Embracing Campus Life at Centre College: A Home Away From Home

Centre College, with its rich history and commitment to fostering intellectual curiosity, offers a distinctive residential experience that significantly shapes the overall student life. With a student body of approximately 1,400 individuals drawn from across the United States and various international locales, the College cultivates a close-knit learning community. Ninety-eight percent of Centre students live on campus. A long and rich tradition of tolerance, freedom of enquiry, and community, forms all aspects of college life. This article delves into the various facets of campus life at Centre College, exploring housing options, social dynamics, dining experiences, and the overall environment that makes it a vibrant place to live and learn.

Residential Life: A Foundation for Community

The Residence Life and Housing Office plays a pivotal role in enhancing the academic experience by fostering an inclusive, safe, healthy, and supportive living environment for all Centre College students. A key aspect of campus life at Centre College is its strong residential character. The majority of students choose to live on campus all four years, creating a true residential college experience. Ninety-eight percent of Centre students live on campus.

Traditional Style Residences

These housing options provide a more traditional residence hall experience where roommates become close friends and others are just a short walk down the hall. These campus residences offer a variety of amenities including community kitchens, study rooms, shared bathrooms, and laundry rooms.

First-Year Housing

Designed to ease the transition into college life, the first-year housing options at Centre College provide a supportive environment for new students to connect and build lasting relationships. From day one, you’ll feel like you’re among friends as upperclassmen, faculty and staff help you move into your new home. Move In is just the beginning. The residence halls specifically designated for first-year students include:

Acheson Hall
Caldwell Hall
Cheek Hall
Evans Hall
Yerkes Hall

These three-story residence halls are conveniently located across the street from the Roush Campus Center, a central hub where students gather to eat and socialize. These halls feature double-occupancy rooms and are coed by floor, with communal bathrooms, shared kitchens, laundry areas, and common areas. Yerkes Hall stands out by offering all-gender private bathrooms, catering to diverse student needs.

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Nevin Hall, another first-year student housing option, is situated near classroom buildings, the library, and athletic facilities. This three-story hall offers both double and triple occupancy rooms and is also coed by floor, featuring communal bathrooms, a shared kitchen, a laundry area, and common areas with a TV in the basement. It has all the amenities of home.

The Quad

The Quad, comprising Cooper Ganfield Hall, Stevenson Vinson Hall, LaMotte Tyler Hall, and Nevin Hall, offers newly renovated housing options primarily for upperclass students. These three-story residence halls are located close to classroom buildings, the Library, and athletic facilities. The rooms are double-occupancy and students can decorate within the guidelines set by facilities management. The halls are coed, with communal bathrooms, shared kitchen, laundry area, and common areas in the basement.

Greek Housing ("Breck" and Bingham)

In the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood, fraternity and sorority members live and work together on campus in Greek housing. Centre's Greek life is non-residential, meaning students in fraternities and sororities live in the common campus housing rather than separate Greek houses. "Breck" is home to upperclass residents. Single and double-occupancy rooms are coed by floor and offer communal bathrooms, shared kitchen, large lounge, and laundry area. Bingham houses upperclass residents. The building has rooms that are coed by floor and offer both single and double-occupancy, communal bathrooms, shared kitchen, lounge areas and a laundry room.

Ruby Cheek

A renovated house with 11 rooms, Ruby Cheek is a cozier, more intimate alternative to our traditional residence halls. It has a large living room on the first floor and two kitchens perfect for spending time with other residents and friends.

Fifth Street Residence Houses

These upperclass apartment houses are located within a short walking distance to all classroom buildings, the Library, the Roush Campus Center, and athletic facilities:

123 Fifth Street
125 Fifth Street
129 Fifth Street

Apartments offer both single and double-occupancy rooms, private bathrooms, lounges, and kitchens in each unit.

Residence and Office Space

These residences are located on campus within walking distance to all classroom buildings, the Library, the Roush Campus Center and athletic facilities:

Higgins Hall
Wiseman Hall
Walnut House

Rooms are coed by floor and offer both single and double-occupancy, communal bathrooms, shared kitchen, and laundry area. These facilities have office space on the first floors and residential spaces on upper floors. These buildings can house either first year or returning students and switch each year, depending on need.

