Freshman Housing Options

Oh, Housing! 

You’ve been admitted to USC and completed your next steps, but now you must think about where to live for the next year! Choosing where to live can be a hard decision to make – but don’t fret, I’m here to share some insight into our housing options at USC to make things a little bit easier.  

USC offers eleven different options for first-year students that are divided into three categories: freshman residence halls, freshman suites, and freshman apartments. Let’s dive into each one. 

Freshman Residence Halls 

Our Freshman Residence Halls are composed of Birnkrant Residential College, New North Residential College, Marks Tower, and Pardee Tower. These housing options are what most would consider to be your traditional dormitory style that includes a double or triple dorm and shared restrooms. You’ll find all four of these buildings on the north and southeastern parts of our campus with fast access to main campus intersections, study areas, and eateries including McCarthy Quad, Trojan Grounds (TroGro), Everybody’s Kitchen (EVK), and our two largest libraries, Leavey and Doheny Library (also home to LiteraTea).  

Residence halls are a great way for first-year students to get to meet other students from different parts of the state, US, and world!  

Air Conditioning? 

None 

Freshman Suites 

McCarthy Honors Residential College, Parkside Arts & Humanities Residential College, and Parkside International Residential College offer suite style living to our first-year students and are located on the southwestern part of campus. Suites are accommodated with single and double rooms as well as private bathrooms. Suite-style living provides students with the opportunity to get to know other students within a smaller and tight-knit community. Students can enjoy walking down to Parkside dining hall, use the outdoor fire pit, or explore Exposition Park, which is home to the beautiful Rose Garden and Museum Row.  

Air Conditioning? 

All 

Freshman Apartments 

If you’re interested in living in an apartment your first year, Cale and Irani Residential College, Cardinal Gardens, Parkside Apartments, and Webb Tower are for you! Located across different parts of campus, all of these housing options offer one- or two-bedroom options with two or four people per apartment. What makes apartments so unique are the full kitchens available. If you like to bake or cook, this might be for you!  

Air conditioning? 

Cale and Irani, Cardinal Gardens, Webb Towner 

Location, Location, Location

Now let’s take a look at locations!  

Northeast and Southwest campus housing provides students with quick access to the center of campus including Trousdale, the Student Union, McCarthy Quad, and the USC Village. Students are also only a five-minute walk from the Galen Center, retail shops at University Gateway and the Figueroa Corridor, which has lots of tasty food options! The USC/Jefferson Metro train stop is also ten minutes away, available to students interested in taking public transportation to explore the city. Exposition Boulevard and Figueroa Street are also nearby, where students have more food options including Wing Stop, Starbucks, and more. 

The North and Northeastern housing options have prime access to the Lyon Recreational Center and the Village Gym, as well as the USC Village. The Village is home to a variety of dining options including the newest dining hall inspired by Harry Potter, Honeybird, CAVA, Dulce, City Tacos, Target, and Trader Joe’s. Students can also take advantage of the great Village lawn during our sunny spring and summer days where they can picnic, play ultimate frisbee, soccer, listen to music – you name it! 

Last, but not least, is the Southeastern housing community, Parkside, which is also dearly known as Parkside Darkside. This nickname stems from the fact that Parkside is the most removed from the center of campus and is tucked away next to Exposition Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. Arguably, there are constant debates about the best dining hall at USC, and Parkside often seems to take the cake! Not only is Parkside in the running for the best dining hall, but its location is perfect for students who have classes in Seeley G. Mudd building or have majors in Viterbi, Gerontology, Iovine and Young, Architecture, and Roski.  

Regardless of your preferences or where you are assigned to live your first year at USC, I hope you enjoy it and take advantage of what your residential building has to offer and find a beautiful community within! 

Website referenced: https://housing.usc.edu/