Franklin & Marshall has a four-year residency requirement. We have approximately 1256 beds in College Houses and Theme Housing. All first-year students are required to live in College Houses. Second year students are required to live in College Houses or Theme Housing. Juniors and Seniors are permitted to live in either College Houses, Theme Housing or in Approved College Housing.

The College House system seeks to build community among residents of the houses by promoting the idea of continuous membership. This idea of continuous membership is important because it supports several critical features of the system. We believe that students will be more likely to connect with the House Don and Prefect when the relationship can develop over multiple years.

Upon matriculation, all students are assigned randomly to membership in a College House.

Although students will not be required to live in the College House for all four years, this affiliation continues through all four years and extends beyond graduation. The four houses are Bonchek, Brooks, Schnader, and Ware.