Residence Hall FAQs

Where do first-year students typically live? What about transfers?

All first-year students entering in the Fall are assigned to either Dix Hall, Simmons Hall, or Morse Hall, unless they are granted housing accommodation through the Office of Accessibility Services that requires a room type only available in other residence halls. Transfer students are typically eligible to live in all residence halls with the exception of Simmons Hall and Morse Hall.

What is a Living-Learning Community?

Living-Learning Communities (LLCs) are centered around students living together who share identities, interests or goals. Simmons University offers four LLCs for first-year students.

• First Generation (New Fall 2023)
• Trans & Non-Binary 
• BIPOC 
• Honors

LLCs encourage student learning through shared experiences and opportunities for personal discovery and reflection. Our goal is to foster a strong sense of student belonging, self-efficacy and well-being through our LLCs. 

For more information, please visit our Living-Learning Communities website.

When will you send roommate information and housing assignments?

Room and roommate assignments will be sent out beginning in mid-July. Be sure to get in touch with your roommate(s) before coming to Simmons to decide who should bring some of the larger items such as a TV and if you want to rent a microfridge together.

What is Fenway Cash?

Fenway Cash is like dollars connected to your ID card. You can add points that can be used for vending machines and food in the Fens. To add points to your account, go to the Campus Card Office located in the Main College Building or access your account online at FenwayCard.com.

What is the mattress size?

All mattresses at Simmons are standard twin mattresses.

Is there storage available at Simmons?

Unfortunately, Simmons cannot offer storage on campus other than in your room. However, there are many storage facilities in Boston. Visit the Student Life off-campus housing page for a list of storage and moving companies.

Can we have pets?

The only pets you may have are fish in properly maintained bowls smaller than five gallons.

Learn more about what you can and can't bring to campus. 

Where can I smoke?

In a continuing effort to improve the health of the members of our community and in line with local and national efforts to improve the quality of life, all of Simmons is entirely smoke-free. While on the Residence Campus, the use of tobacco is not permitted. If you choose to use tobacco products, you must do so outside of the campus on adjoining streets such as Pilgrim Road and Brookline Ave. If you use tobacco products on campus, you will be asked to stop immediately by Public Safety, Residence Life Staff or fellow community members.

I heard that I can only bring special types of upholstered furniture. How do I know if it's okay?

State law prohibits the use of upholstered furniture in student rooms unless it is treated with a fire-retardant chemical and is labeled as such. Upholstered furniture includes couches, futons, and overstuffed chairs. Waterbeds, lofts, and hanging chairs are prohibited in residence hall rooms. Decorations may not be hung from the ceiling or sprinkler pipes. Furniture which contains polyurethane foam will not be permitted due to their increased risk of being flammable. All furniture brought into the residence halls should have one of the following labels:

NOTICE: THIS ARTICLE IS MANUFACTURED FOR USE IN PUBLIC OCCUPANCIES AND MEETS THE FLAMMABILITY REQUIREMENTS OF CALIFORNIA BUREAU OF HOME FURNISHINGS TECHNICAL BULLETIN 133. CARE SHOULD BE EXERCISED NEAR OPEN FLAME OR WITH BURNING CIGARETTES.

NOTICE: THIS ARTICLE MEETS ALL FLAMMABILITY REQUIREMENTS OF CALIFORNIA BUREAU OF HOME FURNISHINGS BULLETIN 117. CARE SHOULD BE EXERCISED NEAR OPEN FLAME OR WITH BURNING CIGARETTES.

For more information on Massachusetts fire safety regulations please see http://www.mass.gov/ and search for fire safety and upholstered furniture.

How do you match roommates?

You can find a roommate through meeting people on the Class of 2027 Facebook group and tell us who it is when you complete the housing application or we will match you based on your housing preferences in your housing application. It is very important that you truthfully answer all questions. First-year students will have one to three roommates. Roommate requests are honored if requests are mutual and students meet all housing deadlines.

What happens if we don't get along as roommates?

When matching roommates, our office uses a lifestyle questionnaire on our housing application to pair residents. However, roommate conflicts do arise, whether between roommates who have chosen each other, or who have been assigned. In these instances, our office uses the following protocol (which is also outlined in the Housing Contract):

1. First, roommates will be asked to revisit the Roommate Agreement they signed upon move in, and identify any changes that need to be made.
2. If the conflict persists after implementation of any changes, roommates must participate in a mediation facilitated by their RA.
3. If the conflict is still not resolved after the first mediation, the roommates must speak with their Area Coordinator about next steps. The AC may mandate another mediation through the Office of Residence Life professional staff, or they may approve a room change, pending available space on campus. No room changes may be implemented without being approved by a Residence Life professional staff member.

Any communication tips for roommates?

Sharing space can be stressful — even if you and your roommates are best friends — but even roommates who are very different can have a great roommate relationship. We strongly encourage you to talk with your roommates and come to an agreement as early on as possible about space usage, classes and work schedules and general roommate expectations! Getting along with your roommates involves the 3 Cs: courtesy, communication, and compromise.

