscious facility at Emory University in Atlanta, boasts a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and offers one incredible amenity: An online energy monitor where second-year undergrads can see how much water and electricity they're using compared with other dormitories and times of day.
Few Hall – Emory University – Atlanta, Georgia
Photo courtesy of Emory University
The building is named after the first president of Emory, Ignatius Alphonso Few. It offers both single and double rooms. Each of the units (which are between 125 and 236 square feet) feature cable and Wi-Fi, and movable furniture items like beds, dressers and desks. Students have access to a community lounge on each floor, a first-floor kitchen and a laundry facility -- all pretty standard really.
Single-student rooms cost $4,030 per semester, and double rooms cost $3,780 per student per semester.
Hub – University of Arizona
Photo courtesy of Core Spaces
The Hub dorms at the University of Arizona in Tuscon, are about as luxe as they get.
The building comes equipped with a rooftop infinity pool with a hot tub, rooftop sun deck with billiard and foosball tables, terrace with grills and hammocks, sand volleyball court with a 22-foot TV, fitness center with yoga studio, sauna, tanning beds, work area with computers and printers, garage parking and bike storage and a clubroom with a kitchen and stellar views.
It offers one-bedroom to five-bedroom units in sizes ranging from 494 to 1,920 square feet. These have additional high-end amenities like private balconies, showerheads with Bluetooth speakers, walk-in closets, quartz countertops, in-unit laundry and 42-inch TVs with cable.
Hub – University of Arizona
Photo courtesy of Core Spaces
Naturally, the good life doesn't come cheap. Monthly rates per unit range from $1,490 to $5,405, but with rooms also being rented to students on an individual basis (starting at $814 per bedroom), the monthly totals can be much higher than that.
Hub – University of Wisconsin, Madison
Photo by Kevin Kaminski, courtesy of Core Spaces
The Hub location at the University of Wisconsin, Madison offers a similar brand of "I-can't-believe-this-is-for-college-students."
It also has a rooftop sun deck and pool (this time with two hot tubs), sand volleyball court (this time the TV is only 20 feet), fitness center, yoga room, hammocks and grills, sauna and steam room, tanning beds, work center with computers and printers, indoor gaming area, parking garage and bike storage.
Hub – University of Wisconsin, Madison
Photo courtesy of Core Spaces
But there are also some differences: This facility has a seasonal ice rink, "indoor golf simulator," music practice room with performance space, media room, video-conferencing room and a conference center. The dorm has studio to five-bedroom units with sizes between 266 and 2,149 square feet. Additional, ultra-fancy, in-unit amenities could potentially include a custom tile backsplash in the bathroom, a private hot tub, private pool table and a beverage cooler with a glass door.
Monthly rates per unit at the Madison, Wisconsin, location range from $1,055 to a whopping $7,385. Rooms rented on an individual basis start at $795 (for a double occupancy) and go up to $1,600.
Kahn Hall – Oberlin College – Oberlin, Ohio
Photo by Kevin G Reeves ©, courtesy of Oberlin College
Kahn Hall is a residential building for first-year undergrads at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. It's focused on promoting sustainable living, with LEED Silver-certified green amenities that encourage students to modify their less-than-eco-friendly behaviors. In fact, people who want to live there have to sign a pledge committing themselves to minimizing their environmental impact.
Green features include a system that shuts off the heat and air conditioning when the windows are opened, heat-reflecting roof, energy-efficient appliances, laundry room clotheslines, compost bins and a system for tracking water and energy use in real time.
Kahn Hall – Oberlin College – Oberlin, Ohio
Photo by Jennifer Manna, courtesy of Oberlin College
But living green comes with some perks: Community areas and amenities at the three-story facility include a dance studio, sound-reduced music practice rooms, a study room, piano, fitness center, laundry room, game room, outdoor seating area, lounges with TVs. The individual rooms have carpeting, bunk beds, desks and storage.
According to Oberlin director of housing Rebecca Mosely, most of Kahn's rooms are double living spaces costing $3,450 per semester.
Oak Hall – Mississippi State University – Starkville, Mississippi
Photo by Russ Houston, courtesy of Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University's four-story Oak Hall, located on campus in Starkville, Mississippi, is home to nearly 400 co-ed freshmen and upperclassmen. It has plenty of upscale amenities that make it a more-than-comfortable spot for students.
Oak Hall – Mississippi State University – Starkville, Mississippi
Photo by Megan Bean, courtesy of Mississippi State University
All Oak Hall residents have access to a central kitchen on every floor, central laundry room on every floor, Wi-Fi, an elevator, cable outlets, study rooms and classrooms, individual bedroom thermostats, private bathrooms, balconies on the third and fourth floors and an outdoor courtyard area. Additionally, each room features two bunkable beds, two desks, two closets, two dressers, a full-size refrigerator and microwave.
The double rooms at Oak Hall cost $3,311 per student per semester.
Simmons Hall – MIT Division of Student Life – Cambridge, Massachusetts
Photo courtesy of MIT's Division of Student Life
Simmons Hall, located on campus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, is known nationwide as the dorm with its own ball pit.
Simmons Hall – MIT Division of Student Life – Cambridge, Massachusetts
Photo courtesy of MIT's Division of Student Life
In addition to that playful amenity, the notoriously quirky 10-story residence for around 340 undergrads features a two-story gym with a yoga station, its own dining hall, a multipurpose media room with a projector and seating for 200 people, workshop and lab room, community lounges with PS3s, several shared laundry rooms and, according to the website, "an unknown population of velociraptors." It offers double and single rooms with beds, storage and desks. Three residents "generally" share a bathroom, according to the school.
Rates for the swanky facility are $4,355 per student per semester for double rooms and $4,925 per student per semester for singles.