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University of Richmond

The University of Richmond is a mid-sized private university on a wooded 350-acre campus in Richmond's West End, built in collegiate-Gothic red brick around Westhampton Lake. Its defining feature is the coordinate-college system: every undergraduate belongs to Richmond College or Westhampton College, and that structure shapes first-year residential life, with men and women housed on opposite sides of the lake. The good news for August movers — every first-year residence hall is air-conditioned, a real relief in a hot, humid Virginia late summer. Strong in business (the Robins School) and the liberal arts, Richmond is need-blind with famously generous aid.

Move-inMid-August

BedsTwin XL

A/CProvided

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The one thing generic lists get wrong

What to wear in Richmond, month by month

This corner of the country breaks every generic packing list. It is not about surviving cold — it is about staying dry through a long gray winter and a famously short, beautiful summer.

Move-in (mid-Aug)	72–92°F	Hot and humid — classic Virginia late summer, with afternoon thunderstorms. Every first-year hall is air-conditioned, so the heat is mostly a move-day concern; light clothing and a fan help.
Sept–Oct	52–82°F	Warm early-fall days easing into crisp, gorgeous October around the lake. A light jacket and a few layers.
Nov–Dec	34–58°F	Cool and increasingly gray toward finals, with the first frosts. A warm coat and a couple of sweaters.
Jan–Feb	28–50°F	Richmond's coldest, dampest stretch — chilly with cold snaps and a few snow or ice days, though rarely a deep freeze. A real winter coat, gloves, and a hat.
Mar–May	44–80°F	A warm, green, pollen-heavy Virginia spring — dogwoods and azaleas everywhere. Layers, a rain jacket, and allergy meds.

The flip: the pleasant surprise is A/C — every first-year hall is air-conditioned, so you can skip the window unit (they're banned anyway) and let a small fan handle move-in day. Richmond's quirk is the coordinate-college system: you're placed in Richmond College (men) or Westhampton College (women), on opposite sides of Westhampton Lake, and you can't request a specific hall. A mini fridge and a microwave are both allowed (or rent a MicroFridge and loft from Dorms Direct) — just leave bed risers and cinder blocks at home, and address mail to 410 Westhampton Way with your UR box number.

Straight from the housing office

What University of Richmond lets you bring

✓ Bring it

A small fan if you like moving air — every hall is air-conditioned, but Richmond's mid-August move-in is genuinely hot and humid
A mini fridge (up to 4.1 cu ft) and a microwave — one of each per room is allowed
Twin XL sheets — the beds are extra-long (about 6'8")
A raincoat and a sturdy umbrella — Richmond gets real rain year-round, plus late-summer thunderstorms
A light coat and a few warm layers for winter — Richmond winters are mild but bring cold snaps and the odd snow or ice day
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

✕ Leave it home

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
Air conditioners of any kind — every residence hall is already air-conditioned
Halogen lamps over 100 watts, candles, and incense — all prohibited under fire safety
Space heaters, ceiling fans, and any open- or visible-coil appliance
Cooking appliances with exposed elements — hot plates, toasters, toaster ovens, George Foreman grills, crock pots, and rice cookers
Cinder blocks and bed risers (risers aren't approved) — rent a loft through Dorms Direct instead

These come from University of Richmond'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.

Before you can move in

Getting your room at University of Richmond

01
After you deposit
Complete the housing application
First-years are guaranteed on-campus housing. Submit the housing and roommate questionnaire so your coordinate college's housing coordinator (Richmond College or Westhampton College) can place you and match a roommate.
02
Summer
Get your hall, room, and roommate
Your residence hall, room, roommate, and UR mailbox number are assigned and posted over the summer. First-years can't request a specific hall.
03
Before arrival
Sort appliances and Twin XL bedding
Bring Twin XL sheets (beds are about 6'8" long) and, if you want them, one small fridge (up to 4.1 cu ft) and one microwave per room — or rent a combined MicroFridge, loft, or futon from UR's approved vendor, Dorms Direct. Leave the A/C unit, bed risers, and cinder blocks at home. You can ship boxes to campus starting two weeks before move-in.
04
Aug 17 & 19
Move in and check in at Tyler Haynes Commons
Students in a transition program check in Monday, August 17; everyone else Wednesday, August 19 — both days 9am–4pm on the first floor of Tyler Haynes Commons, where you'll pick up your activated SpiderCard. Orientation follows before classes begin.

