Residence Halls – General Information

Eligible students may elect to live in the residence halls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to frequently-asked questions on the Residence Halls FAQ webpage.

Campus Location

Segundo, Tercero and Cuarto?

Student Housing and Dining Service's residence halls are located in three areas of campus, named Segundo, Tercero and Cuarto. (Yes, there once was a residence hall area named Primero; Primero was replaced by the Primero Grove complex in 1999.)

Each residence hall area has a different population size but they all feature similar facilities and amenities, including a dining commons.

For more information about each area, refer to the Residence Halls webpage.

About the Rooms and Halls

Room Furnishings

For a list of room furnishings, refer to Residence Hall Room Furnishings.

For a list of suggested items to bring to the residence halls (and what not to bring), refer to What To Bring (and What Not To Bring).

Carpet

All residence hall rooms have carpeted flooring.

Beds and Bed Configurations – Regular, Bunk Beds, and Lofts

For bed information, including sizes and configurations, refer to Residence Hall Room Furnishings.

Common Areas

All residents have access to common areas, including lounges, study spaces, recreation and game areas, Residential Academic Centers, dining commons (access is subject to meal plans), laundry rooms, and kitchenettes.

Lounges are often used as living room spaces, where residents spend time together talking, playing games, and hanging out. They’re also used as meeting spaces for hall-wide meetings and extra-curricular activities. They are furnished with an assortment of couches and/or chairs, and tables; most include cable television.

Study spaces are found throughout the residence hall communities. Some are adjacent to the residence hall lounges, others are available in the Residential Academic Centers. Study spaces are typically furnished with tables and chairs.

Bathrooms

All bathrooms include showers with curtains and/or doors, and towel racks or hooks to hang wet towels. Community bathrooms include access to lockers; residents must supply their own lock, and lockers are available first-come, first-serve and do not require a reservation or assignment. Some community bathrooms are assigned by gender and some are gender-inclusive.

Community bathrooms, which are available to all residents of the hall community, are utilized in the following halls:

  • Segundo Area: Bixby Hall, Gilmore Hall, Malcolm Hall, Ryerson Hall, and all buildings in Regan Hall

Community bathrooms, which are arranged in clusters of one bathroom for every four rooms, are utilized in the following halls:

  • Segundo Area: Alder Hall, Miller Hall, and Thompson Hall
  • Tercero Area: All buildings

Individual suite bathrooms are shared by suitemates in the following halls:

  • Cuarto Area: Shasta Hall, Tahoe Hall and Yosemite Hall

Elevators and Accessible Rooms

The following buildings have elevators:

  • Segundo Area: Alder Hall, Bixby Hall, Gilmore Hall, Malcolm Hall, Miller Hall, Ryerson Hall and Thompson Hall
  • Tercero Area: Kearney Hall, Laben Hall, Wall Hall, Potter Hall, Campbell Hall
  • Cuarto Area: Shasta Hall, Tahoe Hall and Yosemite Hall

Wheelchair-accessible rooms are available in every residence hall area, and all common rooms are ADA-compliant. Prospective students can review information about the accommodation process on the Accessible Housing and Dining webpage.

Heating and Air Conditioning

Segundo and Tercero area rooms and suites have their own thermostat, which allows residents to adjust room temperatures within a limited range of temperatures.

Segundo and Tercero buildings are attached to the campus’ centralized heating and cooling facility, which runs either a heating system or cooling system at any given time, but never both simultaneously. Therefore, residents have some but not full control over their heating and air conditioning. Specifically, thermostats may be adjusted within a range of possible temperatures within whichever system – heating or cooling – is available for that time of year. Student Housing generally runs the heating system when night-time low temperatures regularly fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit; the cooling system operates when daytime high temperatures consistently exceed 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cuarto suites have their own thermostats; in addition, Cuarto buildings are not attached to the central campus facility. Therefore, residents have full control of both heating and cooling modes throughout the year.

Cleaning Service

Refer to the Custodial Services page for information regarding cleaning services and residents’ cleaning responsibilities.

Schedules

Moving In

Incoming students generally move in the weekend before classes begin, and students move in according to their assigned move-in schedule. Refer to Moving Into The Residence Halls for more information.

Residence Hall Closures during the Holidays

The residence halls and dining commons close during the winter holiday in December only. During the Thanksgiving break in November and the Spring Break in March/April, the residence halls are open but there are no meals served in the dining commons. Refer to the Student Housing Calendar for specific dates.

Mail Schedule

Mail service begins the Monday after moving into the residence halls. New fall-quarter residents should check their mailbox for important information about university activities and scheduled events soon after arriving. Packages that do not fit into mailboxes are delivered to the Area Service Desk; staff will notify students of package deliveries via email to residents' UC Davis email address. Refer to the mail webpage for more information.

Dining on Campus

Meal Plans

A meal plan must be selected with each residence hall contract; the cost is included in the contract rate. For more information about dining, refer to Residential Meal Plans.

Selecting and Changing Meal Plans

Students should consider two factors when selecting meal plans, as selecting an appropriate meal plan depends on personal eating habits. Students should ask themselves, “Will I be going home for or eating elsewhere on the weekends?” Refer to Residential Meal Plans for more information.

Students may change their meal plans during the year. There are certain restrictions; refer to the Changing Meal Plans page for more information.

Additional Information

A plethora of information may be found throughout the Student Housing website, so explore it.

Downloadable Publications also contain a variety of information. In particular, consider reviewing the "Living on Campus" brochure, which was designed for incoming students who are exploring university housing options (including the residence halls), and the "Summer Orientation FAQ", which was designed for students who accepted a Residence Hall or Student Housing Apartment Contract and are preparing to move into the residence halls.