Media Gallery
Dining
Residential Colleges
Transitioning to College
Arch Sing
👥 Dining
Princeton offers an array of dining options for all students. All first- and second-years are required to have a University meal plan to have access to five dining halls across campus, numerous cafes, and grab-and-go dining options. Juniors and Seniors have many dining options beyond the dining halls, including being a part of eating clubs, joining co-op kitchens, and cooking their own meals.
Dining Halls
All Princeton first-year students and sophomores are required to be on the unlimited University meal plan for their first two years. There are five dining halls across campus: Rocky/Mathey, Whitman/Butler, Yeh/Huo, Forbes, and the Center for Jewish Life (CJL). Students can eat at any residential college's dining hall, and the menus for each dining hall are posted online each day. Dining halls help foster a sense of community—although they are large enough to serve the student body, they are small enough to always see someone you know.
Late Meal
On weekdays, after the dining hall closes for lunch and dinner, students on the meal plan have points to spend at the Frist Food Gallery. With a grill, salad bar, waffle station, and more, the Frist Food Gallery has a wide array of delicious snacks and meals. Late Meal is a popular gathering spot among first- and second-years.
Upperclass Dining
Eating Clubs
Princeton Eating Clubs are part of a tradition that dates back to 1879. In the early years, the University did not provide students with dining facilities, so students created their own clubs to provide comfortable houses for dining and social life. Eating clubs are unique to Princeton and the most popular dining and social option for students in their junior and senior years.
Eating Clubs are entirely optional and are only open to juniors and seniors; approximately 60% of juniors and seniors join one of the 11 eating clubs. Each club has its own kitchen and dining staff who prepare meals for members.
The eating clubs line Prospect Avenue (expect for Terrace, which is on Washington Road), and each have their own distinctive character. These nonresidential facilities are operated not by the University, but instead by student officers with the support of independent alumni trustee boards.
Going Independent
Juniors and Seniors who choose to go independent will cook for themselves, and live in dormitories with easy access to private or communal kitchens. Princeton has a bus on the weekends that will shuttle students to and from large grocery stores.
Co-ops
There are several “co-ops” at Princeton: the vegetarian “2-D,” located at 2 Dickinson Street, the Brown co-op in Brown Hall, the International Food Co-op (IFC) in Laughlin Hall, the Real Food Co-op in Edwards Hall and the Scully Co-op in Scully Hall. Each co-op has their own dedicated kitchen space, and members alternate cooking shifts, eat together and share the associated chores.
⭐ Residential Colleges
What is a Residential College?
Princeton has begun construction on two new residential colleges in the southern portion of campus, which are temporarily known as College 7 and College 8. Additionally, on the site of First College the University will begin construction on Hobson College. Hobson College, named for Mellody Hobson '91, co-CEO of Ariel Investments, will be the first residential college at Princeton named for a Black woman.
Who Lives There?
Dorm Rooms
As of 2017, all dorms in the room draw are available as gender-inclusive, meaning sophomores, juniors, and seniors can select a room with other students of any gender. However, incoming first-years will be placed in single-gender rooms unless they express interest in gender-inclusive housing. Communal bathrooms within dormitories are single-gender, however, single-occupancy or private bathrooms are also available within some dormitories. The LGBT Center maintains a map of gender-neutral bathrooms and shower facilities on campus.
Roommates
🐯 Transitioning to College
The "Zee" Group
Residential College Advisers (RCAs) are juniors and seniors who live in the colleges and provide support for a small group of first-years and sophomores, referred to as an advisee group or a "zee" group for short.
RCAs help students transition to Princeton during their first year in addition to resolving conflicts, serving as a resource, and hosting study breaks. Peer Academic Advisers (PAAs) are sophomores, juniors and seniors that work closely with the advisory groups to provide academic support from a student perspective.
Academic Advising
Academic advising of first-years and sophomores is also centered in the residential colleges. Every first-year in the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) program is assigned to a faculty adviser who assists with course selection and other academic matters throughout the year. The adviser works with 12-14 students and continues as the student’s adviser through the sophomore year, though students can request to switch. First-years in the Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.) program are advised by faculty members in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and B.S.E. sophomores receive advising within their department.
👥 Arch Sing
Princeton has many arches around campus that lend themselves to wonderful acoustics. For many years the sounds of Princeton’s a cappella groups have been echoing in arches across campus. An Arch Sing is a moment for a cappella groups to perform their songs and for students to enjoy their harmony.
