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As July winds down and freshmen prepare to move in, on-campus housing at Syracuse University has mostly been finalized. But with more than 20 on-campus options, it can be hard to distinguish the different living spaces.

To figure out what to pack and prepare for in the fall, The Daily Orange has compiled a list of all on-campus living facilities along with some advice from the experts: past residents who once called these dorms home.

Boland Hall
Grade: C+
Boland Hall is great — for Brewster, Boland and Brockway halls. Once you make it down the Falk College stairs and maneuver your way out of the lobby, Boland is like a small, communal apartment building. Home to roughly 290 freshmen spread across spacious split doubles and singles, it’s up to you to decide who you’ll spend the year with. With a decent dining hall accessible through the basement and a bistro that’s occasionally open, Boland is a peaceful place for any freshman. Every floor has its own lounge located in one of the two hallways. The hallway is typically home to a Living Learning Community, which can lead to some unforgettable interactions at night. Best of luck doing laundry though, as it’ll always be a three-hour affair.

Kosta Konstantopoulos, Asst. Culture Copy Editor

Booth Hall
Grade: B-

Booth Hall’s two-person suites are cozy and comfortable. Walks up and down the nearby hill can be slippery in the winter. Taite Paradise | Staff Photographer

Booth Hall, my beloved. This dorm gets a lot of hate, but I honestly miss my cozy little two-person suite. I can’t speak to the other room types, but this suite room and building are perfect if you and your roommate are actually friends. Having a living room with a real couch and space to have people over was life-changing. While it doesn’t have a dining hall — and yes, those walks to Ernie Davis Dining Center in the middle of January are pretty rough — there’s just enough of a kitchen on every floor to make up for it. My walks to class were never long, and it definitely beat walking up the JMA Wireless Dome steps every morning like when I lived in Sadler Hall. Its communal bathrooms might seem daunting, but you’ll quickly find out they’re not bad. The one thing I can’t sugarcoat, though, is the Waverly Avenue hill. It literally has a railing on the side to hold onto. You laugh at it now, but when it’s 10 degrees and the sidewalks are frozen over, you’ll be glad it’s there. Try not to pay attention to the people inside Ernie laughing as you hang on for your life.

Delia Sara Rangel, Editor-in-Chief

Brewster Hall
Grade: C+

Brewster, Boland and Brockway halls share Brockway Dining Center. But the BBB complex’s communal bathrooms and inconvenient location outweigh the positives. Daily Orange File Photo

The people really do make the place in Brewster Hall. Part of the BBB complex, Brewster sits at the bottom of the Hill. Its location — and the icy walk back in the winter — makes residents hibernate inside, strengthening their bonds. Sharing one laundry room between three dorms is a headache, so be prepared to “fight” for a machine. The rooms are surprisingly spacious, with ample space for extra storage. Its biggest downside is the communal bathrooms, but you’ll get used to living in your bathrobe thanks to the frequent fire alarms.

Zoe Xixis, Asst. Photo Editor

Brockway Hall
Grade: C+
No, Brockway Hall is not just a dining center. This 30-person dorm spans one floor and is conveniently located in the same building as Brockway Dining Center. Unfortunately, it’s part of BBB, which means it’s about a 15-minute hike to campus. One of the few perks of Brockway is, for the short time that Syracuse is warm, it’s air-conditioned — unlike most dorms on campus.

The Daily Orange staff

Day Hall
Grade: A-

With an underground passage providing access to Graham Dining Center and The Junction, Day Hall has great food options. But be prepared to walk 15 minutes to class. Daily Orange File Photo

If it weren’t for the lack of storage space — at least both closet doors open unlike Flint Hall — Day Hall would receive the perfect letter grade. Although my second-floor view was of the Mount Olympus Lot, and it required at least 15 minutes to walk to any class, Day was home. With an underground passage that connects to Graham Dining Center, The Junction’s milkshakes, Food Works, a small convenience store and my friends in Flint, I could reach all of the necessities without going outside. There are water refill stations on each floor, which means you can refill your water bottle with filtered water without having to walk to Graham. Sure, Day had familiar faces, but I met new people every day in the study rooms — where I spent much of my free time. The dorm’s pod-style bathrooms — which were renovated in 2019 — were also a perk for my long showers. If you’re like me and prefer talking on the phone with your parents without huffing and puffing up the Mount stairs, use the shorter “drunk steps” on your walk home.

