Please read more to learn about our residence halls, grouped by the areas of campus they are located in.
The residence halls offer both coed and single sex floors. Most rooms are double-occupancy, however, there are a limited number of triple-occupancy rooms, single-occupancy rooms, and super-single rooms. A super single is a room that is larger then a regular single.
Coed floors are typically divided in half, with women’s rooms on one end of the floor and men’s rooms on the other end. Coed floors have at least two restrooms, one for women and one for men. To compare different residence hall floors and features, read the Residence Hall Options at a Glance.
Illinois State offers a variety of academic and special interest floors called lifestyles. If a lifestyle floor is not for you, each area has floors that are not designated as special lifestyles.
Note: Each residence hall offers a slightly different experience. By choosing certain halls, you may incur fees in addition to the base room and board rates. Please review the affordability of Illinois State University Housing to learn more about the opportunities you may take advantage of, along with any possible expenses.
West Campus
Wilkins, Haynie, and Wright halls (also known as West Campus or Tri-Towers)
These halls traditionally house the greatest number of new students, although new students are free to live in whichever hall they would like. The Tri-Towers are adjacent to Illinois State’s Redbird Arena and Hancock Stadium, and are also a short walk to Milner Library and Schroeder Hall via the Main Street underpass.
University Housing Services is proud to announce that West Campus residence halls are the first to be renovated.
Wilkins Hall: Renovation completed in August 2005 Haynie Hall: Renovation completed in August 2006 Wright Hall: Renovation completed in August 2007
For more information about Residence Hall renovations, click here.
East Campus
Hewett and Manchester halls
East Campus consists of Hewett (currently closed) and Manchester halls. Manchester is a coed residence hall and is close to Milner Library and Bone Student Center. The beds in Manchester can be bunked and the desks are movable.
Hewett Hall: Currently closed for renovation and due to re-open in August 2008.
For more information about Residence Hall renovations, click here.
Central Campus
Dunn-Barton and Walker halls
Located near the heart of campus, these four-story residence halls are joined by a mini-quad that is often the location for special events and volleyball tournaments.
Watterson Towers
An air-conditioned, 28-story twin-tower complex, Watterson Towers is one of the world’s tallest residence halls and features a food court which offers a wide variety of items and venues. Watterson is designed in suites, an alternative to the traditional corridor-style residence hall.
Chart of houses in Watterson Towers as they appear from the exterior:
North Tower Houses |
South Tower Houses |
|---|---|
| Madison (top house) | Van Buren (top house) |
| Marshall | Clay |
| Pickering | Adams |
| Randolph | Monroe |
| Jefferson (bottom house) | Smith (bottom house) |
South Campus
Atkin-Colby and Hamilton-Whitten halls
These residence halls are located across from the Central Campus mini-quad and the University Tennis Courts. South Campus residence halls are coed (with men and women living on different floors), and accessible to students with disabilities. South Campus remains open throughout all university breaks during the academic year (this is referred to as nine-month housing). The Southside in Feeney Dining Center offers many dining options and joins these four halls.