Residential colleges are found at universities around the world. This list is sorted by country (and sometimes by regional subdivision), and by university.
There are various different definitions of what makes a residential college, including: "Residential colleges are collegia in the original sense: societies, not buildings, and their members may reside anywhere" (emphasis in original); "A residential college is a collegiate residential environment in which live-in faculty play an integral role in the programmatic experience and leadership of the community" (emphasis in original); and "A college is, at its heart, an association or community of people having a distinctive sense of common purpose: in the university context this common purpose is the pursuit of scholarship and understanding through education and research." Overall, residential colleges demonstrate a wide diversity in their natures. This list does not follow a particular definition but includes university residential institutions identified as colleges or residential colleges in reliable sources. It does not include academic colleges (faculties in British English) of universities, although it does include residential colleges (such as those at Oxford and Cambridge universities) that participate in academic teaching. It also does not include residential further education colleges, such as the Royal National College for the Blind, or other non-university residential colleges.
Due to the diversity of residential college systems, not all universities on this list are collegiate universities where all students are members of a residential college. Many universities run residential colleges alongside other forms of residential accommodation, at others residential colleges are only offered after the first year of undergraduate studies, or only in the first year. Post-graduate students are not always included in collegiate systems. In at least one instance, the collegiate system runs primarily within a single faculty of the university. Where this information is available, these differences are described in the list entries below.
Australia
South Australia
Independent colleges in Adelaide
There are four independent colleges in north Adelaide associated with the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia and Flinders University. The oldest, St. Mark's College, opened in 1925. Aquinas College Lincoln College St. Ann's College St. Mark's College
Australian Capital Territory Australian National University
There are two independent residential colleges associated with the Australian National University: Burgmann College John XXIII College
Tasmania University of Tasmania There are four residential colleges at the University of Tasmania's Hobart campus. Christ College became the first residential college of the university in 1933. Christ College Jane Franklin Hall St. John Fisher College Hytten Hall
Victoria La Trobe University There are three colleges on La Trobe University's Melbourne campus: Chisholm College Glenn College Menzies College
University of Melbourne
The first residential college at the University of Melbourne, Trinity College, opened in 1872. As of 2025, the residential colleges are: Graduate House International House Janet Clarke Hall Medley Hall Newman College Ormond College Queen's College St. Hilda's College St. Mary's College Trinity College University College
Monash University There is one private residential college associated with Monash University: Mannix College
New South Wales Macquarie University There are three affiliated residential colleges at Macquarie University: Dunmore Lang College Morling Residential College Robert Menzies College
University of New England
There are five residential colleges at the University of New England: Austin Page College Duval College Mary White College Robb College Wright College
University of New South Wales There are eight university-operated colleges and four independent colleges at the University of New South Wales.
University operated: Basser College Colombo House Fig Tree Hall Goldstein College International House New College Philip Baxter College UNSW Hall
Independent: Creston College New College Shalom College Warrane College
University of Sydney
Following the foundation of the secular University of Sydney in 1850, the New South Wales government supported the foundation of residential colleges at the new university by the main Christian denominations in the colonye, with the earliest being St. Paul's College (Anglican) in 1856 and St. John's College (Catholic) in 1857. As of 2025, there are seven residential colleges at the University of Sydney, two of which have associated graduate houses: Mandelbaum House Sancta Sophia College Sancta Sophia's Graduate House St. Andrew's College St. John's College St. Paul's College St. Paul's Graduate House Wesley College Women's College
Queensland Independent colleges in Brisbane There is one independent residential college in Brisbane, affiliated to the Uniting Church of Australia: Raymont Residential College
James Cook University There are two colleges on the James Cook University Townsville, Bebegu Yumba campus: Saints Catholic College The John Flynn College
University of Queensland
There are ten colleges at the University of Queensland: Cromwell College Duschesne College Emmanuel College Grace College International House King's College St John's College St Leo's College Union College The Women's College
Western Australia Curtin University There is one independent college at Curtin University: St Catherine's College (St Catherine's Curtin; college also has a site on the UWA campus)
University of Western Australia There are five colleges at the University of Western Australia: St Catherine's College (St Catherine's UWA; college also has a site on the Curtin campus) St George's College St Thomas Moore College Trinity College University Hall
Canada University of British Columbia
There are four residential colleges on the Vancouver campus of the University of British Columbia: Carey Centre (Christian residential community for undergraduate and graduate students) Green College (graduate students) St. Andrew's Hall (multi-disciplinary residential community at a Presbyterian Church in Canada theological college) St. John's College (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars)
Trent University There are five colleges at Trent University, with a sixth planned to open in 2028: Catharine Parr Traill College Champlain College Lady Eaton College Otonabee College Peter Gzowski College Gidigaa Migizi College (opening 2028)
University of Manitoba
The colleges affiliated to the University of Manitoba are: St. Andrew's College St. John's College St. Paul's College University College
University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo has four residential university colleges on its campus that also offer academic programmes: Conrad Grebel University College Renison University College St. Jerome's University United College
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto has seven colleges on its St. George campus. All undergraduates in the faculty of arts and science are members of a college, but students in other faculties have only limited connections with the colleges. Three of the colleges are federated universities, while four are constituent colleges of the University of Toronto. The first college, University College, was established in 1853 but students did not come into residence until its building was completed in 1859.