Lily Zuckerman, Culture Editor

DellPlain Hall
Grade: A-

DellPlain Hall’s prime location is great for freshmen transitioning into college life. Residents have easy access to campus amenities like the Ernie Davis Dining Center and gym. Daily Orange File Photo

DellPlain Hall provides incoming freshmen with a great location for transitioning into college life, falling in close proximity to the Ernie Davis Fitness Center and dining center, Marshall Street and most campus buildings. A short walk to class will prove especially valuable for students adjusting to the long Syracuse winters. DellPlain also boasts spacious lounges on each floor, which provide residents with a place to socialize. The pod-style bathrooms, about seven or eight on each floor, are a huge plus compared to the bathrooms of some other dorms. DellPlain’s rooms are exclusively open and split doubles. They’re average size, with standard closet and storage space. Although DellPlain has great proximity to several campus amenities, it suffers from its distance to other dorms. DellPlain residents often make a long walk to Flint and Day Hall on the Mount, Lawrinson Hall or BBB to meet with friends.

Ryan Garipoli, Asst. News Editor

Ernie Davis Hall
Grade: A

Ernie Davis Hall is named after the first Black football player to win the Heisman Trophy. The dorm’s amenities are unmatched. Taite Paradise | Staff Photographer

Named after SU football’s only Heisman Trophy winner, it’s fitting that Ernie Davis Hall is SU’s best dorm. With laundry rooms on each floor, its own dining center and a gym, Ernie’s versatility is unmatched. The only downside is the bathrooms, which are still serviceable. Containing two sinks, a stall and a lockable shower, several people can use the bathrooms simultaneously. But with multiple on each floor, that doesn’t happen often — you won’t experience BBB’s communal bathrooms. Ernie is a short walk to the Schine Student Center and Bird Library, and I had a stellar view of campus from my room. But, like other dorms, the people and memories are the highlights — late-night D.P. Dough orders, playing with NeeDoh cubes and endlessly quoting “Miracle” and “Moneyball.”

Joel Pelachik, Asst. Culture Editor

Flint Hall
Grade: A-

Located on Mount Olympus, Flint Hall houses around 500 first-year students. Though it’s a long trek to class, Flint provides gorgeous views of central New York. Daily Orange File Photo

Flint Hall is the first dorm to welcome residents and visitors scaling the Mount. Housing just over 500 first-year students, Flint is notorious for its love-hate reviews. Conveniently, its location is about a 10-minute walk from main campus. But whether it’s a trek up and down 123 stairs, waiting for a shuttle or renting an electric Veo bike, the journey to Flint from any surrounding location leaves much to be desired. Not to mention enduring a potential extended trip due to battling extreme August and September heat or risking your life shuffling across unshoveled, icy walkways in the winter. While Flint’s facade is nothing spectacular, its covered concrete patio space is a popular hangout spot for study sessions on sunny days and gameday pregames. I lived in a Flint single during my freshman year — an overall solid, nine-month experience. With the Mount’s underground walkways, few things were better than avoiding the outdoors to pick up breakfast to-go at Graham Dining Center in pajamas or sharing fries with friends at The Junction after a night out. Other pros like pod bathrooms and reliable dining center food made Flint generally likable. But, of course, nothing beats the views Flint offers of rolling hills and gorgeous central New York sunrises and sunsets.

Savannah Stewart, DEIA Manager

Haven Hall
Grade: B

Haven Hall features an odd mix of freshmen and sophomore residents. While it’s near Marshall Street, Haven is far from any dining center. Daily Orange File Photo

There are many pros to Haven Hall but also numerous cons. Haven has an odd mix of freshmen and sophomores, which makes it a little hard to find a community in the dorm. But as the year progresses, the freshmen in Haven become a tight-knit group — myself included. The biggest negative about Haven is the far distance to any dining center, especially when Comstock Avenue is under construction. You have to walk to Ernie or Riley Hall just for a meal, whereas other people can get in an elevator and be at a dining center in seconds. As a freshman in Haven, having friends that live on the Mount — which is a long walk — was a pain in the snow. Otherwise, the location is amazing. Being that close to Marshall Street comes in handy. It’s also near most academic buildings and Bird, which is helpful for late-night studying. Even if you don’t want to take the short walk to Bird, the Haven study lounge is a great place to do work or hang out.

