🏠 Ohio State University — Parent Guide

Helping parents understand dorm options, safety, accessibility, and what to expect at Ohio State University.

💡 Tips for parents reviewing dorm options:

🏠 How housing selection works at Ohio State University

The Ohio State University offers on-campus housing for undergraduate students with extensive residential options.

First-Year Housing: Incoming students are assigned to residence halls. First-year housing creates community and facilitates student transitions.

Upperclass Housing: Returning students participate in a housing selection process each spring. A variety of residential options including themed housing and living-learning communities are available.

For details on housing procedures and timelines, see the Housing and Residence Life website.

As of May 8, 2026

📍 Location

Columbus, OH

🏛️ College Type

Public Research University

👥 Enrollment

61,170 total students

🏠 Housing

73 dorm buildings reviewed on DormScouter

📊 Dorm Comparison by Safety & Cleanliness

DormOverall ★Safety ★Cleanliness ★ReviewsFeatures
Lincoln Tower 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Morrill Tower 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Morrison Tower 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Baker Hall East 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Baker Hall West 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Bradley Hall 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Canfield Hall 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Mack Hall 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Park-Stradley Hall 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Paterson Hall 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Siebert Hall 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Smith-Steeb Hall 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Scholars East 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Scholars West 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Archer House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Barrett House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Blackburn House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Bowen House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Busch House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Fechko House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
German House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Halloran House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Hanley House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Haverfield House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Houck House 0
Houston House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Mendoza House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Neil Building 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Norton House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Nosker House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Pennsylvania Place 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Pomerene House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Raney House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Scott House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Torres House 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Worthington Building 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
Sigma Alpha Epsilon (Chapter House) 0
Sigma Chi (Chapter House) 0
Sigma Phi Epsilon (Chapter House) 0
Beta Theta Pi (Chapter House) 0
Tau Kappa Epsilon (Chapter House) 0
Phi Gamma Delta (Chapter House) 0
Alpha Tau Omega (Chapter House) 0
Delta Tau Delta (Chapter House) 0
Theta Chi (Chapter House) 0
Pi Kappa Phi (Chapter House) 0
Phi Kappa Tau (Chapter House) 0
Zeta Beta Tau (Chapter House) 0
Alpha Epsilon Pi (Chapter House) 0
Delta Sigma Phi (Chapter House) 0
Phi Sigma Kappa (Chapter House) 0
Chi Omega (Chapter House) 0
Pi Beta Phi (Chapter House) 0
Kappa Kappa Gamma (Chapter House) 0
Kappa Alpha Theta (Chapter House) 0
Delta Gamma (Chapter House) 0
Alpha Chi Omega (Chapter House) 0
Alpha Phi (Chapter House) 0
Delta Delta Delta (Chapter House) 0
Kappa Delta (Chapter House) 0
Zeta Tau Alpha (Chapter House) 0
Gamma Phi Beta (Chapter House) 0
Delta Zeta (Chapter House) 0
Alpha Gamma Delta (Chapter House) 0
Alpha Xi Delta (Chapter House) 0
Drackett Tower 0 🛗 Elevator
Houck Hall 0
James Hall 0
Lawrence Tower 0 🛗 Elevator
Scott Hall 0
Taylor Tower 0 🛗 Elevator
Jones Tower 0 🍽️ Dining Hall
The Residence on Tenth 0

🔗 More Resources

🔗 Ohio State Student Life Housing

Open link ↗

🔗 Residence Halls

Open link ↗

🔗 Apply for Housing

Open link ↗

🎓 Class-Year Housing Guides

Year-specific advice for Ohio State University dorms — what changes from freshman to senior year:

🎓 Freshman Guide📚 Sophomore Guide📖 Junior Guide🎉 Senior Guide

🔍 Filter by Amenity

Looking for something specific? Browse Ohio State University dorms filtered by amenity:

❄️ with Air Conditioning🍳 with Shared Kitchen🛗 with Elevator♿ ADA-Accessible🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ+ Friendly🚿 with Private Bathrooms🛁 with Semi-Private Bathrooms🧼 with Communal Bathrooms♀ All-Female