The actual buildings

Where you'll live at University of Richmond

First-year halls & the coordinate colleges

Richmond's residential life runs through its two coordinate colleges — Richmond College (men) and Westhampton College (women) — which sit on opposite sides of Westhampton Lake, each with its own dean, traditions, and student government. First-years live in traditional halls of mostly double rooms with hall bathrooms, all air-conditioned. You can't request a specific building; your coordinate college's housing coordinator assigns your hall, room, and roommate over the summer.

Richmond College hallsFirst-year · men

First-year men live on the Richmond College side of the lake in halls such as Dennis, Marsh, Moore, Robins, and Wood — traditional doubles and triples with hall bathrooms, all air-conditioned.

Marsh HallRenovated · ~230 students

One of the larger Richmond College halls, fully renovated in 2017 with new tile floors and air conditioning throughout — a mix of singles, doubles, and triples.

Robins & Wood HallsRenovated 2021

Both were rebuilt inside in summer 2021 with new bathrooms, lounges, flooring, and HVAC. Robins went all-first-year that year; Wood is one of the oldest halls on campus, now fully modernized.

Westhampton College hallsFirst-year · women

First-year women live on the Westhampton College side, in courts such as Lora Robins Court — same traditional layout, same coordinate-college community with its own dean and traditions.

How you're placedNo hall requests

First-years can't pick a building. The Richmond College and Westhampton College housing coordinators make assignments and pair roommates over the summer from your questionnaire.

The stuff nobody puts in one place

Richmond logistics, sorted

How to send a package to a Richmond student

[Student Full Name]
UR Box [####]
University of Richmond
410 Westhampton Way
Richmond, VA 23173

Every student gets a UR mailbox number — put it on all mail and packages, and use the 410 Westhampton Way address, not your dorm and room. The campus post office (in the Heilman Center) accepts packages starting two weeks before move-in, with 24/7 pickup lockers at the post office and Marsh Hall.

The coordinate-college system

Richmond's distinctive structure is its two coordinate colleges: every undergraduate belongs to Richmond College (men) or Westhampton College (women), each with its own dean, student government, and traditions, and the two live on opposite sides of Westhampton Lake. You take classes together and earn the same University of Richmond degree, but your coordinate college is your residential and social home base — and it's who assigns your first-year housing.

A wooded West End campus on the lake

Campus is 350 acres of collegiate-Gothic red brick wrapped around Westhampton Lake, about six miles west of downtown Richmond in the leafy West End. Carytown and the Museum District (the free Virginia Museum of Fine Arts) are ten to fifteen minutes east, the James River and its downtown whitewater not much farther, and Short Pump Town Center — the go-to for last-minute dorm supplies — sits just west of campus.

Beyond the campus gates

Richmond & around

On campus

Westhampton Lake & the Modlin Center

The lake at the heart of campus splits the two coordinate colleges; a loop path, the Modlin Center for the Arts, and red-brick quads make for a pretty family walk.

~10 minutes

Carytown

A mile of independent shops, restaurants, and the historic Byrd Theatre just east of campus — Richmond's favorite browsing-and-lunch strip.

~10–15 minutes

Museum District & the Fan

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (free admission) and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture anchor a district of tree-lined streets, cafes, and some of the city's best restaurants.

~15 minutes

Downtown & the James River

Historic Shockoe Bottom, Brown's Island, and the James — the only major city with Class III–IV whitewater running right through downtown.

For move-in, family weekend & graduation

Where to stay near University of Richmond

On campus

The Bottomley House

On campus

A university guest house on Westhampton Way, right on campus — the most convenient stay for move-in and family weekends; book directly through the university.

~10 minutes

The Westin Richmond

~10 min

A full-service hotel at 6631 West Broad Street in the West End — the university's go-to recommendation, close to campus and to Short Pump shopping. Ask for the UR rate.

~15 minutes · splurge

The Jefferson Hotel

~15 min

A landmark five-star hotel downtown — marble staircases and Gilded-Age grandeur — for a memorable move-in or graduation weekend.

Book early for mid-August move-in, Family Weekend, and May commencement. The West End — near campus and Short Pump Town Center, handy for dorm supplies — has the most rooms and easiest parking; downtown puts you near Carytown, the museums, and the river. Ask for the University of Richmond rate when you call. Richmond International Airport is about 25 minutes east of campus.

Gear up