Eli Schwartz, Asst. Photo Editor

Lawrinson Hall
Grade: A

Lawrinson Hall’s common area is complete with a pool and a ping-pong table. Its close proximity to the JMA Wireless Dome is a plus for sports fans. Leonardo Eriman | Daily Orange File Photo

OK, let’s address the obvious. Yes, this is the one with the penthouse. Yes, there’s laundry on every floor. And yes, the trade-off for those amenities is that most residents must trek down double-digit flights when a fire alarm inevitably blares at the worst possible time. Lawrinson Hall comes with the usual bells and whistles of any other dorm. The pod bathrooms provide a sense of privacy, as do the many split doubles. There is a lounge and a small office on each level, and a common area in the lobby, complete with a pool and a ping-pong table. Lawrinson is situated behind the SUNY ESF campus and next to Sadler Hall. It’s just one hill away from the Barnes Center at The Arch — if you’re looking to toss around some iron — and it’s near the JMA Wireless Dome if you like concerts or sports. The only downside to Lawrinson’s isolated location is that all of your classes will be around a 10-minute walk, including that aforementioned hill. Oh, and the gap between Lawrinson and Sadler creates a wind tunnel that makes any winter day feel 10 degrees colder.

Peter Radosh, Asst. Sports Digital Editor

Milton Hall
Grade: B+

Milton Hall’s fully furnished apartments are great for pregaming and studying. But the buildings dryers and on-site gym can be unreliable. Lars Jendruschewitz | Senior Staff Photographer

What some consider the crown jewel of SU on-campus housing, Milton Hall, is not all it’s made out to be in upper-class students’ glowing reviews. With beautiful views of campus and fully furnished apartments, Milton provides an excellent location for pregames and study sessions. A full bed and private bathroom truly made living there a luxurious experience. The on-site gym is alluring until the outrageous hours of operation make it impossible to use. And make sure to purchase a dryer rack before move-in day. Milton’s dryers leave your clothes soaking wet after every cycle. There are also no early nights in Milton. The noisy late-night crowds at Orange Crate Brewing Co. and Faegan’s Cafe & Pub sing lullabies to Milton residents — set to Pitbull and Drake — as they drift off to sleep on $2 Tuesdays.

Avery Magee, Development Editor

Oren Lyons Hall
Grade: B
This roughly 40-resident dorm is one of the most remote living options — of course, it’s not South Campus — nestled on Euclid Avenue, a block away from Shaw Hall. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Oren Lyons Hall was originally a sorority house, home to the Phi Sigma Sigma for two years, until it was bought by SU in 1974. SU named the dorm after Oren Lyons, the lacrosse player who graduated in 1958. If you live here, move-in should be easy because there are only three floors. There’s no dining hall in the building, so you’ll have to brave the cold and walk to either Shaw or Ernie to eat.

The Daily Orange staff

Riley Hall (formerly known as Orange Hall)
Grade: A

A repurposed Sheraton Hotel, Riley Hall features its own dining center. Riley is close to the Schine Student Center and several academic buildings. Lars Jendruschewitz | Senior Staff Photographer

Whenever I returned home this past school year, I told my friends and family that I was living in a hotel, which was nice. Orange Hall — it’s not Riley Hall yet, at least not in my heart — is a repurposed Sheraton Hotel that SU converted into student housing. The rooms aren’t as “hotel-like” as one might expect, but they can be opened with one’s SUID card. That was a serious blessing for this writer, who was locked out of his Haven room on bathroom runs several times as a freshman. The Whitman School of Management, for my business-inclined folks, is no more than a couple hundred feet behind Orange. The Newhouse School of Public Communications, for my communications-inclined folks, is no more than a couple hundred feet away. Schine, for all folks, is directly across the street. And Marshall Street is a hop, skip and step away, too. There’s also a dining hall — albeit the quality isn’t pristine — embedded within the building, which saves lives and takes minutes off of morning commutes. If you’re a sophomore who missed out on a quad in Watson Hall or Milton, perhaps split into two Orange doubles like I did. I guarantee you won’t regret it.

Mauricio Palmar, Development Editor

Sadler Hall
Grade: B+

Sadler Hall boasts the honors program Living Learning Community and its own dining center. Although, Sadler’s food options are among the worst on campus. Daily Orange File Photo

The best of times, the worst of times — Sadler truly encompasses the freshman experience. Boasting the honors program LLC, split doubles and its own dining hall, Sadler seems to have it all. However, the rumors are true; the food may be the worst on campus. Oftentimes, I’d walk to dinner, weigh my options and promptly walk back to my 100-square-foot room for microwave ramen. Despite the food, Sadler gave me my best friends and a decent laundry room experience (along with the luxury of the sometimes clean pod bathrooms). The location is subpar, but Sadler has its own magic that is only found in a building full of honors nerds.

