Living, Dining, and Wellness

At Home At Duke

From East to West, our medium-sized university cultivates a community feel. Any time you walk across the main quad you’ll see a familiar face, but you’ll always be striking up new connections. Where you live, sleep, and eat matters for your academic life and your overall experience and you'll find that with late-night hallway chats and second dinners, the Gothic Wonderland quickly starts to feel like home.

Residences

Building Community

East Campus is comprised of five neighborhoods with 13 residence halls while West Campus consists of eight major quads divided into smaller “house” communities. The student-designed benches standing in front of each residence are a testament to the creativity-inducing camaraderie forged in a Duke dorm. Adding to those peer connections, a network of live-in Faculty in Residence (FIR), Graduate Residents (GR), Residence Coordinators (RC), and Resident Assistants (RA) encourages interactions outside the classroom and supports students in their living spaces.

East Campus

All first-year students live on East Campus. A five-minute bus ride from West Campus, East Campus includes 172 acres of open lawns, residence halls, research labs, tennis courts, a dining hall, café, convenience store, library, theater, and gym.

West Campus

Upperclass students reside in sections of West Campus residential halls. Seniors can continue living in their houses or branch out into Durham.

Upperclassmen Living

Hollows Quad, Duke’s newest residence hall, is an example of suite-style living for upperclass students on Duke’s West Campus.

Alternate Residences

Find Your Space

At Duke, we have unique housing options that allow students to participate in academically or socially themed communities.

The Focus Program

This program for first-year students includes 15 interdisciplinary, living learning clusters that nurture intellectual curiosity and a sense of academic adventure.

Greek Life

The Interfraternity Council, Multicultural Greek Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Panhellenic Association help to govern and further the interests of the myriad of sorority and fraternity chapters on campus.

Performing Arts Community

First-year students with musical, dramatic, and artistic inclinations can find their creative counterparts in this expressive community.

SmartHome

Operated by the Pratt School of Engineering, the Duke Smart Home is a 6,000 square foot living and research space that exhibits smart technology for efficient and sustainable living.

The Cube

This entrepreneurship-focused living learning community helps students pursue their own ventures and promotes entrepreneurship across campus.

Dining

A Flexible Feast

Whether it’s a late-night chem breakthrough over Loop milkshakes or a storytelling session with Sazón arepa bowls, some of the most memorable Duke moments occur around the table (or swinging bench!). An abundance of eateries combined with flexible meal plans provide tempting and nutritious options for the diverse dietary habits of our students. “Food points” can also be used for on-campus food trucks and delivery orders.

Marketplace

Gather Around the Table

The first-year all-you-care-to-eat dining hall is the site of many lifelong friend origin stories. Ask any Duke student and they’ll tell you about their four-hour Marketplace dinners and Sunday brunches with made-to-order omelets and samples from the cereal wall.

students getting food in the Brodhead food court

Brodhead Center

New Ideas, New Flavors

Part gathering space and part food court, the Brodhead Center allows students and campus partners to exchange ideas while trying something new. Brodhead boasts 14 eateries, a Chef’s Kitchen, and a teaching kitchen where students can learn from renowned guest chefs.

Variety

34

on-campus eateries

Sustainability

0

single-use plastics

Quality

Top 10

best colleges for food by the Daily Meal for 5 consecutive years

Health and Wellness

A Holistic Approach

Despite bustling student schedules, our centrally located wellness and recreation facilities help students prioritize health and self-care. The Student Wellness Center stands at the heart of campus making it easy for students to go from class, to a dentist appointment, to a meditative poetry reading—all in a matter of minutes. Those who need a break from the lab can exercise both body and brain while setting a new route on the climbing wall or powering through a cardio dance class at the Wilson Recreation Center.

shot of the wellness center building from the outside on a sunny day

Health

The Student Wellness Center houses Student Health, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), the Dental Office, Nutrition Services, Physical Therapy, and more.

Wellness

DuWell helps students relax, reenergize, and recharge with Moments of Mindfulness activities such as drum circles, tea tastings, paint nights, and self-care spaces like the Oasis and the Murphy-Nimocks Meditation Garden.

shot from above of a male student rock climbing

Recreation

Brodie and Wilson Recreation Centers on East and West Campuses offer aquatics centers, free group fitness courses, and personal trainers as well as physical education and outdoor adventure opportunities.

campus police officer Jeffrey Best smiling

Safety

Feeling safe is an important part of feeling well. Our on-campus police force, limited access residence halls, safe ride services, and emergency “blue light” phone system provide a network of security from East to West.