Residence Life

The Office of Residence Life works collaboratively with institutional partners to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, with a focus on academic success, individual growth, and holistic development.

The collaboration between students in our residence halls and dedicated Curtis residence life staff helps to create a community in which the students can experience feelings of identity, security, and intellectual stimulation.

Through living and learning together in Lenfest Hall students can grow in their ability to understand and negotiate difference and can prepare for the complexities of global citizenship.

Curtis offers students a wide variety of housing options, including all-gender suites available upon request. Additionally, we also offer suites that accommodate graduate and post-baccalaureate students, first-year students, and new students. The opportunity to live with peers who share common interests and goals helps to facilitate deeper and more meaningful connections. Curtis offers a multitude of different living options because we recognize and support the multi-faceted identities of our students, and we work to meet the needs of those identities.

For any questions regarding our residence life program or housing in Lenfest Hall please contact the Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Patricia Carpino.

Curtis is a family, not just a school. It’s full of beautiful learning resources and opportunities, but in a familial safe haven.

Marié Rossano (Violin '16) Curtis Alumna and Violinist in the New York Philharmonic
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For any questions regarding our residence life program or housing please contact the Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Patricia Carpino.

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Amenities

Lenfest Hall offers suite-style living with well-thought-out design and amenities in line with what students expect in contemporary modern campus housing. Each unit is very spacious and can serve up to six students and features four bedrooms (two doubles and two singles), two bathrooms, and a small common area. Each suite is equipped with WIFI access, and cable TV is provided in the common area. A kitchenette, game lounge and a free laundry room are provided on the fifth floor.

The building also features a convenient dining hall, faculty and administrator offices, mailboxes, a beautiful fifth-floor rooftop garden and terrace, and the magnificent Gould Rehearsal Hall. Lenfest Hall also has 32 studios for lessons, individual practice, classes, and rehearsals, which residents can access 24 hours a day. The building also has 24-hour security attendants and cameras.

01 - 05 Lenfest Hall at 1616 Locust Street

02 - 05 Dining Hall

03 - 05 Students in Lenfest Hall

04 - 05 Outdoor terrace for students

05 - 05 Practice room in Lenfest Hall

Resident Coordinators (RCs)

Each residential floor has at least one Resident Coordinator (RC). The role of the RC staff is to build community and facilitate the social, academic, and personal adjustment of students to Lenfest Hall and Curtis. Additionally, they develop a sense of community among residents as members of a floor, residents of a hall, and active participants in the residence life program and serve as a positive role model to residents and peer student leaders.

Resident Coordinators practice an open-door policy and are available should students need them. Throughout the year, they will sponsor various social and developmental programs for those students who reside on-campus. These activities are a great way to get involved with fellow residents and learn something new in the process. The RCs enforce the residence life and student code of conduct rules and policies and are responsible for documenting policy violations. Furthermore, RCs are responsible for crisis management, reporting maintenance requests, and various other administrative tasks. RCs also serve as mandatory Title IX reporters, campus safety officers, are part of the campus emergency response team and act as a liaison between residents and the Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs.

All of the RCs have undergone extensive training so they may readily meet the needs of all our residential students.

Programming and Activities

The Office of Residence Life and the RC team regularly host activities, events and programs for Lenfest Hall residents that include:

  • Field trips off campus to NYC and DC
  • Trips to Philadelphia’s cultural establishments
  • Arts & Crafts
  • DIY projects
  • Game nights
  • Movie nights
  • Virtual programming
  • Guest Speakers
  • Career workshops
  • Graduate school forums
  • Informal concerts and dramatic performances
  • Dinners with faculty and administrators

01 - 04 Student trip to museum

02 - 04 Picnics in Rittenhouse Square

03 - 04 Students visit The Franklin Fountain

04 - 04 Students in Rittenhouse Square

FAQ

  • For 2023–2024: All incoming students who were born on or after September 1, 2001 and will hold a high school diploma by September 1, 2023 are required to live in Lenfest Hall during their first two years of study at Curtis.

    Students who are 17 years of age and under and pursuing a high school diploma are required to live with a parent or guardian off-campus. Younger students who initially live off-campus with a parent or guardian are required to move into Lenfest Hall at the start of the academic year after they turn 18 or complete their high school diploma, whichever comes first.

    All other students are strongly encouraged to consider the cost, safety, and convenience of living in Lenfest Hall. Lenfest Hall housing is open to all Curtis enrolled students including upperclassmen, post-bacc, and Master’s students.

  • Single Room: $23,543 for the academic year, includes a full meal plan.

    Double Room: $20,653 for the academic year, includes a full meal plan.

  • As a reminder, Curtis is not financially responsible if students’ items are stolen or damaged due to fire sprinkler head discharges, smoke, and other causes of loss. We encourage all students to consider obtaining renter’s insurance coverage before moving into their suite. You and your parents or guardians should review any homeowner’s insurance policy that you might have to determine whether the contents of your Lenfest Hall room are already covered or could be covered with a policy rider.

    If you do not have homeowner’s insurance or are unsure where to start, check out GradGuard. GradGuard has insurance options designed for college life for both on-campus and off-campus students. Visit www.GradGuard.com to learn more.

