My child is very very uncomfortable in a shared room- we’ve tried to get an accommodation but understand some schools have more demanding criteria than others. Some schools advertise that they have singles available w/out an accommodation but I’m not sure if that’s really far and few or something often granted
You need to contact the housing folks at colleges of interest and ask this. The answers will vary from place to place.
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Both of my kids have singles. S24s school (Williams) has about 1/2 singles for first years and s21 (UNCSA) about 1/3.
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It depends on the school and type of dorm. At UAH every room is a private bedroom with shared bath and living room. At Clemson some dorms have singles and others don’t. At Rose-Hulman i don’t remember hearing about singles at all.
Has your child ever experienced rooming with someone? It would be a shame to block out lots of great schools because of something they never have experienced and are uncomfortable with the idea of it.
Sorry if I’m being a wiener about it, though.
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It completely varies by school. My D22 has a single. Costs a little more. She did some roommates before but decided she’d rather have a single this year. That’s not uncommon at her school.
Many single dorms that I know still have shared bathrooms so your child will need to consider that as well.
My son is super social and doesnt care. However he got an almost perfect freshman dorm in that it was a split double with a partial wall so he couldn’t see his roommate sleeping and had some privacy getting dressed and pod bathrooms which are single toilets and showers behind a locked door (there were 6 each on his floor).
Lawrinson at Cuse
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Completely varies by school. D19’s school (NYU) only had shared rooms for freshmen (unless disability accommodations were needed) but had various singles options, always in suites/apartment style, for upperclassmen. I think demand always outstripped supply for those though so a lot depended on your year and where you were in the draw to apply for housing each year.
Wondering if it might help to list the actual colleges?
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Good point, edited my post to add
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Wesleyan has some freshman in singles (including my kid). It’s not guaranteed, but it does seem like many kids who request them get them.
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Haverford has mainly singles.
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Williams has many singles including one first-year dorm that is almost entirely singles.
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A single was important to my daughter. We had a decent list of places she’d be able to do that, according to information we heard at tours in spring of junior year. But, by spring of senior year, a few places had eliminated that option. One decided in January that they were knocking down a whole dorm building and rebuilding. So no more singles until the new one opens in 2 years. Another changed policies and students accepted to the honors program would be required to live in a particular building and that building has no singles. Just something to think about as you look and find places that work.
She ended up at UAH (Huntsville) where everyone has their own room. She has 3 others in her suite and shares a bathroom with 1 other. But she has her own door, which is what mattered most. So far, she really loves it. She’s making friends, gets out quite often, and is doing way more than I ever thought!
My son is at U of Alabama and had a single room in a 4-person suite as a freshman. It’s not guaranteed, but if you apply early and sign up for housing in October, you should get a suite. After freshman year, you move off campus though, unless you have a scholarship or other reason that gives housing.
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Talk to your D’s physician… Colleges change housing configurations all the time based on yield, planned construction or upgrades, etc. So a dorm which is mostly singles this year might have an entire wing closed off next year as windows are replaced or insulation is installed. If half the available singles go away…the only students who will be guaranteed a single are those with a medical need …
Any viable options within commuting distance?
My kid at UMich had a standard single as his 4th housing choice and got a single. It’s a good but small room with AC, near Central Campus and next door to a dining hall.
tried it and it went south fast. maybe simply the wrong time and wrong place. actually a “good” roommate. wouldn’t ask the question if it weren’t already tested
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We made a point to look into which dorms on campus had singles and paid the deposit early to get early selection. We got her a single dorm room and it worked well. I wouldn’t want to share a bedroom with a stranger either.
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When I did a tour at Cal they mentioned this basically you get what you pay for. A quad is the cheapest option and prices go up until you get to a single. It was something like 11k for quad and 24k for a single.
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