MN · Dorm dimensions
Macalester College Dorm Room Dimensions
Living off campus? See the Macalester College off-campus housing guide
Macalester College has room-dimension data for 1 residence hall. Published room sizes range from about 146 to 207 sq ft, with a median of 176 sq ft. Find exact width × length and square footage for each hall below, then preview your layout in the visualizer.
Doty Hall
| Room type | Dimensions | Size |
|---|---|---|
| double | 14.2 × 10.3 ft | 146 sq ft |
| double | 14.2 × 14.6 ft | 207 sq ft |
Design this room before move-in
Start from this hall's most common layout (14.2 × 10.3 ft).
Open the room visualizer →What on-campus housing costs at Macalester
Heads up — this school breaks the usual rules
- Beds are 36" x 80", not the standard 38" x 80" Twin XL. Macalester states this identically in three official places, so it is not a typo. Fitted Twin XL sheets work loose, but Twin XL toppers, pads and encasements will overhang by two inches.
- Microwaves are banned campus-wide in student rooms — a microfridge combo is a wasted purchase. Floor kitchens with microwaves and ovens are provided instead. The fridge cap is a tight 3.6 cubic feet.
- Air conditioners, humidifiers, cooling units and halogen lamps are all banned, plus toasters, toaster ovens and hot plates in rooms — those are kitchen-only.
- No nails and no damaging tape anywhere in the residence halls — Command hooks and blue painter’s tape only. And televisions cannot be mounted on walls, so skip the mounting hardware entirely.
- A brand-new three-year residency requirement starts with the Fall 2026 class, so families budgeting two years of housing need to plan for six semesters.
- The counterintuitive money move: the priciest room is the cheapest total. Grand Cambridge Apartments at $10,545 carries no mandatory $8,162 meal plan, landing near $10,545 all-in versus roughly $17,430 for a standard hall plus board.
Buying the standard college checklist here will waste money — check your building first.
| Hall | Style | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Doty Hall First-year hall with singles and doubles. | Traditional | $9,268/yr |
| Turck Hall First-year hall, doubles, with lounge space. | Traditional | $9,268/yr |
| Dupre Hall The largest first-year hall, with singles, doubles and triples plus a kitchenette and lounge. | Traditional | $9,268/yr |
| George Draper Dayton (GDD) Returning students, triples — the same tier price with the most beds per room. | Traditional | $9,268/yr |
| Language Houses / Eco House Themed housing — and no dining plan required. | House | $9,553/yr |
| Grand Cambridge Apartments Four-person apartments for returning students. No dining plan required, which makes this the cheapest total cost on campus despite the highest room rate. | Apartment | $10,545/yr |
Rates are per academic year and room-only. Board is effectively mandatory in the traditional halls at $8,162 a year — but not required in the Language Houses, Eco House, Grand Cambridge Apartments, Cultural House, Veggie Co-op or The Layover, which is why the headline cheapest room is the most expensive total. Macalester does not publish per-hall rates, only three tiers. Since 2024-25 tuition has included required course materials, so there is no separate textbook line. Rates compiled from the university’s published housing rates, August 2026. Always confirm on the official rates page.
Who has to live on campus
Three years, brand new. “Starting with the Fall 2026 incoming class, Macalester College will require students to live on campus for their first three years (six semesters),” applying to the Class of 2030. Students who entered before Fall 2026 remain under the prior, shorter requirement. Specific exemption criteria are handled through existing college processes and are not published.
What the room already includes
A bed, desk, dresser and closet — all campus-provided items must stay in the room. Laundry is free: card-swipe machines in every hall are used free of charge, though students supply their own detergent. Because in-room microwaves are banned, the college supplies shared kitchens with microwaves and ovens on each floor, and residents can check out vacuum cleaners and ironing boards. Dupre has a kitchenette and lounge, and Grand Cambridge Apartments are the apartment-style option for returning students.
Fridge & microwave rules
Bring a fridge; do not buy a microwave at all. Refrigerators must be under 3.6 cubic feet, and “we don’t allow microwaves in student rooms” — microwave sits in the packing list’s forbidden column, so a microfridge combo unit is wasted money. The floor kitchens cover the microwave need. Residents of Grand Cambridge, the Language Houses, Eco House, Cultural House and the cottages have kitchens and generally need no fridge either.
What you cannot bring
Microwaves, air conditioners, humidifiers, cooling units, halogen lamps, candles and incense, and nails or tape that damages walls or paint. Appliances with open flames or heating elements — hot plates, toaster ovens and toasters — are prohibited in rooms but permitted in the shared floor and main-building kitchens. Extension cords must be UL approved. Hanging rules differ by building type: residence hall residents may not use nails anywhere — blue painter’s tape and Command hooks only, while house and apartment residents may use small nails but never on doors. Students may not paint or alter rooms, and televisions cannot be mounted on walls. Lofting is a college program through Bedloft, piloted for first-years in select halls — not a DIY purchase.