First-Year Housing

Every residence hall sits within a six-minute walk of your classes and of every other hall. Late-night conversations, shared meals, study sessions that run long — the kind of small campus where the people on your floor are never the only people you know.

Three halls. One small campus where everyone knows everyone.

All three halls house first-year students and are within a six-minute walk of each other and your classes.

Dolan Hall

📍 Between Rodman Hall & St. Francis Chapel

Renovated in 2022 and home to JCU's three signature Living Learning Communities — Honors, Arrupe, and Leadership Scholars. The most recently renovated first-year hall, with central air and a small second-floor quiet lounge.

~120

residents

First-year

only

3 LLCs

signature

Hamlin Hall

📍 Across from the AWE

A mixed-year hall where first-year and sophomore students live together in spacious doubles. Lower-level full kitchen, a large third-floor lobby, and views of Don Shula Stadium from the rooms that face the field.

200+

residents

1st & 2nd

year

Stadium

views

Campion Hall

📍 Near the athletic fields

JCU's largest first-year hall, with a ground-floor TV lounge and kitchen at its center and rooms looking out over the baseball and athletic fields. Home of the STEM Living Learning Community.

300+

residents

First-year

only

STEM

LLC

Life in the Halls

Not just housing. A place that starts to feel like yours.

It’s late-night conversations, shared routines, and the people you see every day. Here’s a snapshot of what that can look like.

Sunday 8:00pmShakedown half your dorm, half studying across town.

Tuesday 5:00pmCollection: 'that floor meeting — where everyone shows up.'

Wednesday 7:00pmFloor meeting — five people, one problem.

Thursday 10pmPizza party: snack circle, someone's dating news.

Friday 3:00pmThe last 2 classes before weekend: floor people you already know.

Saturday 11amLaundry day, breakfast hall runs — or lazy afternoon nap.

Dorm Finder

Three questions. One good hunch.

Three halls. All good. All within a six-minute walk. This just helps you picture your first year — you’ll be happy in any of them.

Compare All Three

All three halls. Side by side.

The basics are the same across all three. Here’s what actually differs.

Question 1 of 3

How do you see your first year going?

Question 2 of 3

What would make a Tuesday night at its best?

Question 3 of 3

Which community sounds most like you?

Where to start

Start with —. Then peek at the other two.

All three are good — here’s where we’d start your tour.

Where we’d start

—

Where you actually land depends on housing selection — and that’s fine. All three halls are good, and you’ll know the other two by week one anyway.

Schedule your visit →

You don’t rank halls on your application — Residence Life places you based on room type, LLC participation, and timing. All three halls are good. Here’s what actually differs between them.

Comparison of Dolan Hall, Hamlin Hall, and Campion Hall for the 2026–27 academic year.
Feature	DolanMain Quad · 1955 / reno ’22	HamlinNear Don Shula Stadium · 1988	CampionBy the athletic fields · 1990
Class years	First-year	First & second year	First-year
Co-ed layout	By floor	By wing	By wing
Air conditioning	Central	In-room (Fall 2023)	In-room (Fall 2023)
Living Learning Communities	Honors · Arrupe · Leadership Scholars	None — open mix	STEM LLC
Room options	Doubles + a few singles	Doubles + corner doubles	Doubles + corner doubles
Known for	Quiet upstairs lounge. Chapel bells at nine.	Floor dinners. Lower-level kitchen. Sophomores in the mix.	Athletic field views. STEM LLC. Biggest first-year community.

The Logistics

Everything you'll want to know before you pack.

What's in the room, what you bring, when to get here, and what it costs. All the practical stuff parents ask about first.

Already in your room

A variable-height bed, a desk and chair, a dresser, a wardrobe, mini-blinds and window screens — one of each per resident. You walk in and unpack.

What to bring

Bedding and pillows (extra-long twin), towels, clothes, rugs, storage cubes, a good desk lamp, and whatever makes the space yours.

Move-in & rates

Move-in weekend is Thursday–Sunday before orientation. Doubles $8,680 – $9,010/year; singles $10,080/year. Aid applies to housing.

Questions & Answers

Common questions from first-year students and families. Browse by tab or search by keyword.

myJCU Gateway Portal

The Housing Application opens in early March in myJCU Gateway (your admitted student portal), after you submit your enrollment deposit. Apply as soon as it's available — some placements (LLCs especially) are influenced by application date.

Not quite. On the Housing Application you'll rank your preferences for room type (single vs. double), Living Learning Community, and lifestyle factors. Residence Life uses those preferences along with availability to make placements. All three first-year halls — Dolan, Hamlin, and Campion — are good options; the differences are small, and you'll know all of them by the end of the first week.

Yes — you can indicate a preference for a single on the Housing Application. Singles are limited (mostly in Dolan) and not guaranteed; placement depends on application date and availability. If you need a single as a medical or accessibility accommodation, work with Student Accessibility Services — those placements are arranged separately.

The Housing Application includes a lifestyle questionnaire — sleep habits, study style, cleanliness, that kind of thing — and Residence Life uses your answers to match you with a compatible roommate. You can also request a specific roommate by name; both students need to request each other for the match to hold. If conflicts come up later, talk to your RA first — they'll set up mediation. If mediation doesn't resolve things, a formal room change process is available through the Office of Residence Life.

Reach out to Student Accessibility Services as early as possible — ideally by the December 1 priority deadline for fall housing. SAS reviews documentation and works directly with Residence Life on placement. Accommodations are placement-based and benefit from advance planning.

All three first-year halls are co-ed, but the layout varies. Dolan is co-ed by floor — each floor is mixed. Hamlin and Campion are co-ed by wing — different wings are designated for different genders, with shared common spaces. Bathrooms are not shared across genders in any hall.

Yes — all three first-year halls have air conditioning. Dolan has central AC building-wide (added in its 2022 renovation). Hamlin and Campion have AC in every room (added Fall 2023). No window units required, no extra fans needed.

No pets in the residence halls. Service and support animals are permitted with documentation through Student Accessibility Services — start that process with SAS before you submit your housing application.

Yes — residence halls remain open for fall break, Thanksgiving, spring break, and Easter break. No extra cost. Halls do fully close for winter break. Take what you'll need for winter break before halls close, since access isn't available during the closed period.

Address mail to:

[Student's full name]
John Carroll University
1 John Carroll Boulevard
University Heights, OH 44118

Mail and packages arrive at the JCU Mail Center, where packages are placed in a secure locker. Students get a notification with a pickup code as soon as the package is ready.

For maintenance, a roommate conflict, or general questions, contact your RA first — they live in the building and handle most day-to-day issues. For after-hours concerns, Residence Life on-call staff are available. For emergencies, JCU Police are reachable 24/7 at 216.397.1234.

For 2026–27, double rooms run $4,340–$4,505 per semester depending on the hall; singles are higher. All housing rates are per resident, and housing is covered by federal and institutional financial aid on the same terms as tuition.

The Housing Deposit is $300, paid through MyJCU Gateway as part of the Housing Application process. It's held for the duration of your residency and refunded at graduation or withdrawal (less any damages). The deposit is separate from your enrollment deposit and is not applied to your first-semester charges.

JCU has a four-year residential requirement, so you'll live on campus throughout your time here. Options expand after first year — traditional doubles in Murphy or Pacelli, suite-style living in Bernet or Murphy, JCU Houses on Miramar Avenue, the Duplexes on Warrensville Center, and the renovated Fairmount Circle Apartments. You'll go through housing selection again each spring to pick what fits for the next year.

A man in a blue shirt speaks into a large yellow megaphone while three people stand nearby outside on a campus walkway.

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First-Year Housing