Housing & Dining

Princeton is committed to securing housing for all students through the full term of their enrollment, and every effort will be made to find appropriate housing for students with families, though there may be limitations to space and availability. Transfer students and military veterans are not bound by Princeton’s residency requirement, which requires traditional undergraduates to live and dine within the residential college system for their first two years of enrollment. This allows transfers and veterans who wish to commute from off-campus to do so from their first term. However, the overwhelming majority of transfers and veterans continue to live on campus for their full undergraduate career.

In many cases, transfer and veteran students are housed through the same procedure as other undergraduates in one of our seven Residential Colleges. If you have a spouse, children, or dependents, you are eligible for a family housing assignment, typically though not always a graduate apartment, which is priced differently from a standard single student accommodation (see below). The exact assignments are determined by Undergraduate Housing on a case-by-case basis during the summer before your enrollment. Final decisions are influenced by a variety of factors, including the demand for particular types of accommodations in the context of a limited housing stock.

Pricing Policies for Non-Traditional Students and Families

• **Please note that the following charges are for the 2023-2024 academic year only.**
• Family Housing and Dining
  • The base room charge for students living in family housing is 1.35x the standard undergraduate room charge. The estimated standard undergraduate room charge for 2023-2024 is $11,400, and therefore the base family housing charge is $15,390. This rate applies to married students living in undergraduate (Spelman) or graduate (Lawrence or Lakeside) housing.
  • Students with children or legal dependents will be assigned to graduate housing (such as Lawrence or Lakeside), and the room charge scales with the size of the accommodation. The cost of these accommodations for the 2023-2024 academic year are:
    • 1BR: $15,390 (1.35x undergraduate room charge, available for students with children under 2)
    • 2BR: $18,890 (1 BR Rate + $3,500)
    • 3BR: $23,390 (2 BR Rate + $4,500; the additional price reflects the increase in square footage in the 3br accommodations)
    • 4BR: $28,890 (3 BR Rate + $5,500; the additional price reflects the increase in square footage in the 4br accommodations)
  • These prices are for nine-month contracts. Students living in these units are automatically eligible for 12-month contracts at a prorated monthly cost, up until their graduation. Students in family housing are not permitted to remain in their senior year assignment the summer following graduation. Undergraduate students are not charged for utilities, and so the room charge is inclusive of heat, water, electricity, internet, etc.
  • Further details regarding Undergraduate Housing can be found on the University Housing and Real-Estate website.
  • Princeton offers a variety of dining plan to students with families, so that family members can eat on campus.
    • In their first year of enrollment, students living in family housing are eligible for the Block 105 or the unlimited meal plan. 
    • In their second year of enrollment, students living in family housing may elect to decline a dining plan.
    • In their second year of enrollment, transfer and veteran students or reservists (of any country) living within the residential system may elect the Block 105 dining plan.
  •  Children/dependents under the age of 8 can eat for free in the dining halls, when accompanying a student or spouse/cohabitating partner enrolled in the meal plan. If students have a food allergy, or require a special diet, Campus Dining's registered dietician can provide them with the information they need to make healthy food choices and review potential allergens. 
• Students with disabilities who seek accommodations must register with the Office of Disability Services (241 Frist Campus Center, 609-258-8840 or [email protected]).
• Residential College Participation for Partners and Dependents
  • Spouses, children, and dependents may participate in select events and activities in the residential colleges, as appropriate and  for free, with the approval of the college head, dean, or assistant dean.