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Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University in St. Louis wraps a collegiate-Gothic campus around the edge of Forest Park — bigger than Central Park and full of free museums and the zoo. First- and second-years live together on the South 40, forty acres of residence halls just south of the academic campus, organized into small residential communities. The Bears run in red and green, the Danforth academic campus is a few minutes' walk north across a pedestrian underpass, and St. Louis summers are hot and humid while winters turn genuinely cold.

Move-inMid-August

BedsTwin XL

A/CProvided

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The one thing generic lists get wrong

What to wear in St. Louis, 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)	72–92°F	Hot, humid Midwestern summer — bright with heavy air. Every dorm is air-conditioned, thankfully.
Sept–Oct	52–82°F	Warm, then a gorgeous crisp fall over Forest Park.
Nov–Dec	33–52°F	Gray and cold arriving fast; the first snow flurries by finals.
Jan–Feb	22–42°F	The cold heart of winter — freezing, with real snow, the odd ice storm, and biting wind. Coat-and-boots season.
Mar–May	40–75°F	A fast, stormy thaw into a warm, green spring (with the occasional tornado watch).

The flip: every South 40 dorm is air-conditioned, so pack heat-and-humidity clothes for move-in, then a real Midwestern winter kit — a warm coat, waterproof boots, and layers for freezing, sometimes icy January. A rain shell covers the spring storms.

Straight from the housing office

What Washington University in St. Louis lets you bring

✓ Bring it

A fan is optional — every dorm is air-conditioned — but handy for the hot, humid move-in week
A serious winter coat and waterproof boots — St. Louis winters bring real cold, snow, and ice
A rain jacket and an umbrella — spring storms roll through fast
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
Candles, incense, and any open flame
Halogen lamps, space heaters, and toasters, toaster ovens, or hot plates in rooms
Personal A/C units — the halls are already air-conditioned
Non-surge-protected extension cords

These come from Washington University in St. Louis'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 Washington University in St. Louis

01
After you deposit
Housing application + questionnaire
Complete the housing application and lifestyle questionnaire on the ResLife portal; first- and second-year students are housed on the South 40.
02
Summer
Roommate match + community assignment
You're matched with a roommate and placed in a South 40 house and residential community from the questionnaire.
03
Summer
Assignment posts
Your house, room, and roommate are confirmed over the summer in the housing portal.
04
August 14–15
Move in + Bear Beginnings
First-years (Class of 2030) move in Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15, 2026 (international students on the 13th), then Bear Beginnings orientation runs before classes.

The actual buildings

Where you'll live at Washington University in St. Louis

The South 40

WashU houses first- and second-years together on the South 40 — forty acres of residence halls just south of the Danforth academic campus, organized into ten residential communities, each a cluster of 'houses' with its own RAs, faculty ties, and traditions. Buildings are either 'modern' (mostly doubles, with two doubles sharing a bathroom) or 'traditional' (singles, doubles, and triples with hall bathrooms, some in suites). Every room has A/C and Wi-Fi, and you're matched with a roommate from a questionnaire.

The modern housesSuite-style doubles · elevators

Danforth, Dardick, Koenig, Lien, Park, Eliot A, and Umrath — mostly double rooms, with two doubles adjoining a shared bathroom, plus elevators and lounges.

The traditional housesSingles/doubles/triples · hall baths

Dauten, Hitzeman, Hurd, Lee, Myers, Rutledge, and Shanedling — floor communities sharing bathrooms, with single, double, and triple rooms and some suite configurations.

Ten residential communitiesYour home base on the 40

The houses are grouped into ten residential communities, each with resident advisers, faculty connections, and its own intramural and social life — the day-to-day neighborhood you'll belong to.

Life on the 40Bear's Den · the swamp · gym

The South 40 is a self-contained world: its own dining hub (the Bear's Den), a central green nicknamed 'the swamp,' a fitness center, and a convenience store, a few minutes from class across the underpass.

The stuff nobody puts in one place

St. Louis logistics, sorted

How to send mail to a WashU student

[Student Full Name]
Washington University
[Campus Box ####]
One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130

Every student gets a Campus Box number for mail and packages — address everything to that box, not the residence hall. Students pick up packages at the campus mail center with their ID.

The South 40 and the underpass

First- and second-years live on the South 40, and a pedestrian underpass links it to the Danforth academic campus a few minutes' walk north — so 'going to class' means crossing under the road, not a commute.

Red, green, and Forest Park

The Bears play in red and green, and the campus sits right on Forest Park — 1,300 acres with the free St. Louis Art Museum, Zoo, Science Center, and History Museum, plus the Muny outdoor theater, all a walk or bike away.

Beyond the campus gates

St. Louis & around

Across the street

Forest Park

1,300 acres — bigger than Central Park — with the free Zoo, Art Museum, Science Center, and History Museum, and the Muny.

1 mile

The Delmar Loop

Blueberry Hill, the Pageant, and a strip of restaurants and shops on the famous Loop.

Next door

Clayton

The walkable business district just west of campus, with restaurants and a Saturday farmers market.

Nearby

The Central West End

A historic neighborhood of sidewalk cafes and restaurants near the medical campus.

For move-in, family weekend & graduation

Where to stay near Washington University in St. Louis

On campus

The Knight Center at WashU

Campus edge · walkable

The university's own conference-center hotel on the edge of campus — the closest beds to move-in.

Delmar Loop

Moonrise Hotel

~1 mile · the Loop

A fun boutique hotel with a rooftop bar on the Delmar Loop, a mile from campus.

Clayton

Seven Gables Inn

Clayton · ~5-min drive

A boutique inn in walkable Clayton, just west of campus.

Book for move-in and family weekend early — WashU's hotels fill fast. Fly into St. Louis Lambert International (STL), about 20 minutes from campus.

Gear up