Wright Quad is one of IU's largest residence centers and the most recently renovated building on campus, having reopened for students in fall 2025 after a full upgrade. It sits just steps from the Herman B Wells Library in the heart of the Central Neighborhood — it's hard to find a more convenient address on campus. The renovations added central air conditioning with digital controls throughout, made major accessibility improvements, and brought the building up to modern standards without stripping its classic character.

Wright has an on-site dining hall along with a game room, an in-building library, a classroom, and a computer lab. The Economy price tier makes it one of the more affordable first-year options on campus — real value for the location. With 1,052 beds, it's one of IU's largest halls, which means a big social community right out of the gate.

Teter is consistently one of the most well-regarded halls at IU — and for good reason. It sits in the Central Neighborhood with access to dining, the SRSC, and the IU bus route, while maintaining the kind of close-knit community that large halls often sacrifice. Teter is made up of five connected buildings (Rabb, Boisen, Elkin, Thompson, and Wissler), each with its own identity, which makes it easier to form tight friendships on your floor without being swallowed by a crowd.

Rooms have hardwood laminate floors, private bathrooms in suite-style configurations, and shared kitchenettes on select floors. The complex also has a library, a theater space for movie nights and live game watching, a foosball table, ping pong, and classrooms for academic support. Teter is home to several living-learning communities, including the Luddy School LLC, Health Sciences, Asian/Pacific American, and Spectrum communities, plus an Honors Residential option. Named for Nellie Showers Teter, the first woman elected to IU's Board of Trustees — a hall with some history behind it.

Ashton is a unique setup: rather than one big building, it consists of seven smaller halls arranged around the Barnes Lounge Building in the Central Neighborhood. That cluster structure gives Ashton an inherently smaller, more intimate feel compared to the larger quads. Students who live here often describe it as a tight community that benefits from Central Neighborhood proximity without the overwhelming scale of Wright or Teter.

Rooms have window air conditioning (not central AC) and shared kitchenettes. Ashton doesn't have its own dining hall, but with the Central Neighborhood's dining options close by, that's rarely a dealbreaker.

McNutt is IU Bloomington's largest residence center, and it earns its reputation as a full-service hub. The building has its own all-you-care-to-eat dining hall, a Campus Store for quick shopping, and — the amenity everyone talks about — a full Starbucks in the basement. That alone makes McNutt a destination for the entire northwest campus community, not just residents. There are also classrooms on-site, making McNutt one of the few halls where you can roll out of bed and make it to a discussion section without setting foot outside.

McNutt is home to the Brian D. Jellison Living-Learning Center for motivated first-year students interested in business — a natural fit given its proximity to the Kelley School of Business. The Northwest Recreation Courts and Sembower Field Complex are steps away for outdoor activity.

Walnut Grove opened in fall 2021 and is the newest residence center on the IU Bloomington campus. If you want modern construction, fresh amenities, and a building that doesn't have decades of wear on it, this is your answer. The architecture emphasizes natural light and high ceilings, giving it a noticeably different feel from the older halls around it.

Each floor has a full kitchen — a rare amenity in a standard residence hall — along with multiple lounge spaces and music practice rooms. The view from Walnut Grove is one of its best-selling points: residents look directly out toward Memorial Stadium and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Suite-style single rooms with shared bathrooms are available alongside standard doubles. Like McNutt and Foster, it sits steps from the Northwest Recreation Courts.

Briscoe sits right next to IU's athletic complex — Memorial Stadium, Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and the SRSC are all essentially in your backyard. It's consistently praised as one of the nicer halls on campus, partly because of its well-regarded bathroom options (community private full baths, which are a notable upgrade over standard communal setups) and its clean, well-maintained facilities.

Briscoe is home to the Civic Leaders Living-Learning Center, designed for first-year students of any major who are passionate about civic engagement and public service. There's also an Honors Residential Community option here for Hutton Honors College students. An elevator, game room, and study areas round out the amenities.

Foster is less one building and more a small village. It consists of six separate residence halls — Gresham, Harper, Jenkinson, Martin, Magee, and Shea — clustered together in the Northwest Neighborhood. The setup received a comprehensive facilities update in 2019, so the bones are solid and the amenities are current. Each hall has its own character, giving Foster a more intimate feel despite the combined size.

Foster has its own on-site dining hall, which is a significant perk for northwest residents. Community bathrooms and a game room round out the amenities. Students often appreciate the views from Foster buildings, which sit in a scenic part of the northwest campus.

Forest is IU's tallest residence hall, and its scale delivers a correspondingly big social scene. The all-you-care-to-eat Restaurants at Woodland is right inside the building — one of the best dining setups on campus and a key reason Forest consistently attracts students who want dining as a convenience, not a commute. On the upper floors, you can see all the way to downtown Bloomington.

Beyond dining, Forest has a media library, dance studio, game room, computer lab, music practice room, and academic support center. It's home to one of IU's richest collections of living-learning communities: the Media LLC, STEM LLC, THRIVE LLC, Atkins LLC, the Luis Dávila Latinx Thematic Community, and an Honors Residential Community. Community bathrooms are shared by the floor, but each bathroom is private (not open communal), which is a meaningful distinction. Forest sits in the Southeast Neighborhood, close to the Musical Arts Center and IU Auditorium.

Willkie is the closest thing to apartment-style living that first-year students can access in IU's residential system. All rooms are singles or suites, and every unit includes an in-room washer, dryer, and kitchen — a rare and significant quality-of-life upgrade over most residence halls. Suite-style bathrooms give residents added privacy without the full isolation of off-campus living.

The complex balances private space with community areas including a computer lab, music practice rooms, a library, an exercise room, and the Willkie Auditorium for events. Willkie also hosts a mix of first-year, transfer, and returning students, which creates a more mature social dynamic than halls that are exclusively freshman. The separate Mason Hall apartment complex is also part of the Willkie center — it offers an even quieter, more independent option nestled between the Central and Southeast Neighborhoods, with Forest Dining Hall a short walk away.

Wells Quad is a solid, amenity-rich option in the Southeast Neighborhood. It has its own dining option — the Goodbody Eatery — along with a computer lab, game room, music practice room, and shared kitchenettes. The building is fully air-conditioned. Wells Quad is home to the Women in STEM Living-Learning Community and a broader STEM LLC, making it a natural choice for students in science, technology, engineering, or math programs who want to live alongside peers with similar academic interests.

Read Hall sits in the Southeast Neighborhood and offers El Bistro dining options on-site — a carryout-style eatery (sandwiches, burritos, and more) that gives residents a quick meal option without a full dining hall walk. The building has central air conditioning, an elevator, a game room, a music room, semi-private half bathrooms, and shared kitchenettes, and is fully equipped with academic support spaces.

Read is home to the Global Learning Living Community and the School of Public Health Living-Learning Community — two distinct academic communities that attract internationally-minded and health-focused students respectively.