The first time away from home can be tough, especially as a college freshman being pushed into the real world. However, the University of West Florida provides different styles of dorms to meet a student’s financial and comfort needs.
This list will review the positives and negatives of each on-campus dorm to help students keep in mind where they will live next semester. With the recent increase in students at UWF, finding housing has been more complicated than ever, so it is important to get a head start on a decision.
1. Martin Hall
Martin Hall is known around campus as the dorm where all incoming freshmen who are residing on campus live. This dorm hall is in close proximity to most classes and major buildings on campus, making it the perfect place for students without another mode of transportation.
Due to Martin Hall having such a high population of freshmen, this hall is the place to meet people that are also new to the university. Finding people that are going through similar experiences moving to a new area is important, and Martin Hall is a hub of newcomers.
However, students often talk about the downsides of living in Martin Hall. The most prominent negative aspect is the shared single rooms. Residents are assigned a singular roommate and the two twin beds are within close proximity of each other. The residents also share a bathroom, sink, refrigerator and microwave.
Martin Hall is the oldest residence hall on campus.
The cost of living in Martin Hall is one of the cheapest options out of the on-campus housing options. The semesterly rate is $2,944 for the 2023-2024 academic year. This makes Martin Hall one of the most affordable dorms which makes it the most attractive option for many students and families.
2. Argo Hall
Argo Hall is another dorm hall centrally located on campus, making it simple for students to walk to campus destinations. This hall is for established Argos, as one needs to be a sophomore or above to live there.
The room layout is similar to that of Martin Hall with the shared junior suite, shared bathroom and appliances. Argo Hall was built more recently than Martin Hall, making the rooms newer and less used.
Argo Hall is known for being much quieter than other halls which is perfect for students who enjoy an atmosphere with less surrounding noise.
There are options to get a private or shared suite depending on if the student would like a roommate. The semesterly cost of a shared suite is $2,944 for the upcoming academic year. This is the same price as Martin Hall, but Argo Hall provides the option of a private suite which increases the price to $3,286.
3. Pace Hall
Pace Hall is another dorm hall that is available to freshmen. However, this hall is also available to any class. This hall also houses the Honors Living Learning Community and the Argo Elite Community.
Due to the organizations that are offered housing at Pace Hall, it is often called the “Honors Hall.” Pace Hall is the final hall on this list that has a similar layout to the aforementioned halls, Martin and Pace.
There are two different types of dorms offered: private and shared. Pace Hall is similar to Argo Hall in the sense that students are able to get a private room if they wish. The pricing is the same as that of Martin and Argo halls.
4. Presidents Hall
Presidents Hall is one of the most centrally located halls on campus. The campus dining location, Bento, makes this hall a major attraction for students in addition to its convenient location.
The Presidents Hall layout is different from the previously listed halls. Instead, there are options to have a suite in which there are four residents, but there are separate bedrooms that house one or two students within the suite.
This layout gives students the option of having additional roommates but with more personal space. There are also two bathrooms and two sinks which typically means that two residents share a bathroom.
Presidents Hall is one of the newest residence locations on campus, so everything is updated and the appliances are much newer than at the previous locations.
This hall is the center for the STEM Living Learning Community. This community means that students who reside in this building can be of any classification in regard to year, but they are mainly STEM majors.
The Presidents Hall shared deluxe suite consists of two people per bedroom but a maximum amount of four people per suite. The semesterly cost for the deluxe sweet is $3,180 for this academic year. The private suite rate is $3,356.
The cost of living in Presidents is the highest price on the list yet, but many students believe that this extra cost is significantly worth it.
5. Heritage Hall
Heritage Hall is the neighboring hall to Presidents Hall which was also built in 2010. This was the first dorm hall to be built in the suite style.
Heritage Hall and Presidents Hall were built to be sister halls, so they are relatively similar. The main difference between these two halls is the types of students who live in them. Heritage Hall is the home of a large number of UWF’s athletes.
The cost of living in Heritage Hall is the same as that of Presidents
6. Village East and Village West
Village East and Village West are the apartment-style dorm halls at UWF. This means that rather than the complex having a main entrance, each dorm room has its own door from the outside.
The individual bedrooms at Village East are all singularly occupied, meaning that students have individual bedrooms with double-sized beds. The bedrooms at Village East have the largest beds out of all of the dorm halls on campus which is a major attraction for students.
The bedrooms in Village West have extra-large twin beds. However, the major attractions at Village West are the individual washing machines and dryers in each dorm suite.
The suites also have kitchens that include an oven, a stove, a refrigerator, a microwave, a sink and storage for food and appliances.
Village East and West are primarily available to upperclassmen, but sophomores are also able to live here once the upperclassmen have picked their room assignments.
The apartment-style dorms are the most expensive places to live on campus but are also the quickest to fill with students once it is time to choose room assignments. The cost of living in a Village East four bedroom apartment is $3,356 per semester, and the cost of living in a two bedroom apartment is $3,662.
The cost of living in a Village West four bedroom apartment is $3,465, and the cost of living in a two bedroom apartment is $3,922.