Social Scene and Extracurricular Activities

Centre College's social scene is often described as close-knit and extremely active. With some 87 campus organizations and each year more than 2,000 campus events, there are numerous clubs and organizations for any interest you may have, ranging from academic clubs to social causes to outdoor adventure clubs. It’s the little things that make a difference. Students also rave about the bonfire events, the homecoming, and "CentreTerm" in January when you take one course on any subject which often includes international travel.

Greek Life

Greek life can be a big part of social life, as about 40% of students are in fraternities or sororities. It's important to note that Greek life at Centre is non-residential, meaning students in fraternities and sororities live in the common campus housing rather than separate Greek houses. In the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood, fraternity and sorority members live and work together on campus in Greek housing.

Arts and Culture

Centre cultivates artist expression. Whether you want to begin a career in the arts, experience a course or two, or simply participate - explore what makes you, you. Explore opportunities to sing, dance, act, play, and create. A world-class host for the performing arts and important events, Centre College provides a platform for students to engage with and express themselves through various artistic mediums. IN HARMONY - THE COMMONWEALTH TOUR Join the Louisville Orchestra as their 2026 In Harmony - The Commonwealth Tour returns to the Norton Center!

Fitness and Recreation

The Buck Fitness Center in Sutcliffe Hall is equipped with exercise machines, free weights. Combine art, time management, and goal tracking all in one place.

Community Engagement

Centre is a learning community that supports the community. Centre College After School Program - Centre's Bonners started an after school program for ESL children from local schools. Centre students (not necessarily Bonners) run all aspects of the program including attaining funding, transporting students, planning curriculum and activities, mentoring/tutoring, and assigning mentors. Every Summer, Centre's first year Bonners take a trip to Caretta, WV with the Coordinator and Director to help build or repair housing for people of this impoverished rural community. For more than a decade, Centre first-year students have gotten to know each other - and their new community - with a group service project. Previous efforts have included cleaning up Batewood Park; painting projects at Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Blue Bird Market, and the Humane Society; building nature trails at Camp Horsin’ Around, and assisting with maintaining the grounds at nearby Shaker Village, America’s largest restored Shaker community. Poverty and Homelessness Week at Centre College is organized by a committee comprised of students, faculty, staff and non-Centre community organizers. Bonner Program staff work closely with Admissions and Financial Aid at Centre to recruit new Bonner students each year.

Student Media

The Cento is the only printed news about Centre College on campus.

Dining at Centre College

Regarding food, the Centre dining hall is known to serve quality meals, with different food options available for each meal. The college also frequently hosts themed dinners and food events which students tend to enjoy. Moreover, downtown Danville has various restaurants where students can eat off campus, creating a balance between on-campus and off-campus dining.

Academic Environment and Support

Given its intimate class size (~1,500 students), individual attention from professors is almost guaranteed and you'll likely form strong relationships with your classmates as well. Centre nurtures in its students the ability to think logically and critically, to work creatively, to analyze and compare values, and to write and speak with clarity and grace. It acquaints students with the range of accomplishments of the human mind and spirit in a variety of arts and theoretical disciplines. It enables students to choose and fulfill significant responsibilities in society. Feel lost in the crowd? Not sure what to write down in your lecture classes? Come participate in our discussion with Dr. Danielle La Londe, Dr. Drew Morris, and Dr. This week at CLC’s EaSeL Evenings, our guest artists stick together to make art.

Study Abroad Opportunities

Approximately 85 percent of students study abroad at least once by graduation. Centre has been No. 1 in the nation two of the last three years for percentage of students who study abroad.

Financial Aid and Accessibility

Need-based aid and merit scholarships offered. Approximately 90 percent of all first-year students receive some form of assistance. The average need-based financial aid award for first-years last year was 63 percent of the comprehensive fee.

A Thriving Community

Centre accomplishes its goals in an atmosphere of caring and respectful relationships among faculty, students, and staff, aided by its broadly conceived, non-sectarian, Judeo-Christian heritage. We are a highly residential campus-including on the weekends-so you’ll get to know your classmates well. Starting on move-in day, first-year students begin building relationships as upper-level students, faculty, staff and even the President help them move into their residence hall. Centre students live as a community.

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