Stanford
Residential Education
Four students take a selfie with a Wisteria cutout during the 2024 NSO neighborhood social.

Participating Houses

Residential Education believes that formal teaching, informal learning, and personal support are integral to a Stanford education. ResEd programs extend the classroom into the residences and complement the academic curriculum with activities and experiences that prepare students for a life of leadership, intellectual engagement, citizenship, and service.

ResEd supports pre-assignment programs and themes in residence. Each house is responsible for crafting and managing an integrated residential learning experience for its residents. These houses enjoy a long history on campus, many coming into fruition concurrently with ResEd itself. Activities in University Theme Houses, whether academic or social, are related to that house's theme or focus area. Some are related to a cultural interest or affinity, while others are related to academic and career interests.

Decorative accent featuring eight dots representing the eight Neighborhood colors.

Open House Information

Interested in learning more about specific University Theme Houses (UTHs)? Many UTHs will host open houses to share about their opportunities and pre-assignment criteria. Each house has its own set of requirements, which you must agree to fulfill in order to pre-assign. 

HouseDate/TimeLocationOpen House Details
All Co-opsThursday, April 3, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.Begins at Terra House (539 Cowell Lane)Start at Terra and make your way through every co-op, experiencing what makes each one unique.
ColumbaeSaturday, April 5, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.Columbae (549 Lasuen Mall)Come out for a morning of mural painting, lemon picking, and avocado toast making! Get to know current and future residents, see the house, and imagine your future life in a co-op next year.
Explore Energy HouseTuesday, April 8, 5:00 p.m.Explore Energy House at Potter in Sterling QuadOpen House for prospective residents to check out the residence hall, meet the incoming House Leaders, and learn ways you can shape the field trips and fun!
Humanities HouseWednesday, April 2, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.Ng House LoungeCome along to Ng House to explore our focus on the humanities and arts—activities, events, trips, facilities, and much more!
OkadaWednesday, April 2, 6:00 -7:00 p.m.Okada LoungeJoin us at Okada House to learn more about our community!
Outdoor HouseFriday, April 4, 8:00 - 11:00 p.m.Trancos Outside Dining AreaJoin us for Fire Pit Friday! Come meet current residents and RAs over smores.
Monday, April 7, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.Trancos Outside Dining AreaSnacks with the Resident Fellows—featuring kombucha and alt-sodas.
Structured Liberal Education (SLE)Tuesday, April 8, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.Cardenal Dining (East Florence Moore Hall)Come learn about the Structured Liberal Education Theme House and hear about our sushi salons, and art-themed trips around the Bay Area!
Well HouseMonday, April 7, 8:00 - 9:30 p.m.Well House (562 Mayfield Ave)Meet current and future residents of the Well House! We'll have substantial snacks and beverages as you learn more about the House. The Well House provides an environment to practice holistic approaches to physical, mental, and emotional health in a substance-free environment.

Participating Houses List

  • Detail of the 567 Alvarado mailbox.

    576 Alvarado (Theme)

    As a co-op, we run the house: cooking, cleaning, general housekeeping, and supporting event organization.
  • Tile image featuring a detail of Casa Zapata's murals.

    Casa Zapata (Theme)

    Casa Zapata is a four-class house focusing on the Latine experience through educational and cultural programs. Casa Zapata’s theme creates a common bond for all residents—Latine and non-Latine alike—that fosters cross-cultural understanding.
  • Exterior photograph of Columbae.

    Columbae (Theme)

    As a house community, we commit ourselves to doing the labor of cooking, cleaning, and living together. Living in a co-op is a special opportunity to learn how to care for ourselves and each other.
  • Energy innovation light bulb graphic interface. Credit: @biancoblue, via Freepik

    Explore Energy (Theme)

    A vibrant residential community and living laboratory that expands energy and sustainability education through interdisciplinary dialogue, exploration, and action.

  • Hammarskjöld Theme

    The theme of “International Understanding” is very important at Hammarskjöld.
  • A vase in mosaic

    Humanities (Theme)

    Opened in the fall of 2015, Ng House is a lively central location for humanities activity on campus.
  • Tile image for ITALIC+Arts

    ITALIC+Arts (Theme)

    All pre-assigned residents of ITALIC+Arts must demonstrate interest in and active engagement in the arts. But, you don’t need to be a prodigy or even majoring in the arts!
  • Kairos exterior. Credit: Residential and Dining Enterprises

    Kairos (Theme)

    Once pre-assigned, you agree to collectively come up with and facilitate (with support from residential student leaders) one in-house community event for the year.
  • Muwekma-Tah-Ruk House exterior, 2022. Credit: Micaela Go

    Muwekma-Tah-Ruk Theme

    Muwekma-Tah-Ruk, established in 1988, celebrates the diversity of indigenous peoples throughout the Americas and Pacific Islands.

  • Okada (Theme)

    Okada House explores and celebrates the diversity of Asian American peoples, cultures, and languages in both historical and contemporary contexts.
  • Students on an outdoor hike.

    Outdoor House (Theme)

    Outdoor House (ODH) is a center for exploration, thought, and play focused on natural systems, sustainability, and conservation.
  • Public Service & Civic Engagement tile image featuring a exterior photo of Haas.

    Public Service & Civic Engagement (Theme)

    Otero is Stanford’s Public Service and Civic Engagement Theme House, a four-class house with 44 first-year residents and 34 upperclass residents who share an interest in public service.

  • Structured Liberal Education (Theme)

    Structured Liberal Education (SLE) is a residence-based academic program housed in East Florence Moore Hall that encourages students to live a life of ideas in an atmosphere that emphasizes critical thinking and interpretation.
  • Exterior photo of Synergy.

    Synergy (Theme)

    As a home, we strive to cultivate opportunities for collective and personal growth in the way that we treat our space, labor, and one another with care.

  • Terra (Theme)

    Terra is a fun and safe place to make new friends, explore your identity, learn and grow.
  • Tile image featuring a vintage photo of previous Uj residents.

    Ujamaa (Theme)

    Ujamaa focuses on the histories, issues, and cultures of the Black Diaspora. The name comes from the Swahili word for “extended family.”

  • Well House (Theme)

    We want to create a substance-free undergraduate residential community and experience based on the theme of wellness.