Colorado College
Colorado College is about 2,000 students on a compact campus in Colorado Springs, at 6,000 feet with Pikes Peak filling the western sky. Everything here is organized around the Block Plan: eight blocks a year, one course at a time, each 3.5 weeks long, with class most mornings from 9 to noon and a Block Break between every one of them. It is the most unusual academic calendar in American higher education and it shapes everything — how intense a course feels, when students travel, how often they need a duffel packed. First-years live in one of three traditional halls students call the Big 3, and all students are required to live on campus for their first three years.
What to wear in Colorado Springs, month by month
This region runs from a humid late summer to a hard winter in about ten weeks. The mistake out-of-region families make is packing the whole year in August.
| Move-in (Aug 17) | 57–84°F | Hot in the sun and cool in the shade, with afternoon thunderstorms rolling off the peak. No hall has air conditioning, but nights drop into the fifties and the dry air does most of the work. |
| Sept–Oct | 37–76°F | The best weather of the year: bright, dry, and warm by day, near freezing by dawn. Aspens turn gold in the mountains an hour west, which is where half of block break goes. |
| Nov–Dec | 20–51°F | Cold mornings, surprisingly warm afternoons, and sun almost every day. Snow falls and then sublimates away in the dry air rather than piling up the way it does in the Midwest. |
| Jan–Feb | 19–44°F | Genuine cold at dawn giving way to forty-degree afternoons — the daily swing is the thing to dress for, not the low. Skiing is a two-hour drive and block breaks fill with it. |
| Mar–Apr | 27–60°F | The snowiest stretch of the year, oddly enough, arriving in wet heavy storms that melt within days. Between them, sixty degrees and sun. |
What Colorado College lets you bring
- A standing or desk fan — there's no air conditioning and CC doesn't supply fans, but the dry air means one fan usually does the job
- Serious sun protection: high-SPF sunscreen and lip balm, because 6,000 feet of elevation and roughly 250 sunny days a year burn people who don't expect it
- A large water bottle, and the habit of using it — dehydration at altitude is the single most common first-week problem for students arriving from sea level
- Layers rather than one heavy coat: a January day in Colorado Springs can start near 19°F and reach the 40s by afternoon
- Real outdoor gear — hiking boots, a daypack, and whatever the sport is; block breaks every 3.5 weeks are built around getting out of town
- A duffel small enough to live under the bed, because there's a break to pack for eight times a year
- Twin XL bedding (confirm your specific hall)
- UL/ETL power strip with a built-in circuit breaker — not a bare extension cord
- Damage-free wall hangings like Command strips — no nails or screws
- Low-draw LED desk and task lamps
- A fan, a reusable water bottle, and UL-listed electronics
- Open-coil / open-flame cooking: toasters, toaster ovens, air fryers, hot plates, electric grills, sandwich makers
- Candles, incense, wax warmers, and anything with an open flame
- Halogen lamps
- Extension cords without a breaker; outlet splitters and multi-plug adapters
- Space heaters and personal A/C units (unless your school provides/approves them)
- Hoverboards, e-scooters, e-bikes, and other e-mobility devices
- Weapons of any kind — including decorative — and fireworks
- Any other microwave, refrigerator, or freezer — the room's MicroFridge is the only one allowed
- Air conditioning units
- Electric blankets, sun lamps, and heat lamps
- Torchiere-style halogen lamps, or any lamp that poses a fire risk
- Crock pots, hot plates, toasters, and grills
- Home-brewing kits and kegerators
These come from Colorado College's official housing pages and cover the essentials plus the genuinely local rules. Double-check the current official guidance before you buy — policies and renovations change every year.
Getting your room at Colorado College
- 01Spring–summer
The On-Campus Housing Agreement
Housing is assigned from the preference information submitted with the On-Campus Housing Agreement, so this form is the whole input — there's no lottery to game. Answer the lifestyle questions honestly rather than aspirationally; with only three first-year halls, preferences about sleep, tidiness, and substance-free living matter more than which building you name.
- 02Summer
Decide the car question early
CC states that campus parking is limited and in great demand, and that permits are prioritized for second-, third-, and fourth-year students plus staff and faculty. Plan on a first-year without a car, and look at the bike storage in South and Mathias — both have enclosed bike sheds, and a bike is the normal way to cover Colorado Springs.
- 03Before you pack
Read the Pathfinder list, not a generic one
CC's prohibited-item list is in the Pathfinder student handbook and it's stricter than the average dorm checklist: no additional microwaves, refrigerators, or freezers, no A/C units, no electric blankets, no torchiere halogen lamps, no crock pots, hot plates, toasters, or grills. The college's own advice is that less is more, and to split the big shared items with the roommate first.
