Villanova University houses about 5,700 undergraduates in 38 residence halls across its Villanova and Cabrini campuses: 21 traditional residence halls, where first-year students live, and 17 suite- and apartment-style halls reserved for upper-class students. Students admitted as residents are guaranteed three consecutive years of on-campus housing, and first-year students may be placed in any section of the Villanova campus, in single, double, triple or quad rooms.
Everything below comes from Villanova’s Office for Residence Life site: its residence halls list, its housing information and policies page, and its on-campus living page. Villanova publishes room rates through the Bursar’s Office rather than on the Residence Life pages, so this guide does not quote prices.
What Living on Campus at Villanova Involves
Students admitted to the University as a “resident” are guaranteed three consecutive years, six consecutive semesters, of on-campus housing, beginning with the fall of their admission year. Housing assignments are made by year of entry rather than credit hours. A fourth year is not guaranteed, except for students admitted with Presidential or certain other scholarships that specifically guarantee it; there is an annual housing lottery for seniors, and housing is typically available for about one-third of the senior class. Students who skip a semester of housing, for study abroad or an internship for example, are not guaranteed a make-up semester in their fourth year.
First-year students are housed by gender on each wing or floor, and the halls are typically co-educational as a whole. Villanova’s residence life page also counts 25 on-campus dining facilities and buildings that range from 30 to 540 residents. For fall 2026, first-year move-in is Wednesday, August 19, returning students move in from Friday, August 21 to Sunday, August 23, and classes begin Monday, August 24.
What the Traditional Residence Halls Are
Villanova lists 17 traditional residence halls on the Villanova campus, which together with the four Cabrini halls counted below make up its 21 traditional buildings. First-year students may be assigned to any of them, on Main, South or West campus:
Alumni, Austin, Caughlin, Corr, Delurey and Fedigan Halls
Traditional halls on the Villanova campus, housing first-year and other students in traditional rooms.
Good Counsel, McGuire, Moriarty, O’Dwyer, Sheehan and Simpson Halls
Further traditional halls on the Villanova campus.
Stanford, St. Katharine, St. Mary’s, St. Monica and Sullivan Halls
The remaining traditional halls listed for the Villanova campus. First-year students may be housed on Main, South or West campus, the three sections the policies page names.
What the Upper-Class Suites and Apartments Are
West Campus Apartments: Farley, Gallen, Jackson, Klekotka, Moulden, Rudolph, St. Clare and Welsh Halls
Eight apartment-style buildings on West Campus, part of the 17 suite- and apartment-style halls reserved for upper-class students.
The Commons: Canon, Dobbin, Friar, Hovnanian, McGuinn and Trinity Halls
Six buildings in the Commons, Villanova’s newer suite-style residential complex for upper-class students.
What the Cabrini Campus Halls Are
Angelo, Francesca, Josephine, Lecceto, Nicholas, Thomas and Xavier Halls
Seven residence halls on the Cabrini campus, which Villanova operates in addition to its main campus and lists with its own campus map. Residence Life maintains a separate “Living on the Cabrini Campus” section for students assigned there.
Communitas Learning Communities
One-third of Villanova’s first-year students choose Communitas living and learning communities. Communitas students live together in a residence hall on South Campus, take a one-credit Communitas course built around a theme that meets weekly through the first year, and take an Augustine and Culture Seminar class designed for Communitas with the same students from their theme. Incoming students indicate interest and apply to a theme as part of the housing application, which opens in early May.
Tips for Choosing a Dorm at Villanova
- First-years do not pick a hall. Assignments can land anywhere on Main, South or West campus, in rooms from singles to quads, so plan for any of the traditional halls.
- Choose Communitas if you want a themed, South Campus community and a seminar with the same classmates all year.
- Roommate conflicts have a process. Room changes go through your Resident Assistant, are not usually made in the first three weeks of a semester, and may change your semester cost, because housing costs vary from room to room.
- Plan your four years. Housing is guaranteed for three years only, so decide early whether you will enter the senior lottery or live off campus.
Conclusion
Villanova’s dorms split into 21 traditional halls, where first-year students are assigned by the university, and 17 suite- and apartment-style buildings on West Campus, in the Commons and at Cabrini for upper-class students. With a three-year housing guarantee, a senior lottery and Communitas as the main choice a first-year student actually makes, the practical questions are less about which hall and more about which community and how many years you plan to live on campus.