Frequently Asked Questions

All of our residence halls have different amenities and qualities that make them unique. Check out our Residence Halls page to learn more about what they offer. 

If you would like to apply for a housing accommodation, please reach out to Accessibility Resources and complete the application process before the advertised deadline. If you are approved for a housing accommodation and have been confirmed for housing, you will be assigned to a room that meets that accommodation. If you submit and are approved for a housing accommodation after the advertised deadline, you may be placed on a waitlist until a room that meets your accommodation becomes available. 

The rooms in our residence halls vary in regard to dimensions, even when they are the same room type (double, triple, etc.). Being that you cannot bring in any outside furniture, most likely you will not need the exact dimensions of the space. For rugs, we recommend that you do not bring one that is larger than five-by-seven feet. 

Berklee has partnered with New England Student Services to provide a range of services, including microfridge sales and rentals (including drop-off and pick-up) and storage solutions. A portion of the sales are shared with the Housing and Residential Education team to support social and educational programs in the residence halls.

Each room comes with the following:

• Bedframe
• Twin XL mattress
• Desk
• Chair
• Closet space
• Dresser

We recommend that you bring the following items to campus:

• Twin XL bed sheets
• Pillow
• Pillowcase
• Mattress cover or topper
• Blanket
• Towel
• Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, body wash)
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Clothes hangers
• Laundry basket
• Laundry detergent
• Alarm clock
• Hairdryer
• Fan
• Headphones
• Umbrella
• Utensils
• Bowls, cups, and plates
• Shower caddy
• Bathrobe

The following items are prohibited in the residence halls:

• Electric scooters and hoverboards
  • These items can be stored at the Bike Pavilion on campus but not in the residence halls 
• Air conditioners 
• Clothing irons that do not have an automatic shutoff 
• Space heaters
• Electric percolators or kettles that do not have an automatic shutoff 
• Fridges larger than four cubic feet
• Candles, incense, or any open flames
• Non-LED string lights 
• Non-Berklee-issued furniture
• Electric blankets
• Appliances such as air fryers, grills, hot plates, toaster ovens, hot pots, electric frying pans, griddles, rice cookers, toasters, and crock pots
• Traditional coffee makers (Keurigs are permitted)
• Wireless hubs
• Sun lamps and halogen lamps
• Bicycles (permitted, but cannot be stored in residence hall rooms)
• Pets (except for approved emotional support animals and service animals)
• Water guns, water balloons, and toy guns
• Weapons of any kind 

Each student living on campus will have a designated resident assistant for the academic year. Resident assistants are student staff members who live in the halls and oversee a community of residents. Each residence hall is also overseen by a full-time professional staff member. Students will meet their resident assistant and designated professional staff member during their first week on campus.

Visit our Move-In, Move-Out, and Break Information page for important dates and procedures.

Step 1:

If you are looking for a room change, you should communicate with your Resident Assistant first about your concerns. If a resolution has not been met, you can continue to submit a Room Change Request via the Berklee Housing Portal. 

Step 2: 

Log into your Housing Portal: Log into your Housing Portal(Opens in a new window) and select Room Change Requests. Fill out this form with information on why you're looking to change rooms, and what room type and residence hall you are interested in moving to.

• Before being approved for a room change, your Resident Director or Area Coordinator may ask you to pursue a few options, including roommate mediation, roommate agreement, and work orders, if applicable. It is important to remember that many roommate conflicts can be resolved, and that a room change is not always the best or quickest option for resolving a roommate conflict. 

• Await Further Information: Our office will let you know whether your request has been approved or denied. If a room becomes available, you will receive a room offer with further instructions. 

  If you are in an emergency situation and need to move immediately, please email your Resident Director or Area Coordinator directly for next steps. 

  See more about our Room Change Processes here. 

If you have any medical needs, you should work with the Office of Accessibility Resources for Students to put your accommodation on file. The process for approved medical housing accommodations is different from the general room change process. 

Berklee has partnered with New England Student Services to provide a range of services, including microfridge sales and rentals (including drop off and pick up) and storage solutions. A portion of the sales are shared with the Housing and Residential Education team to support social and educational programs in the residence halls. Visit the New England Student Services website for more information on services offered and rates. 

Quiet hours are enforced nightly from 11:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m. the following morning. During this time, your volume should be kept to a minimum. However, courtesy hours are in effect 24/7. All residents and guests must respect the rights of others at all times by behaving in a manner that is conducive to studying and sleeping. High volume sounds are not permitted. While there are specific “quiet hours,” residents are expected to show consideration and courtesy to other residents at all times of day.

