Campus of Dartmouth College

Residential buildings

As opposed to ungrouped dormitories or "residential colleges" as employed at such institutions as Yale University or Princeton University (in imitation of the colleges of Cambridge and Oxford), Dartmouth residence halls are grouped into nine "communities," each composed of one to three "clusters" of dormitories. Dartmouth houses approximately 3,300 students in its facilities, or about 85% of the student body; the remaining 15% opt to live in off-campus housing. The Housing Office consists of three employees that house students four times a year (not including the interim period), due to the college's enrollment plan (the "D-Plan").

Every cluster or group of clusters is administered by a live-in Community Director. Approximately one-third of the rooms are singles; the remaining rooms vary among "one, two, and three-room doubles, one, two, and three-room triples, two, three, and four-room quads, apartments and suites."

Affinity programs

Affinity programs are a housing option for Dartmouth students, described as "residentially-based, educationally-purposeful living opportunities for residents that center around a self-defined Academic or Special Interest programmatic focus." Some affinity programs are housed in sections or on floors of larger dormitories; those listed below are only the programs in their own free-standing structures.

The Choate Cluster

The modernist Choate Cluster is an all-freshman residence cluster principally consisting of Bissell, Brown, Cohen and Little, part of an "experiment in student living". The cluster includes four dormitories and two lounges. Each pair of T-shaped dorms is attached to a single lounge via glass-enclosed above-ground walkways that are referred to as "hamster tunnels". The dorms include one-room doubles and one-room singles. Each dorm is three floors high and connected to the lounge on the second floor. The cluster was constructed on land acquired from Cardigan Mountain School and was the first major construction project of John Sloan Dickey's presidency. The cluster cost $1.5 million to build, and was partially funded by the U.S. Housing and Home Finance Administration.

The nearby North Hall is administratively part of the cluster, but was not constructed at the same time, and does not house freshmen.

East Wheelock Cluster

The East Wheelock Cluster stands at the end of East Wheelock Street and consists of five buildings. Initially known as "the new dorms," the construction of the post-modern Andres, Morton and Zimmerman was inspired by the Houses at Harvard University and the residential colleges at Yale University. Sponsored by the class of 1943, the first three halls of the cluster were constructed in 1987, with McCulloch being added in 2000. East Wheelock is reputed to be a quieter and more intellectual housing cluster, and requires an application form for students wishing to live there. The Ledyard Apartments stand nearby and house upperclass students.

The Fayerweather Cluster

The "Fayers", built on the hill behind Dartmouth Hall, are named for the New York merchant Daniel B. Fayerweather. The cluster is sponsored by the class of 1961.

Gold Coast Cluster

The Gold Coast cluster, located along Tuck Drive, comprises three dormitories. It was so named because during the Great Depression, it was the most expensive cluster to occupy.

Massachusetts Row Cluster

The "Mass Row" cluster is popular for its convenient location to Thayer Dining Hall and the Collis Center. It houses only upperclass students.

McLaughlin Cluster

The McLaughlin Cluster, named for former Dartmouth president David T. McLaughlin '54, Tu '55, consists of six buildings and houses 342 students. It cost more than $41 million to build. Located in Goldstein Hall is Occom Commons, a community space described as "state-of-the-art." The cluster earned silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council LEED program for its environmentally friendly design.

Ripley-Woodward-Smith Cluster

This cluster, known as "RipWoodSmith," cost $260,000 to build in 1930. Its buildings are named for three of the earliest tutors at the College: Sylvanus Ripley, Bezaleel Woodward, and John Smith. Women were not permitted to live in Ripley or Smith until 1989, although Woodward served as one of two exclusively women's dorms until the same year.

The River Cluster

Originally known as "the Wigwams," the River Cluster is so named for its location near the banks of the Connecticut River. The all-freshman portion of the River dorms now comprises only two dormitories, with Hinman Hall being demolished to make way for the Tuck LLC (see below). The other two are apartment facilities.

Russell Sage Cluster

The Russell Sage Cluster sits between Tuck Mall and Webster Avenue on land from the 45-acre (18 ha) 1912 donation of the Hitchcock Estate to the College. The Tuck Mall Residence Halls, Fahey and McLane, were added in 2006 at the collective cost of $19 million.

Geisel School of Medicine

The buildings of the Geisel School of Medicine are clustered on the north end of the Dartmouth campus, known as the "north campus."

Thayer School of Engineering

The Thayer School of Engineering is located adjacent to the Tuck School of Business on the western edge of campus, near the Connecticut River. It currently comprises two buildings, and it shares the Murdough Center (listed under Tuck) with the Tuck School of Business.

Tuck School of Business

Like the Thayer School of Engineering, the Tuck School of Business is located in a complex on the western side of campus, along the Connecticut River.