Choosing to live on campus is the best decision you can make as a student. Living in the heart of Big Blue Nation makes your time at UK more fun, helps you foster deeper friendships, become more connected, and be more successful. Classrooms, dining halls, the library, student support services, and your friends … they’re all here. When you live on campus, you will be more supported socially and academically—that’s why students who live on-campus tend to have higher average GPAs than their peers living off-campus.
Wildcat Living: The Guide to Living and Dining on Campus provides a condensed overview of room types, dining options, the Living Learning Program and details about the housing application process.
Our North Campus residence halls are conveniently located close to many dining options and are just a short walk to downtown Lexington, Rupp Arena, the UK Student Center, White Hall Classroom Building and Patterson Office Tower. Residence Halls labeled with a plus sign (+) are typically reserved for students classified as sophomores or above.
UK’s Central Campus residence halls are near the William T. Young Library, The 90 – our popular campus dining facility, the Jacobs Science Building and the Johnson Recreation Center. These halls also are just a short walk to Kroger Field. Residence Halls labeled with a plus sign (+) are typically reserved for students classified as sophomores or above.
During the application process for housing in the myUK portal, you will have the option to request up to three roommate preferences. You will be asked several questions to help you find a potential roommate using the roommate matching questionnaire. If you have a specific roommate you would like to live with, you will be able to search and confirm your roommate once you complete your application.
My favorite thing about living on campus is probably the community. There is never a dull moment. You could be studying at 10 o'clock at night, and somebody would say, 'Hey, let's walk down the street and get chips and salsa.' It's just fun to be able to look outside and see that it's snowing and be like, 'Hey, let's go throw snowballs at each other at midnight,' which is something that you don't get off campus.
Residence Life believes residence halls are the places where every student, regardless of their background, can feel comfortable and consider their home while at UK. Our staff, from the Resident Advisors (RAs) to Resident Directors (RDs) to the Office Assistants working the front desk every day, believe students are most likely to succeed in an environment where everyone is welcome and involved. Through our CATS Engagement Residential Curriculum, we work with students to create a learning environment that helps them grow and succeed as Wildcats.
The Living Learning Program, or LLP, is comprised of 13 different Learning Communities and Residential Colleges. These different communities support student success by placing students with similar interests into smaller communities in particular residence halls. Students receive special programming, interaction with UK faculty and staff, and a supportive community.
For me, I cook a lot. Having those kitchens in the residence hall, whether it be on every floor or every other floor, was super helpful. I'll also use that to kind of foster relationships. My friends and I would cook, and then people would come in and say, ‘oh, it smells so good.’ And we're like, ‘join us for dinner.’
of Fall 2023 cohort lived on campus
average 1st fall term GPA for Fall 2023 cohort LLP students
2nd fall retention rate for on-campus students in the Fall 2022 cohort
