Residence Life

Why Live on Campus?

Maintain your focus.
Studies have shown that students who live on campus tend to spend more time studying, are more engaged with student activities, and are more likely to return to college the next fall.
Less stress.
You’ll get your meals in the dining hall or any of the on-campus grab-and-go options, your laundry is on site (and you don’t pay extra to do it), you don’t have to worry about keeping up with utility bills and rent every month.
Better Parking
Parking is easily accessible in our lot (you don’t pay for a parking permit, either).
It’s safe.
You have 24-7 Public Safety available to you on campus.
It’s convenient.
You’ll be close to your classes and have an easier time getting involved in campus activities and clubs. (P.S. You’ll also have easy access to our fitness centers, libraries, and recreational spaces.)
You’ll find your people.
Living in our residence halls is a great way to connect with other students, and our Resident Assistants (RAs) are always there to help.

89%

In a 2022-2023 survey, 89% of Russell Sage students who lived on campus said it helped them learn how to live cooperatively among roommates and neighbors.

“This campus has been more than accepting of trans persons, and I have felt exceptionally safe as a transgender individual in the housing provided. I have not once been singled out as different from the cisgender members of my floor. Living in a residence hall has also made it easier to make friends since spending quality time is so much more convenient.”

One of the students surveyed in 2022-2023

Albany or Troy? How Do I Know What Campus I’ll Be Living On?

Russell Sage College offers intentionally designed residential programs on both the Albany and Troy campuses, accessible to all undergraduate students.

First-year students are housed on the campus where their academic program is located to more easily access their classes, study sessions, library, and lab facilities. If you’d like to live on the other campus, residence life can evaluate your request based on space availability, with preference given to student-athletes who hold their practices on the Albany campus.

Types of Housing

We have a mix of housing styles between our two campuses. And where you can live depends on your class standing. We have first-year residence halls on both campuses and then housing for “upperclass” students (our language for sophomores, juniors, and seniors).

First-year Residence Halls

First-year students are assigned to our traditional-style residence halls. Our traditional residence hall rooms are set up with two residents per room, and in each room you are provided with a bed, desk and chair, and closet. Single rooms are available in special circumstances, such as medical accommodations, and often as space allows. In this style of living, bathrooms are shared between the students living on the floor.

You’ll find these traditional-style residence halls on our Albany and Troy campuses:

In Albany, there is a single hall called Albany Campus Residence Hall (ACRH). Tour an ACRH room.
In Troy, we offer this style of housing in Kellas Hall. Tour a Kellas Hall room in Troy.

‘Upperclass’ Housing (Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors)

Brownstones: The Troy campus has traditional first-year residence halls, but students who are sophomores and older are able to live in the historic brownstone houses.

German House: Double, single, and triple rooms, with shared bathrooms on each floor.
McMurray/Spicer/Gale House (MSG): Double, single, and triple rooms with shared bathrooms on each floor. This is also home to students who wish to live in Multicultural Housing.
Wool House: Home to the Honors Program students. Double, single, and triple rooms, with shared bathrooms on each floor.

Traditional-style Residence Halls: On the Troy campus, we offer a traditional-style residence hall experience in Slocum Hall, which has double rooms and a communal bathroom on each floor.

Suite-style Living: On the Albany campus, upperclass students can choose to live in University Heights College Suites (UHCS). UHCS offers apartment-style living with fully furnished four-bedroom units.

Specialty Housing

On the Troy campus, we offer special housing options to sophomores, juniors, and seniors:

Gender-affirming Housing, for students who may identify as transgender, gender nonconforming, and of varied sexual orientations
Pet-friendly Housing, including cats, rats, mice, hedgehogs, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, and chinchillas. You must receive prior approval, live in a single room, and pay an additional $150 per semester. Due to capacity issues, pet-friendly housing is available on a limited basis.
Honors Housing, for members of our honors program (eligible starting in sophomore year).
Multicultural Housing, to support the experiences of students of diverse backgrounds and identities who seek to lead and thrive in an increasingly globalized society, with an emphasis on social justice and service.

