Student housing at the University of Virginia

Approximately half of the University of Virginia's housing areas serve first year students. As of August 2013, there are two main areas for first year housing and another dormitory complex to maintain enrollment growth during ongoing dormitory construction. The first and oldest area is the site of the McCormick Road Dormitories, often referred to as "Old Dorms." The dorms were built after World War II to accommodate a national growth in college enrollment, due in part to the G.I. Bill. Although older and without modern amenities like central air conditioning, the dorms are located closer to Central Grounds and the rooms are slightly larger. The houses that make up the McCormick Road Dormitories are Bonnycastle, Dabney, Echols, Emmet, Hancock, Humphreys, Kent, Lefevre, Metcalf, and Page. All of the dorms feature hall-style living.

The other main area for first year housing is the Alderman Road Dormitories. Although the original houses were built in the 1960s and featured suite-style living, the area was referred to as "New Dorms". Since then, the university has embarked on a project to replace the structures with newer dorms that will facilitate a growth in enrollment and provide incoming first years with modern amenities. As of August 2013, the university has demolished eleven of the original structures and completed five larger dormitories to take their places. The newest dorms are Balz-Dobie, Watson-Webb, Lile-Maupin, Tuttle-Dunnington, and Shannon. Additionally, Kellogg was completed in 2008 and served as a model for the Alderman Road Replacement Project. Cauthen and Woody were added to the area as well during the 1990s. All of the newest dorms feature hall-style living, unlike their predecessors.

Brown College, Hereford College, and the International Residential College are the residential colleges of the university. These involve an application process to live there, and are filled with both upperclass and first year students. The application process can be extremely competitive, especially for Brown.

Casa Bolivar, named in honor of Simon Bolivar, houses about two dozen upper class undergraduates students, providing them with an atmosphere to improve their Spanish and to earn one academic credit in the process. It is located on Jefferson Park Avenue, between la Maison Française and the Shea House.

Due to the ongoing construction, the university has converted the Gooch-Dillard upperclassmen dormitories into first year housing. These two houses are suite-style, where each suite holds up to six or seven students. Gooch-Dillard is the only housing that features permanent triples, although sparingly. Gooch-Dillard is farthest from Central Grounds, but is close to a smaller dining hall called "Runk".

Upperclassmen can apply for on-grounds housing as well, although their options are limited. The chances of receiving a housing assignment diminish as students advance into later years. Second years will almost certainly have on-grounds housing if they choose to apply. Upperclassmen can be assigned to Lambeth, Bice, Faulkner, Copeley (including undergraduate transfer students), Johnson, Malone, and Weedon. Lambeth is made up of on-grounds apartments for groups of four or six students and is closest to Central Grounds. Near the new South Lawn Commons area, Bice is a single apartment building that also offers units for four or six students. Faulkner and Copeley are far removed from Central Grounds, sitting on newer university property that is generally referred to as "North Grounds". Lastly, Johnson, Malone, And Weedon (JMW) are dormitories that were created along with Hereford College. They are behind Gooch-Dillard and are somewhat far from Central Grounds.

The housing units that permit families are Copeley Hill Apartments and University Gardens. Copeley Hill is within the Albemarle County Public Schools. Residents of Copeley Hill are zoned to Greer Elementary School, Jouett Middle School, and Albemarle High School. University Gardens is within the Charlottesville City Schools. University Gardens is zoned to Venable Elementary School, Walker Upper Elementary School, Buford Middle School, and Charlottesville High School.