The colleges are: Innis College New College St. Michael's College Trinity College University College Victoria University Woodsworth College
York University
There are nine colleges at York University. All undergraduate students are assigned a college based on their programme of study: Bethune College Calumet College Founders College Glendon College McLaughlin College New College Stong College Vanier College Winters College
China Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, has seven colleges, with an eighth due to open in 2025: Shaw College Diligentia College Muse College Harmonia College Ling College Minerva College Duan Family College Eighth College (opening 2025)
Germany
Constructor University Constructor University in Bremen has four residential colleges: All pre-degree and undergraduate students are members of a college, while postgraduate students are housed off-campus. College Nordmetall College 3 Krupp College Mercator College
Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong
There are nine colleges at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. All full-time undergraduates can apply to join one of the colleges. Chung Chi College New Asia College United College Shaw College Morningside College S. H. Ho College Lee Woo Sing College Wu Yee Sun College CW Chu College
University of Hong Kong
There are two clusters of residential colleges at the University of Hong Kong, the Jockey Club Student Village III and Jockey Club Student Village IV. Both clusters have 4 colleges.
Jockey Club Student Village III Source: Shun Hing College Chi Sun College Lap-Chee College New College
Jockey Club Student Village IV Source: College 1 College 2 Karson Choi College D. H. Chen College
Italy University of Bologna There is one independent residential college at the University of Bologna, for students from Spain, founded in 1364: Collegio di Spagna
University of Pavia
The University of Pavia has 18 residential colleges, with the oldest (Collegio Castiglioni Brugnatelli) dating back to 1429, before closing in 1805 and being re-established in 1954, and the two longest in continuous operation (Collegio Borromeo and Collegio Ghislieri) dating from 1561 and 1567 respectively. Twelve are state-owned, run by the autonomous Ente per il Diritto allo Studio Universitario (EDiSU) organisation (including one in Cremona), four are independent colleges "recognised by the Italian Ministry of University and Research" and two are private colleges. Students are not required to be members of a college. Collegio Alessandro Volta Collegio Benvenuto Griziotti Collegio Borromeo (independent) Collegio Camillo Golgi Collegio Castiglioni Brugnatelli Collegio Don Bosco Collegio Fratelli Cairoli Collegio Gerolamo Cardano Collegio Ghislieri (independent) Collegio Giasone del Maino Collegio Lazzaro Spallanzani Collegio Lorenzo Valla Collegio Maria Ausiliatrice (private) Collegio Nuovo (independent) Collegio Plinio Fraccaro Collegio Quartier Novo (Cremona) Collegio Santa Caterina da Siena (independent) Collegio Senatore (private)
Macau
University of Macau The University of Macau has ten residential colleges: Chao Kuang Piu College Cheng Yu Tung College Cheong Kun Lun College Choi Kai Yau College Henry Fox Pearl Jubilee College Lui Che Woo College Ma Man Kei and Lo Pak Sam College Moon Chun Memorial College Shiu Pong College Stanley Ho East Asia College
New Zealand
University of Otago
The University of Otago has 14 residential colleges (alongside other accommodation options), of which 11 are undergraduate only and 3 take both postgraduates and undergraduates.
192 Castle College Aquinas College Arana College (undergraduate and postgraduate) Caroline Freeman College Carrington College Cumberland College Hayward College Knox College (undergraduate and postgraduate) St Margaret's College Salmond College (undergraduate and postgraduate) Selwyn College Studholme College Te Rangihīroa College University College
Singapore
National University of Singapore There are four residential colleges at the National University of Singapore, among other residential options: College of Alice and Peter Tan Ridge View Residential College Residential College 4