Fribley Commons at CWRU

Housing and Dining

What are housing and dining options like at Case Western Reserve University?

Case Western Reserve University offers a variety of housing and dining options designed to help you feel at home from your first day on campus. From residence halls that foster community and connection to flexible dining plans with a range of meal choices, you'll find resources and support to help you thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

Whether you're living away from home for the first time or relocating from across the globe, our residential communities provide opportunities to build friendships, get involved and make the most of your college experience.

Housing

Living on campus has its perks, such as access to a fitness center, apartment-style suites with private kitchens and baths, and a Starbucks downstairs.

But it's more than just those amenities. The true value of Case Western Reserve housing is that it is deliberately designed to prepare you for life as an independent adult. That's why nearly 90 percent of students live on campus throughout their undergraduate careers.

Housing at CWRU First-Year Residential Communities Sustainability House

First Year

  • Housing options aid your transition from family life to college by stressing community-living: roommates, shared amenities, common spaces for conversation
  • Residential college model connects you to academic support, campus activities, residence hall programs and events

Second Year

  • Gain more autonomy via suite-style arrangements, with single rooms around a living room and bathroom, allowing you to live with a smaller group while still having ties to the larger community
  • We recognize your increasing maturity through setting community expectations, responsibilities, policies and procedures

Later Stages

  • Get even closer to the responsibilities and rewards of living as an adult while still living in university housing, with private bedrooms and well-appointed kitchens
  • Community council opportunities allow you to personalize your community and live out more self-directed lifestyles
A young man wears headphones around his neck and smiles while eating a meal with others in a dining hall.
Two students read books inside a decorated college dorm room with a bunk bed, desks, and pink accents.
Students hold plates and select food while moving through a busy college campus dining hall buffet line.
Two students sit on a grassy campus lawn, laughing together while one plays an acoustic guitar.

The Division of Campus Services at Case Western Reserve University offers various dining options that are flexible to students’ financial and dietary needs. Photography by Nancy Andrews.

Dining

With days full of classes, meetings, projects, studying, research and fun, you need to fuel up. At Case Western Reserve, our food service provider, Bon Appetit Management Co., brings restaurant-quality dining to campus.

During meal times, you can enjoy the flavorful options at the two main on-campus dining commons, where:

  • Skilled chefs prepare meals from scratch.
  • We use fresh, flavorful ingredients—including produce grown just 10 miles away at the University Farm.
  • Food is prepared to order, with no frozen pizza dough, soup from a can or salsa from a jar.
  • Nutritionists are on staff to help accommodate your dietary needs.
  • Visual well-being indicators help you identify healthful choices.

Our dining commons operate in an all-you-care-to-eat format, but they’re just part of the dining options available on campus. You can also grab meals, snacks and drinks at locations across campus, including the food court in the Tinkham Veale University Center. Depending on the location, you can use your meal plan, CaseCash or other forms of payment.

CaseCash, which is loaded onto your CWRU ID card, can also be used at participating off-campus businesses, giving you even more flexibility in how and where you eat.

Explore Campus Eateries View the University's Farm Food Program Visit Off-Campus Dining Locations

Dining Hall Tips

Wondering what it’s like to eat on campus? Check out these dining hall hacks from CWRU students and get a taste of how you can make campus dining your own.

Dining Hall Tips