Living on Campus

Nearly 1,700 students live on campus at Penn State Behrend in four types of residential living arrangements: traditional residence halls, eight-person suites, four-person suites, and apartments. The apartments are for juniors and seniors only. Senat Hall is specifically for freshmen students enrolled in Freshman Interest Groups.

We recommend that students apply for admission before November 30th of their senior year in High School.  Students who are offered admissions are encouraged to accept their offer, pay their acceptance fees, and send in their request for on-campus housing card no later than May 1st.  Housing contracts are then sent out to the students.  Students are required to sign and send their contract back with their deposit to ensure that housing space will be reserved for them. 

Students living on campus are supported by a strong residence life program. Students interested in living off-campus may wish to consult our Off-Campus Housing Resource Center.

Residential students have a choice of meal plans. Dobbins Hall serves as the main dining facility for on-campus students. Bruno's Cafe is also available for ala carte meals, light snacks, pizza, and evening refreshments.  For additional information about meal plans, go to Housing and Food Services.

You may wonder as you explore this section, why our residence halls have names such as "Porcupine," "Tigress," and even "Ohio." The reason lies in the region's history. Given the proximity of campus to historic Lake Erie, each residence hall at Penn State Behrend is named after a commander or ship from the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812.