The Berklee campus offers a number of dining options for students. Visit Berklee's dining page to learn more about dining locations, hours, and menus. 

In order to receive mail, you will need to use the address below. Packages addressed to your residence hall will be returned to sender. When having items sent to campus, please use the name associated with your student account versus a nickname or shortened version of your name. 

All envelopes and packages should be picked up from the Mail Center, located at 1108 Boylston Street. You will receive email notifications for any packages you receive, but not for envelopes. Please do not go to the Mail Center until you've received this email. 

Please note that we cannot accept any packages at the front desks of residence halls under any circumstances. 

When possible, students are encouraged to rent practice rooms (login required) in their residence hall, though they can also practice in their residence hall rooms. Please note residents have a 24-hour courtesy policy. 

Each residence hall has washers and dryers for residents to use. The machines may be operated using the LaundryConnect Pay Mobile app, which students can download once they arrive on campus. Our machines do not accept quarters.

The 150 Massachusetts Avenue, 160 Massachusetts Avenue, and 12 Hemenway Street residence halls are air conditioned, while the other residence halls are not. There are air-conditioned common spaces in 270 Commonwealth Avenue and 98 Hemenway Street. Students are not permitted to bring air conditioning units with them.

For fridge rentals, we recommend reaching out to New England Student Services, which offers fridge and microwave rentals as well as on-campus delivery and pick-up. All fridges must be 4.3 cubic feet or less. 

There is wireless internet access in all residence halls as well as on campus. Students can log in to the Berklee network using their OnePass credentials.

Students are permitted to bring microwaves to the residence halls. We ask that each room not have more than two microwaves. 

The 160 Massachusetts Avenue and 270 Commonwealth Avenue residence halls are both home to fitness centers, which can be used by any current Berklee student living on campus during the fall and spring semesters only. Fitness centers are not available for student use in the summer. 

There is a TV lounge in each residential area with cable TV, but we do not currently offer cable in residence hall rooms.

The 98 Hemenway Street, 12 Hemenway Street, and 270 Commonwealth Avenue residence halls are both home to community kitchens that are available for residents to use. 

Our residence halls are not divided by gender. Housing assignments are done based on gender identity, not sex assigned at birth. 

Economy rooms are rooms that are slightly smaller than other spaces on campus designated for the same number of residents. Students who are assigned to economy rooms will receive a partial refund at the end of each semester, which is calculated based on the number of weeks the room stays fully occupied. If an economy room stays fully occupied for an entire academic year, the residents of that room will receive a refund of $1,501 each semester.

Single rooms are reserved for medical accommodations. If you believe you require a single room due to a medical accommodation, visit the Accessibility Services for Students page to request a housing accommodation.

If you would like to switch rooms, speak with the professional staff member who oversees your hall. They can walk you through the room-switch process and what your options are on campus. You can also view our Room Change Process here. 

Alert a staff member immediately, and they will put in a work order for you. If a staff member is unavailable, you can visit the Housing Office at 150 Massachusetts Ave, RM. 351 Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. –5:00 p.m. 

Berklee does not provide personal property insurance. It is recommended that students check with their family’s homeowners’ insurance provider to see if their policy will cover the property of a student on campus. Students may also contact a national company that provides college student property insurance.

Safety and security are among our top priorities. All of our residence halls have complete fire detection and fire sprinkler systems. Each building, with the exception of the Fenway residence halls, has a security desk that is staffed 24/7, and students are required to use their Berklee ID in order to enter the residence halls. Upon arriving on campus, students will learn more about residence hall safety, as well as Berklee’s Public Safety Department.

You can visit the Housing Office at 150 Massachusetts Ave., RM. 351 Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. to retrieve a replacement or loaner key. You will be given a new key and will be asked to pay $25 to replace your lost key. 

Call 617-747-UNLK (8655) at any time for instructions on what to do if you are locked out. 

Full-time Berklee students living in the residence halls can have guests visit them as long as they are registered using the Residence Hall Guest Pass form (login required) and ensure they are following the guest policies outlined below. 

• A guest is defined as a Berklee student who does not live on campus or any person not affiliated with Berklee.
• All guests must be 17 years of age or older.
• Guests must show one of the following upon entry:
  • Driver’s license
  • Passport
  • Military ID
  • Green Card
• Overnight guests may stay no longer than three (3) nights in a seven-day period.
• Furthermore, overnight guests may stay no more than ten (10) calendar days in a month.
• Residents must be physically present with their guests at all times.
• Guests are expected to follow Berklee’s policies while on campus. 
• Guests who violate this privilege may have their overnight guest privileges terminated.
• It is important to get approval from your roommate(s) before bringing over any guests.