Residency Policy

Grinnell College is a residential college. There are 19 residence halls and 8 College-owned houses.  All new students are required to live on-campus, which means enrolling in our room and board plan.  Exceptions to this policy are made only for students whose parents are Grinnell College faculty or staff; students who live with their parents in the Grinnell area; students who are 22 years old or older; or students whose children live with them.  A student may not move out of the residence halls without permission from the Residence Life Office.  First-year students may not live in College-owned houses.  Our philosophy regarding residential life is a simple one; we expect students to treat each other and staff members with the same respect they would receive from others. But, simplicity can be deceiving. Our residential life program works as well as students want it to work, involving considerable effort on the part of students. Students are treated as adults, and have a great deal of freedom and responsibility regarding their behavior individually and collectively. In self-governance, the Residence Life Coordinator's (RLC) role is one of counselor, adviser, educator, and non-disciplinarian. Each RLC has a student staff consisting of peer counselors called Student Advisers. Together, the RLCs, Student Advisers, and Hall Wellness Coordinators provide a structure for self-governance within the halls.