How Much Does It Cost?

We offer some of the most affordable housing in New York state – even less expensive than the SUNY campuses.

	*Housing and Meal Plan Annual Cost (Double room and highest meal plan option)*
Russell Sage College	$14,048
Average SUNY*	$16,314
Capital Region Private College A	$16,570
Capital Region Private College B	$14,600
Central New York Private College	$15,660
Hudson Valley Private College	$17,710

Housing and meal plan costs

Who Must Live on Campus? The Residency Policy for First-Year and Sophomore Students.

Russell Sage College is committed to the values and benefits of residential living in the college experience, especially as they relate to first- and second-year students. As we said earlier, there are lots of benefits to living on campus.

At Russell Sage College, all full-time first-year and sophomore students (as defined by credit hour), live in campus residence halls unless you live with parents, guardian(s), or a spouse within 30 miles of campus. Exceptions to this policy (based on age, finances or family circumstances) are considered on an individual basis and must be approved by the director of residence life, or their designee.

Applying for Housing

First-year students indicate they plan to live on campus when they apply to the college. After the deposit deadline, first-year resident students will receive an email from the Office of Residence Life containing links to both the housing contract and the roommate preference form.

Sophomores and other upperclass students apply for housing each year, using our housing lottery/application process, where preference is given based on academic standing. The housing lottery typically takes place in mid-April.

Finding a Roommate

New students fill out a housing preference form that asks lifestyle and personality questions that help us pair students as roommates. Students also have the option of requesting a roommate on that form if they meet someone on ZeeMee (our social media app for accepted students!), other social media, or in real life. Both students have to request each other for the request to be considered.

Meet the Resident Assistants (RAs)

Your RA is a student who is a sophomore or older and lives in your hall. They are there to answer questions and offer support, guidance, and friendship. They are also trained in crisis intervention, conflict mediation, basic counseling skills, and hall policies and are supervised by a Resident Director (RD), a professional college administrator who also lives in a campus residence hall.

Our RAs are always requesting new training to best serve their residents. Recent trainings have focused on student wellness; diversity, equity, and inclusion; working with neurodivergent students; and assisting LGBTQ+ students.

Your RA is there to listen and to help, and they also organize fun activities for your floor, so you can better connect with campus life.

“Being an RA fulfills my desire to help young people become successful. Being an RA is a training ground for working together regardless of background or beliefs. It gives me the ability to take what I have learned throughout my life and use it to assist young adults in this transitionary phase of their lives.”

Anthony Manzo ’25

health sciences major and RA

The Office of Residence Life Mission

Residence Life is dedicated to providing all Russell Sage College students with a safe and healthy campus environment through providing services orientated to promote:

Community: We are committed to a diverse and inclusive campus community driven by a partnership between students, faculty, and staff and supported by robust yet flexible housing and programming models.
Civility: We cultivate a respectful and compassionate environment of scholars connected by a common set of values supported by institutional policies and procedures.
Conduct: We believe in individual responsibility for community standards and decision making supported by a student conduct system based in restorative justice and focused on tangible learning outcomes.
Crisis Prevention and Response: We are committed to providing students with adequate support during and after times of personal crisis, understanding that students will experience challenges during their time at the institution.
Change: We utilize student development theory to support student growth outside of the classroom through campus housing and programming models.

Frequently Asked Questions

Kellas, Slocum, and ACRH are separated by gender on each wing or floor. Currently, one of the floors in Slocum is gender neutral.

Brownstones are entirely co-ed buildings, as each bathroom is private. They have bathrooms like at home where you go in and close/lock the door behind you.

Our rooms are not furnished with a refrigerator or microwave, so you’ll work out with your roommate who is bringing which appliance. Refrigerators must be 4 cubic feet or less. Microwaves must be 1,000 watts or less.

We have a helpful packing list of things you should bring, and things you should not bring when you move in.