Ava Demcher, Asst. Culture Digital Editor

Shaw Hall
Grade: B+

Shaw Hall isn’t overwhelmingly positive or negative. Its location is polarizing, and the hall’s dining center is serviceable. Daily Orange File Photo

I don’t have any overwhelmingly great things to say about Shaw, but there aren’t any major negatives either. Most Shaw residents are part of LLCs, even though I ended up on the engineering floor as a journalism major. The location is polarizing — have fun with the long trek to Newhouse or Falk for classes. But it’s also in a prime spot for going out with close proximity to fraternity row, if that’s what you like. The dining hall food may not be great (I’d argue it’s declined significantly in the last two years), but you won’t care when the alternative is walking to Ernie in frigid temperatures before your 8 a.m. class. Just don’t fall for the promise of milkshakes in online reviews — they only made an appearance once my freshman year.

Noah Nussbaum, Managing Editor

Skyhall I, II and III
Grade: C-

The Skyhalls offer a spacious dorm setting with larger single rooms. Relying on the buses to get to campus can be a pain. Meghan Hendricks | Daily Orange File Photo

Skyhalls offer a quiet, private and more spacious dorm setting. You have larger single rooms, replete with an extra-long full bed (54 inches wide by 80 inches long). Great width, but good luck getting the bedding for such outré dimensions. The halls are quiet with built-in laundry on each floor. And the bathrooms are pods, providing welcome privacy. Yet, living in the Skyhalls means you’re marooned on South Campus. The commute to and from main campus is dependent on the perfidious bus schedule. Note: The bus runs mostly reliably during the weekday school hours, but it goes downhill, like a student sledding on snowy Crouse College hill, on the weekends and at night. Sometimes, a late-night walk or a run on the icy sidewalks and roads was my commute home. However, once you’re in Skyhall, Goldstein Student Center — the vibrant Mos Eisley cantina amid the barren, backwater South Campus apartments and roads — is just a two-minute walk. There’s an eclectic mix of palatable dining options, which you can use your meal plan for; a gym with parochial hours; plus, a convenience store for snacks. You’ll have a cozy home at Skyhall. It’s just a matter of commuting there if you don’t have a car.

Nicholas Alumkal, Senior Staff Writer

South Campus apartment:
Grade: C+

South Campus apartments give you a taste of adult living with a bedroom and kitchen. Being distant from Main Campus is a major downside. Daily Orange File Photo

A South Campus apartment is the place to be if you want a taste of adult living but aren’t fully ready yet. Gone are the tiny pods called dorms, now complete with a living room, your own bedroom and kitchen. Because of its distance from campus, South Campus’ two- or three-person apartments act as their own community in a vast university. But that community rarely interacts with each other outside of their respective pods. The main downside is, in fact, the distance to Main Campus. Plagued by a tight bus schedule, you must have your day-to-day schedule mastered in order to make it to class, athletic events and even just get to campus. However, living on South Campus is like living in an off-campus apartment, but cheaper — way cheaper. So, it’s a solid safety choice if you can’t or don’t want to live on or near Main Campus.

Quinn Postman, Digital Managing Editor

Walnut Hall
Grade: B+
The most underrated sophomore dorm of all time has gone unnoticed by the masses. With just four floors and approximately 60 residents, Walnut Hall is cozy, reliable and most importantly, in a prime campus location. Walnut doesn’t appear as glamorous as newer dorms like Riley or Milton, but this just means it’s less stressful to obtain. In my year living there, I never once had to wait for a laundry machine, and it was always under 15 minutes walking from anywhere on campus. Don’t overlook Walnut.

Claire Zhang, Social Media Editor

Washington Arms
Grade: C
If you like wall art, Washington Arms might not be the place for you. The dorm’s popcorn-style walls make hanging pictures with command strips nearly impossible. However, if you like having more space and prefer your own bathroom, this dorm might be the ideal spot. The nearest dining center, Orange, is two blocks away, but that distance can seemingly triple when hunger strikes.

The Daily Orange staff

Watson Hall
Grade: A

With a near-perfect location, Watson Hall proves it’s one of the best dorms. The building features pod-style bathrooms and two functioning vending machines. Cassandra Roshu | Daily Orange File Photo

Walk a few steps in one direction, and you’ll see Bird and Schine. Walk a few steps in another direction, and you’ll see the Ernie Davis Dining Center. That’s the main benefit of Watson — a near-perfect location. Close to the Shaw Quadrangle and the center of campus, you’ll only need to walk through snow for a few minutes going to class. The dorm rooms aren’t mind-blowing, but the pod-style bathrooms give my grade a significant boost. There’s also a solid outdoor space to spend time in when the weather’s nice (which is not often), a campfire with chairs and two vending machines that actually work. I’d give the interior of Watson a B+, but the location outweighs its flaws — especially when there’s snow on the ground every day in the winter.

Spencer Brod, Asst. Sports Editor

Published on July 18, 2026 at 12:49 am