- 04August 17
New student move-in and NSO
New students move in Monday, August 17, 2026, starting at 8 a.m., with New Student Orientation running through Saturday, August 22; returning students arrive August 21 and over that weekend. Approved early-arrival programs — Bridge, fall athletics, international orientation — set their own dates through their administrators.
Where you'll live at Colorado College
Where first-years live
Every first-year lives in one of the three traditional halls known on campus as the Big 3 — Mathias, Loomis, or South. CC defines a first-year as a student with zero or one completed on-campus semesters, and the requirement isn't just for year one: all students must live on campus for their first three years of enrollment. Assignments come from the preference information submitted with the On-Campus Housing Agreement rather than a lottery. All three halls are heat-only with thermostats in the rooms and no air conditioning anywhere, and each comes furnished down to the MicroFridge and a room safe. One practical note for families: campus parking is limited and prioritized for second-, third-, and fourth-year students, staff, and faculty, so a first-year should not count on bringing a car.
The largest of the Big 3, at 123 Uintah Street on East Campus, mixing all four class years with 12 RAs and a residential living coordinator. Carpeted rooms, key-card entry, a full kitchen, lounges with a piano, study booths, a movie room, pool and foosball, and a Local Goods convenience store on the first floor. It also holds classroom and theater space, several living-learning communities including a Pride LLC, and runs an afternoon tea in week one of every block.
At 130 East Cache La Poudre on the east side, close to the science buildings — built in 1953–54 and renovated in 1996, with 11 RAs. Standard rooms plus several triples for students who'd rather have two roommates than one. Uncarpeted floors, a renovated Common Room used by the whole campus, a lounge with a piano and fireplace, a game room, a sundeck, sand volleyball, and enclosed bike storage. It has both a 24-hour Quiet and Substance-Free wing and an Outdoor Education wing.
Built in 1951 and renovated in 1995, sitting at the center of campus and divided into 12 wings of about 20 students each with an RA in every wing — which is why it tends to feel like a dozen small communities rather than one big hall. Popcorn Fridays are a Loomis institution.
Worth treating as its own line item, because CC furnishes more than most: bed frame and Twin XL mattress, desk with drawers, desk chair, dresser, closet or wardrobe, a MicroFridge with attached microwave, and a universal safe. Not included, in the college's own words: air conditioning or a fan. A standing or desk fan is permitted and worth bringing for August and May.
The Colorado College move-in checklist
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Bedding6
Bath5
Laundry4
Storage & organization6
Desk & study4
Electronics6
Cleaning5
Kitchen — within the rules5
Health & meds4
Clothing — see the seasonal guide7
Move-in day go-bag5
Your items
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Colorado Springs logistics, sorted
How to send a package to a Colorado College student
CC College Mail #
819 N. Tejon St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
The Block Plan is the whole calendar
Six thousand feet changes the packing list
Colorado Springs & around
Downtown & Tejon Street
Campus sits on North Tejon, and downtown Colorado Springs begins a few blocks south — restaurants, coffee, bookstores, and live music within walking distance. A genuinely urban setting for a college this small.
Monument Valley Park
A long green park along Monument Creek on the western edge of campus, with trails that connect into the wider Pikes Peak Greenway. It's the default run, walk, and between-class decompression.
Garden of the Gods & Manitou Springs
Red sandstone formations against the mountains, free to enter, and one of the first places every CC student takes a visitor. Manitou Springs just beyond is the funny old spa town at the base of the Pikes Peak cog railway.
Denver & DEN airport
Denver International is roughly an hour and a half north on I-25 and is where most students fly. Colorado Springs has its own smaller airport about twenty minutes from campus with fewer, pricier routes — worth comparing for a block break.
Where to stay near Colorado College
The Antlers
~5 minThe historic downtown hotel closest to campus, a Wyndham property a short drive or a long walk south on Tejon. The one families book first for move-in and Family Weekend.
The Mining Exchange & SpringHill Suites
~5–10 minDowntown alternatives — the Mining Exchange is the restored 1902 building with restaurants and a spa, the SpringHill Suites is the straightforward modern option a few blocks over.
North Colorado Springs & the I-25 corridor
~15–25 minThe chain hotels spread north along I-25 toward the Air Force Academy. Plenty of supply, easy parking, and a short drive in.
Colorado College gear & gifts
Colorado College — links & contacts
- Housing Office: housing@coloradocollege.edu
- Housing Office: 719-389-6618
- Mail Center: M–F 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.