We recommend deciding before coming who gets which bed to eliminate the first come, first serve rush. During the first floor meeting with the Resident Assistant (RA), the RA will be able to provide you with a Roommate Agreement, which will foster important conversations. This is a time-tested tool for starting off with clear communication about roommate expectations and how to have a great roommate experience. It's normal to have roommates who are different than you, and you will probably find that you will get along and also encounter some problems along the way. If you use the 3 Cs you can minimize and avoid potential conflicts.

Any advice on getting to know my roommates?

Spending time together is the best way for you to get to know each other. At the beginning of the school year, there are a lot of welcome activities and events. Take advantage of these opportunities and attend the events as a group! Go to the dining hall or see a movie together. You'll get along best when you know more about your roommates. The Roommate Agreement will also provide you with an opportunity to talk with your roommates about their likes and dislikes.

How can I make the move in process easier?

We suggest discussing with your roommates when everyone is moving in. Knowing when your other roommates are arriving and possibly coordinating your arrivals will make move in a lot smoother. If you all arrive around the same time it may be really chaotic OR you may decide that it is much easier to organize and get settled in right away. You should work together to decide what is best for all of you.

Decide and agree on what you want in your room. Working together and discussing what you want to have in your room will not only alleviate problems, but will also make packing and organizing much easier. Who knows,  you may have similar or different tastes in colors, posters, and knick-knacks, but thoughtfully combining a bit of everyone's taste could create a really fun, unique space!

During opening weekend Simmons staff will be stationed across the residential campus to answer questions and help students move their belongings into their room.

Where can I study outside of my room?

If you are concerned about studying inside your room there are several alternatives:

• All halls have lounge areas that are ideal for studying. Lounges are well lit and have couches and tables to work at. All residence students have access to all residence halls up until 11:00pm at night.
• Simmons, Mesick, North, and Smith halls have computer labs accessible to students in all of the halls.
• The Library, located on the academic campus has computers and several study spaces including group study rooms by online reservation.
• Meyers Café, Common Grounds Café, and Bartol Hall are frequently used as study spaces by Simmons students.

Will I have internet access in my room?

All rooms have Ethernet (high speed internet) connections in them, and the entire campus is wireless. If you have more specific technology questions, you should contact the Service Desk at 617-521-2190.

What exactly is a microfridge and how do I rent one?

A microfridge is a small refrigerator with a freezer and microwave. These are the only microwaves allowed in student rooms. Reserve your Microfridge by calling 401-405-0920. Students can rent these combination refrigerator, freezer, and microwave units for the academic year or for the semester or purchase one. The Microfridge will be delivered to your room prior to your arrival on campus.

What electrical appliances can I bring?

You may bring approved appliances that use less than 1000 watts of electricity and hair dryers. You may not bring any appliances for cooking such as a microwave, popcorn popper, George Foreman grill, hot pot, etc. Likewise, students are not permitted air conditioners or space heaters.

How does laundry work at Simmons University?

The cost of laundry is included in the Room & Board charge, so no payment is required for use of the washers and dryers on campus. There are washers and dryers in each residence hall. To see what machines are available (not presently being used), you can use the Automatic Laundry app “Laundry Connect Pay.”

Residential students receive a meal plan as part of their room and board package. Simmons University offers a variety of dining options and meal plans. There are full-service dining halls on both the residence and the academic campuses, and students can choose from several full-service meal plans, point meal plans, or a la carte cash options.

Learn about your meal plan options by visiting simmons.campusdish.com. Pick the meal plan that's right for you!

All residential students have the option to change meal plans within the first three weeks of each semester. If students do not select a meal plan, they will be automatically placed in the Unlimited option. Please note: Unused meal swipes will expire at the end of each semester.

What does it mean to be assigned to a fire door double room?

We consider rooms that adjoin through a fire door as a quad or a triple room, depending on the building. All residents assigned to those spaces are considered roommates and complete their part of their roommate agreement together. The door between the rooms remains closed, but not locked due to fire safety and no furniture or other items that could block access to the next room can be placed in front of the door.

What is a fire door?

It is a door that allows the people in the stairwell to get out of their room in case of a fire in the stairwell by going through the room next door. This door cannot be locked or blocked by any furniture or other items.

Will my things be safe if the door doesn't lock?

Yes, the doors that lead outside the rooms both lock, it is the door between the rooms that doesn't. Your RA will help you set up standards and expectations in terms of the usage for the fire door - for instance, when to keep the fire door open, what times it is okay to be used for lockouts, when it is okay to go through the fire door into the next room, etc.

Simmons is a tobacco-free university, which includes cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and all forms of smokeless tobacco. Smoking is not permitted anywhere in or around any University Housing. The University does not offer a smoking lounge or smoking area on university property. Students cannot use any form of tobacco or e-cigarettes on Simmons University property. Students wishing to smoke must do so outside of the Simmons Residence Campus gates. Smoking cessation resources are available for students interested.

While on the Residence Campus, the use of tobacco is not permitted. If you chose to use tobacco products, you must do so outside of the campus and on adjoining streets such as Pilgrim Road and Brookline Ave. If you use tobacco products on the campus, you will be asked to immediately stop by Public Safety, Residence Life Staff or fellow community members.

Please visit our website Tobacco Free for information on smoking cessation assistance offered for students and employees as well as lots of other information about Tobacco Free Simmons.