Housing and dining
Northeastern’s Oakland campus gives you a home base that will connect you with the people and resources in the Bay Area that will help you flourish. Students will find a range of safe and secure housing options, from traditional residence halls to specialty apartments, all set on a beautiful 135-acre residential campus.
To ensure students have a positive residential experience, our Office of Housing and Residential life is responsible for fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive community in which residents develop interpersonal skills and respect for self and others. They also create co-curricular programming that supports academic success and personal interests.
University housing
(2024–2025)
Undergraduates who enter as first-year students in Oakland through fall admission will live in university housing during their first and second years unless a global or co-op experience takes them away from campus. Students who choose to continue their studies in Oakland for the remainder of their program and who meet annual housing application and deposit deadlines will have guaranteed university housing in Oakland for four years.
Students who choose to transition to the Boston campus for their second year will be guaranteed one year of university housing in Boston for their second year. University housing in Boston for students in their third year and beyond is limited and on a space-available basis. These students live in a mix of university and off-campus housing or participate in co-op, study abroad, or learning opportunities outside of Boston.
Download the Guide to Residence Hall Living (PDF) for the Oakland campus.
First-year residential experience
First-year undergraduate students typically live in traditional-style residence halls, sharing common spaces with peers. You’ll build strong connections that help you adjust to college life, explore campus, and experience the Bay Area and beyond.
All first-year students participate in a Living Learning Community (LLC). An LLC brings students together around an academic major, academic theme, or personal interest. This enables you to form relationships within your living group through common topics and passions. LLCs connect your residential experience with academic life supported by various co-curricular events and activities throughout the year.
This year’s Living Learning Communities will focus on the following interest areas:
Health and Well-being
Mental health and well-being are leading topics of concern and need globally, particularly in college-aged individuals. As a member of the Health and Well-being LLC, you will explore dimensions of wellness—including social, occupational, physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, financial, and environmental dimensions—and barriers to access. You’ll discuss concepts of holistic well-being with campus partners passionate about this topic who will be able to mentor you as you devise your own wellness plan and develop, with your peers, a wellness plan for your own campus community.
Sustainability
This LLC will explore sustainability and the connections between environmental stewardship, social justice, community building, innovation, policy, and more. You’ll have opportunities to connect with campus partners committed to sustainability efforts, meet local leaders in the sustainability movement, explore careers in sustainability, visit local companies, devise ideas for launching new companies, solve local food challenges, and contribute to the sustainability approach of the Northeastern campus in Oakland.
Entrepreneurship
Northeastern is known for technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Focusing on these ideas, this unique LLC will bring together students and campus partners who are passionate about justice, equity, creativity, and the ethics surrounding new and current entrepreneurship opportunities. You’ll meet industry leaders; spend time visiting some of the world’s most significant technology, health, and sustainability companies; examine the impact of these organizations on wealth and health disparities in the Bay Area; and explore your own relationship and connection to new innovations.
The Power of Place
This LLC will be a community of students interested in exploring who they are, learning from each other, and celebrating diverse perspectives. As part of this LLC, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of both your own culture(s) and the cultures of those around you. You will collaborate with your fellow students to discover, inform, and applaud the differences and similarities of race, culture, gender, and sexual orientation. Fostering a greater cultural awareness, you will seek to embrace the diversity of the Northeastern population and strive to create a more inclusive environment.
Dining
Our campus dining options feature local ingredients, authentic flavors, and farm-fresh produce (including some harvested from the campus community farm). Guests can enjoy all-you-care-to-eat dining at Founders Commons, featuring a variety of rotating menu items including vegan and vegetarian options, a fresh salad bar, and traditional student favorites. The Tea Shop features a café market-style experience with a coffee bar, made-to-order deli, and a changing selection of hot entrées available through in-person ordering or mobile ordering through the Grubhub app. At Café Suzie, students can stop in for grab-and-go snacks and beverages, grocery items, and school pride merchandise.
