Welcome Home to the College Houses at Penn

We hope this website will give you a thorough introduction to the eleven College Houses at Penn and answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to contact us if you need further information. We are extremely proud of our faculty, staff, students, programs and services in residences and stand prepared to deliver the best undergraduate experience possible.

— Dr. Leslie J. Delauter

Director of Academic Programs,
College Houses and Academic Services

Mission Statement

The mission of the College Houses is to provide supportive residential communities for the education of undergraduate students. The Houses serve as microcosms of the University's intellectual variety and strengths, experienced outside of the conventional classroom. The College Houses strive to create an environment in which residents gain meaningful opportunities as leaders and organizers. Within this environment, myriad connections take place among students, faculty and staff that often have a lifelong impact. On the foundation of these connections, the College Houses become home to powerful communities. In 2008-09, Penn celebrated 10 successful years of undergraduate College Houses. We look forward to many more.

History

Penn has been building a vigorous on-campus community since the first dormitory was designed in 1763. Now, more than two centuries later, the College Houses at Penn are eleven unique undergraduate residences — hubs of intellectual, social, and recreational activity. They stand at the center of the Penn undergraduate experience, bringing together undergraduates, faculty, staff and graduate students to form shared communities within the larger context of Penn's vibrant campus.