Residence Life and Housing

A Residential Learning Community

From its founding, Hampshire College has been designed as a residential learning community. To that end, staff strive to create residential environments which meet the needs of students while promoting a vibrant campus life.

Residence life staff strive to foster relationships and community among residents. We support students as they learn to balance their individual rights and needs with the responsibility of being part of the community and make our practices and policies as transparent and plainly reasonable as possible.

Move In

Once logged in, you will see your housing assignment displayed on the “Home” screen below your name. Below your housing assignment, roommate or modmate information, and hall designation information, you will see the move-in information for each floor.
Your assignment will be listed by building, then by residence hall tower and room number. All move-in time slots will be listed by the Hall, Tower, and Floor. For example: Merrill - C303 - 1 is an assignment in Merrill C1.
If you are coming to campus early with an approved group (such as the James Baldwin Scholars, International Student Orientation, Pre-Orientation Trip, Resident Advisors, Orientation Leaders, or other early arrival request), you will receive an email confirmation of your early move-in information from housing@hampshire.edu. If your group’s sponsor has communicated with you and you have not received an email confirmation from housing@hampshire.edu by August 3, email housing@hampshire.edu and copy your sponsor.
Do not move in earlier than your stated time. Students will not be permitted to move in earlier than approved; spaces will not be clean and ready for anyone to move in earlier than listed on the schedule.

New students will move in based on their residential area at a specified time on Thursday, August 31. Continuing students will move in on either (their choice) Saturday, September 2 between 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. or Sunday, September 3 between 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Belongings: Visit https://www.hamshire.edu/what-bring for a detailed list of suggested items to bring (and not bring) to campus. There is no storage available on campus (only limited storage options for international students). Belongings must be stored in your room during the academic year and taken home or stored off campus over the summer. Bring only what you plan to keep in your room and what you can manage bringing home or storing elsewhere over the summer (at a local storage facility you later arrange).

Campus Living

Learn about our campus housing options.

Staff in the residence life office include the assistant director of housing operations, three residence life coordinators, the senior director, and the student engagement staff. If you are locked out of your room during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) or have lost your keys, please come to the second floor of Dakin Student Life Center, to sign out a back-up key. Outside of these hours, please call campus safety and wellbeing at 413.559.5424.

Residence Life Coordinators

The living areas are overseen by live-in professional staff members called residence life coordinators, supported by student paraprofessional staff called resident advisors.

Our Vision

With compassion, we meet students where they are and guide them to be community-centered.

Our Mission

We strive to enrich the educational experience by fostering a dynamic campus community where personal development is encouraged and all students feel welcomed and supported. Residence Life aims to provide an inclusive environment for all students to learn and connect within their community, while emphasizing personal growth. Student Engagement fosters learning by providing leadership training, administrative guidance, and opportunities for involvement, while creating social activities and supporting student-led programs.

Our Core Values

Centering Students: We keep students' needs and interests as the basis for our practice as we exercise pride in contributing to the mission of the College and mission of Division of Student Affairs.
Inclusive Communities: We support opportunities for students to build connections and be involved in diverse, socially just, and inclusive communities.
Self-Advocacy: We encourage everyone to respectfully and directly communicate in the spirit of problem-solving and articulating boundaries, with consideration to the overall community.
Well-being: We are committed to supporting the well-being of our community through programming and resource referral.
Growth: We encourage personal development through experiential learning.