First-Year Dorms

Residential Life

Students welcoming first-years into Grays Hall during move-in.

Accommodations range from eighteenth-century buildings, which housed the earliest Harvard students as well as George Washington's troops, to our newest twentieth-century accommodations in Canaday Hall. Most dorms have suites with two to four bedrooms and a common room and house between three and six students. A few have private bathrooms, but most share bathrooms with other suites. We assign students to suites rather than to specific bedrooms. In almost any suite, you should expect to share a bedroom for at least part of the year. Some dorms contain doubles, usually one fairly large room with a shared bath. Very few singles are available. All dorms and Harvard Yard are smoke-free.

Amenities

Several dorms feature amenities like printing, laundry rooms, kitchens, common rooms, and music practice rooms. All first-year students are welcome to use these spaces, even if they don’t reside in that particular dorm. All dorms are a short walk to Annenberg Dining Hall, the Harvard Yard Mail Center, classrooms, libraries, and the Malkin Athletic Center.

View an interactive dorm resource map →

Laundry

Laundry facilities are located in the basement of many first-year dormitories. Cost of laundry is included in the mandatory student activities fee. All laundry machines are operated through the application One Tap Away.

Find the nearest laundry facility on the interactive dorm resource map →

Check out the One Tap Away tutorial video →

Kitchen

Some first-year dorms have kitchens for student use, but all first-year students may access them. To find the kitchen nearest you, use the interactive resource map. Kitchens are equipped with stoves, sinks, and ovens. Students may borrow kitchenware from the First-Year Experience Office, free of charge, for three days at a time.

More information about borrowing kitchenware →

Common Rooms

You may reserve Yard common rooms for your own social events, but not for events hosted by student organizations.

Learn more about hosting events in the dorms →

Music Rooms

Music practice rooms must be reserved in advance by logging into the FAS RoomBook online reservation system and selecting the "First-Year Music Room Reservations" template.

Music rooms can be found in:

Greenough Basement
Holworthy Basement
Matthews Basement (two wheelchair accessible rooms)
Straus A Basement
Straus C Basement
Wigglesworth C Basement
Wigglesworth D Basement

Borrowing Programs

First-year students, proctors, and PAFs are welcome to borrow items from the FYE's collection. Items available to check out include:

Board and lawn games
Exercise equipment
Grills (proctors only)
Kitchen items
Tables and chairs (proctors only)
Video projectors and screens

Explore borrowing programs →

Crimson Yard

Hear from the Resident Dean of First-Year Students in Crimson Yard, Dwight Fee, Ph.D.

Learn more about Crimson Yard

Elm Yard

Hear from the Resident Dean of First-Year Students in Elm Yard, Alysha Johnson Williams, Ed.M.

Learn more about Elm Yard

Ivy Yard

Hear from the Resident Dean of First-Year Students in Ivy Yard, Katie Derzon.

Learn more about Ivy Yard

Oak Yard

Hear from the Resident Dean of First-Year Students in Oak Yard, Madeleine Currie, Ed.D.

Learn more about Oak Yard

Entryways

One of the most rewarding experiences for first-year students is the opportunity to be a part of a close-knit residential community. Your dorm's entryway will be made up of between roughly 20 and 40 students who will share your floor or another designated area within a building. During orientation prior to the start of the fall semester and at the start of your spring semester, your proctor will hold entryway meetings designed to help you bond with your peers and gain more knowledge about resources and supports at the College.

During the semester, your proctor will hold regular study breaks two to four times a month creating intentional time to connect, ask questions, or seek support.

Student sharing information about dorms with parents during first-year move-in outside of Massachusetts Hall.

Available May 5 - Due May 15, 2026

Housing Accommodations

Students who need housing accommodations can register with the Disability Access Office (DAO) to start the process. The DAO encourages you to connect with their office early so they can work with you to set you up for a great first year. Once you are registered with the DAO and approved for accommodations, you are eligible throughout your time at Harvard College.

Visit the Disability Access Office's website Learn about the accommodations request process