  • Upon acceptance to Curtis, you will receive a housing application in the mail. Included in the application are questions about your personal preferences, habits, lifestyle, and the attributes that you feel are important in your living environment. This information is carefully reviewed to ensure that you are matched with compatible suitemates. Students also have the flexibility to request living with a specific student or students.

  • Suites are approximately 1,119 square feet (103.9 square meters).  Each bedroom is approximately 138 square feet (12.8 square meters).

  • The bedroom has a bed with an extra-long mattress, wardrobe closet with mirror, desk with overhead lamp, built-in window shades, and wall-to-wall carpeting.

    The bathroom has a stall shower, toilet, pedestal sink, and two built-in towel racks.

    The common area has a sofa, two chairs, a coffee table, window shades, micro-fridge (combination refrigerator and microwave oven), TV cable box, and coat closet.

  • Having the proper supplies can make a huge difference in making college feel like home, so it’s important to pack all the right items. Before moving in, connect with your suitemates/roommates about who will bring specific things that you will share, such as bathroom rugs, a television, common area lights, and so on.

    Here are some essential items we recommend you bring with you to Curtis:

    Clothing:

    • Shoes, sneakers, winter boots, rain boots, slippers, flip-flops
    • Winter coat, windbreaker, raincoat
    • Backpack
    • Clothes for cold/warm weather
    • Sewing kit
    • Laundry bag, detergent
    • Umbrella

    Bathroom:

    • Bathrobe
    • Bathroom towels/mats
    • First-aid kit
    • Shower caddy
    • Toiletries: soap, shampoo, toothbrush/toothpaste, etc.
    • Toilet paper, paper towels
    • Hairdryer

    Room/Suite Necessities:

    • Vacuum cleaner/broom
    • Room décor, standing lamp, etc.
    • Desk lamp, stationery items
    • Keurig coffee machine
    • Cutlery, can opener, bottle opener
    • Tupperware containers
    • Pillows/cases, linens for an extra-long twin bed, comforter/blanket

    Extras:

    • Laptop/computer, phone, chargers
    • Money, debit card
    • Government Issued Photo ID and/or passport, health/dental insurance cards
    • Refillable water bottle, travel mug
    • Television, HDMI cables
    • Surge protector power strip

    What NOT to bring (Contraband):
    The following is a list of items that are not permitted in Lenfest Hall.

    • Rice cookers, toasters, toaster ovens, hot plates
    • George Foreman grills or any other similar cooking appliance.
    • Non-pod system coffee makers
    • Air conditioners/electric heaters
    • Weapons of any sort
    • Candles, incense
    • Halogen lamps, lava lamps
    • Alcohol, alcohol paraphernalia
    • Illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia
    • Non-surge protector extension cables

  • Housekeeping staff clean the common living room space and bathrooms each week. Students are responsible for cleaning their bedrooms; housekeeping staff are not permitted to enter or clean bedrooms. A laundry room is located on the fifth floor. There is no additional charge to use the laundry facilities.

  • Lenfest Hall is your home for the academic year, and we want you to feel comfortable. That also means you are responsible for keeping the suite and your room in top condition. The Office of Residence Life staff will conduct health and safety inspections of each suite and room twice a semester as well as inspections at both move-in and move-out to ensure the suite is in decent condition and there are no damages.

    Of course, there’s bound to be an occasional minor repair required, and we are happy to fix it. Email fix@curtis.edu and the Senior Associate Student Affairs with any needed repairs or maintenance issues as soon as they occur. However, students will be held financially responsible for major damages or failure to report problems. Below are some examples of Lenfest Hall repair and replacement costs/fees.

    • Patch & paint wall damage (small-large): $75 to $350
    • Smoke detector: $75 H&S fine; $75 materials fine
    • Door, interior: $600
    • Window blinds: $200
    • Thermostat: $150
    • Floor, carpet tile (per square): $50
    • Bathroom mirror: $100
    • Shower curtain rod: $50
    • Toilet seat: $60
    • Toilet paper dispenser: $75
    • Showerhead: $75
    • Towel rack: $75
    • Above standard cleaning: $100

  • A central cable box is located in the common living space. Students wishing to have cable in their bedroom must make arrangements directly with a cable provider for cable box installation. Residents must provide their own television. Wi-fi access is available throughout the building.

  • Lenfest Hall is staffed with security guards 24/7. Curtis students, staff, and faculty must use their Curtis ID card to access Lenfest Hall. Non-Curtis visitors must sign in at the Locust Street guard’s desk before they are permitted through the turnstile. Student residents will have access to private elevators to residential floors. Student residents are issued a personal security key card to swipe/enter their suite, and a standard door key to lock/enter their bedroom.

  • No pets/animals are allowed in Lenfest Hall, with the exception of animals approved pursuant to Curtis’s Assistant Animal policy. For more information, review the full Curtis Assistant Animal policy.

  • For all moving, shipping, and storage at the end of the academic year and move-out, we recommend using Ship My Room, a reliable, safe, and affordable all-in-one moving, storage, packing, and shipping service. Ship My Room works with off-campus students as well.

    For more information, please visit the Ship My Room website.