The Universities With The Best Dorms in British Columbia for 2027 combine first-year housing, dining, and newer buildings. This guide covers 11 BC schools, from UBC, SFU, and UVic to Capilano, TRU, and UFV, including schools that have opened new residences, and flags schools such as Emily Carr and KPU that don’t yet offer on-campus dorms.

This guide follows the University Magazine ranking list for British Columbia and uses the published University Magazine rankings methodology for institution-level context. Each section summarizes housing details from the school’s own pages so you can compare halls, room types, and dining before you apply. For more guides, browse our best dorms rankings and the wider university rankings.

Universities With The Best Dorms in British Columbia 2027

1. University of British Columbia

UBC offers a clear first-year path. Orchard Commons, Place Vanier, and Totem Park are first-year residences with a mandatory meal plan, and Orchard Commons also houses Vantage College. Walter Gage mixes low-rise apartments with three 17-story towers and welcomes first-year, upper-year, and graduate students.

Upper-year students can choose Ponderosa Commons suites, Fraser Hall six-bedroom suites, Fairview Crescent townhouse-style suites, or Pacific, a newer community housing about 750 students. The page does not state live-on rules. See UBC residences.

2. Simon Fraser University

SFU builds first-year housing around the North Towers, East and West Towers, and Courtyard Residence, all with private or shared rooms and a meal plan served by the Dining Commons. Community spaces in each building give new students places to gather.

Second- to fourth-year students can move to Shell House, McTaggart-Cowan Hall, or Townhouses, where four residents share a kitchen, bathrooms, and a living area. Graduate students can live in Hamilton Hall or at the Charles Chang Innovation Center in downtown Vancouver. See SFU housing options.

3. University of Victoria

UVic groups its residences into neighborhoods. Lansdowne, Gordon Head, McGill, and Park, Ring Road, and Craigdarroch house first-years in single and double rooms. Gordon Head has the largest rooms, and Ring Road has about 10 lounges.

Cheko’nien House and Sngequ House are newer Passive House buildings, and Sngequ includes an Indigenous student lounge. Cluster Housing offers four-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments for second- to fourth-year students, and The Cove serves as a residence dining hall. See UVic residence neighborhoods.

4. University of Northern British Columbia

UNBC’s Prince George campus has two residence buildings, Neyoh and Keyoh, named after Dakelh words for home and community. Residents live in suites with shared living areas and individual bedrooms, and some join living-learning communities.

Residents must carry a 5-day or 7-day meal plan at Agora Dining Hall, and the Fitness and Recreation fee in tuition covers access to the Northern Sport Center. Applicants must be 17 by the end of their first semester. See UNBC residence handbook.

5. Vancouver Island University

VIU offers traditional single, modern single or double, and apartment single rooms, and more than 500 students live on campus each year. Residents have access to laundry, borrowable recreation equipment, and community spaces.

A new ten-story tower opens for first-year students in Fall 2027, with a dining hall open seven days a week, a courtyard with basketball and volleyball courts, and accessible suites on every floor. First-year and new-to-VIU students are guaranteed housing from Fall 2027 if they register by May 1. See VIU student housing.

6. Capilano University

Treehouse is Capilano University’s first on-campus student housing at its North Vancouver campus. The six-story building has 362 beds in single and double rooms, mainly for first- and second-year students, and each floor has shared washrooms plus study, lounge, and kitchen space.

A ground-level mass-timber dining hall seats 250, and the building adds a First Nations reflection and gathering space, a café, bicycle storage, a multipurpose room, and laundry. It opened in 2026, according to Daily Hive. See Inside Capilano’s Treehouse.

7. Emily Carr University of Art + Design

Emily Carr has no residence on its Great Northern Way campus, but it partners with GEC Living on GEC Kingsway, a six-story purpose-built rental building in Vancouver. Accepted domestic and international students can choose shared rooms, private rooms, or private apartments at different rates.

Because the university does not run its own dorm, this entry covers the partnership, not campus halls. Check the current application window, since the posted deadline was August 3, and confirm availability with the school. See Emily Carr housing partnership.

8. Kwantlen Polytechnic University

KPU does not yet list open residence. Its first on-campus housing is planned for the Surrey campus as an eight-story building with more than 350 beds in single and double rooms and four-bedroom apartment-style units.

Plans include a 160-seat dining hall in a neighboring building serving food seven days a week, a common room, a multi-faith room, laundry, secure bike storage, and on-site security. Indigenous students and former youth in care get priority, and construction is expected to start in early 2027. See KPU Surrey housing.

9. Royal Roads University

Royal Roads’ Nixon Building, called The Dorm, has 59 dorm-style rooms with shared washrooms and 33 ensuite rooms with private washrooms. Dorm rooms are single occupancy and include bedding, a desk, a reading chair, and Wi-Fi. Ensuite rooms add a queen bed, weekly housekeeping, and a meal-prep station, and a limited number of campus houses offer one to three bedrooms with a full kitchen and in-unit laundry. There is no meal plan, but Habitat Café is on campus. See Royal Roads campus living brochure.

10. Thompson Rivers University

TRU opened Coyote Den (Skʼelepéllcw) in East Village, Kamloops, a residence with 80 rooms and 148 student beds. Rooms are single- and double-occupancy, and the building sits steps from campus with views of the North Thompson River and the mountains. Residents share common study spaces and shared kitchen spaces. Coyote Den is TRU’s newest residence, so check the housing office for older halls, meal plans, and live-on rules, which the opening article does not cover. See TRU residence opening.

11. University of the Fraser Valley

UFV in Abbotsford opened Lá:léms Ye EverGreen, a six-story residence with nearly 400 new student beds. Its name is provisional and may change after consultation. Shared areas support studying, gathering, and cultural connection. The building includes an active transportation hub with secure bike storage and showers, and the expanded Cascade Café adds seating for the growing number of residents. Room types and total campus capacity are not stated in the opening announcement. See UFV housing and dining opening.

Housing rates, hall closures, and requirements change each year, so check each school’s housing office before you apply. Use this list to narrow your options, then compare halls, room types, and costs on the official pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best college dorms in British Columbia for 2027?

UBC, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Victoria lead this University Magazine list for 2027, followed by UNBC and Vancouver Island University. All 11 schools are ranked below with housing details from official sources.

Which British Columbia schools require a meal plan in residence?

UBC requires a meal plan in Orchard Commons, Place Vanier, and Totem Park; SFU requires a meal plan in its Towers and Courtyard Residence; and UNBC requires a 5-Day or 7-Day plan at Agora Dining Hall.

Which British Columbia school guarantees first-year housing?

Vancouver Island University says first-year and new-to-VIU students are guaranteed a housing spot starting Fall 2027 if they register for Student Housing by May 1.

Which British Columbia schools have new residences?

Capilano University opened Treehouse with 362 beds, UFV opened a six-story residence with nearly 400 beds, TRU opened Coyote Den with 148 beds, and VIU is adding a ten-story tower for Fall 2027.

Which listed schools have no on-campus residence?

Emily Carr University of Art + Design has no on-campus dorms and partners with GEC Living for off-campus housing, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University plans its first Surrey residence,,witht construction expected to start in early 2027.

Top 11 Best College Dorms in British Columbia 2027: Ranked List

1. University of British Columbia
2. Simon Fraser University
3. University of Victoria
4. University of Northern British Columbia
5. Vancouver Island University
6. Capilano University
7. Emily Carr University of Art + Design
8. Kwantlen Polytechnic University
9. Royal Roads University
10. Thompson Rivers University
11. University of the Fraser Valley

Read more about UM World University Rankings