McElwain Hall

McElwain Hall is named after Harriet McElwain who served the university in 1883 as the Lady Principal and a History professor. McElwain advocated for changes in education and housing that lead to offering living arrangements with amenities for the growing number of female students attending Penn State.

McElwain Hall, built in 1949, is a classic traditional residence hall. The building offers students an abundant amount of study and social spaces, including living areas, recreation room, kitchen, and laundry room. McElwain Hall bedrooms feature fixed and flexible furniture that allows students to arrange their room in a few different ways. The building is single gender by wing or floor with communal bathrooms that offers multiple toilet stalls, sinks, and private showers on each wing and are shared by the residents living on the wing or floor. McElwain Hall is located in South Halls near the White Building, HUB-Robeson Center, and in close proximity to downtown State College.

Redifer Commons supports students living in South Halls.

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Building Amenities

Housing Area

South Halls

Building Type

Traditional

Room Types

Single, Double, Triple, Supplemental

Living Arrangements

First-Year Students, Gender Inclusive (First-Year), Gender Inclusive (Upperclass), Upperclass Students

Population

584

Community Bathroom

Elevator

Indoor Bike Storage

Kitchen

Laundry

Meeting Room

Piano

Rec/Game Room

Single User Bathroom

Study Lounge

TV Lounge

Vending

WiFi

Building Common Areas

The ground and first floor features a living room, recreation room, laundry room, kitchen, and ample study spaces.

View Common Area

Bathroom Configuration

Each wing offers communal bathrooms. Each bathroom offers several sinks, private toilet stalls, and individual, private-use shower stalls.

View Bathrooms

Room Amenities

Adjustable Height Bed (30-36")

Built-In Furniture (Limited Movability)

Closet

Curtains

Desk

Desk Chair

Desk Lamp

Dresser

MicroFridge

Trash Can

Vinyl Linoleum Flooring

Wardrobe

WiFi

XL Twin Mattress (80")

Room & Furnishing Dimensions

Room & Furnishing Dimensions
Item	Length	Width	Height
Item Single Room	Length	Width	Height 8'
Item Double Room	Length 15' 10"	Width 12' 3"	Height 8'
Item Triple Room	Length	Width	Height 8'
Item Quad Room	Length	Width	Height 8'
Item Supplemental Room	Length	Width	Height 8'
Item Bed	Length 78"	Width 36"	Height 2' 1"
Item Desk	Length 2' 6"	Width 3' 6"	Height 4' 11"
Item Chest of Drawers	Length 2' 2"	Width 4" 11"	Height 7' 4"
Item Refrigerator/Microwave	Length 20"	Width 18"	Height 44"
Item Closet	Length 2'	Width 4' 2"	Height 7' 4"
Item Door	Length -	Width 3' 1"	Height 6' 11"
Item Window	Length -	Width 4' 2"	Height 4' 8"
Item Chairs	Length 1' 7'	Width 1' 6"	Height 2' 6"

Room Decoration Guidelines

Room Types

McElwain Hall offers single-, double-, triple-, quad-occupancy rooms, and supplemental housing.

View Room Types

Housing Room Rates

Housing and food charges are posted to the student's LionPATH account at the beginning of summer (if applicable), fall, and spring semesters. The Office of the Bursar manages billing statements and processing payments.

2025-26
2024-25

Rates for 2025-26
Residence Hall	Room Type	Occupancy	Fall	Spring
Residence Hall McElwain Hall	Room Type Double	Occupancy 2	Fall $4,039	Spring $4,039
Residence Hall McElwain Hall	Room Type Quad	Occupancy 4	Fall $3,638	Spring $3,638
Residence Hall McElwain Hall	Room Type Single	Occupancy 1	Fall $5,246	Spring $5,246
Residence Hall McElwain Hall	Room Type Supplemental	Occupancy 6-8	Fall $3,231	Spring $3,231
Residence Hall McElwain Hall	Room Type Triple	Occupancy 3	Fall $3,638	Spring $3,638
Residence Hall McElwain Hall	Room Type Triple with bath	Occupancy 3	Fall $3,921	Spring $3,921

Rates for 2024-25
Residence Hall	Room Type	Occupancy	Fall	Spring
Residence Hall McElwain Hall	Room Type Double	Occupancy 2	Fall $3,921	Spring $3,921
Residence Hall McElwain Hall	Room Type Quad	Occupancy 4	Fall $3,532	Spring $3,532
Residence Hall McElwain Hall	Room Type Single	Occupancy 1	Fall $5,093	Spring $5,093
Residence Hall McElwain Hall	Room Type Supplemental	Occupancy 4-8	Fall $3,137	Spring $3,137
Residence Hall McElwain Hall	Room Type Triple	Occupancy 3	Fall $3,532	Spring $3,532
Residence Hall McElwain Hall	Room Type Triple with bath	Occupancy 3	Fall $3,921	Spring $3,921

Building Floor Plans

Log in with your Penn State Access Account to view building plans:

View McElwain Hall Floor Plans

View 360 Room Tour

Discover your future home with this 360-degree photo of a double-occupancy residence hall room designed for residents.

View 360 Room Tour

Picture Gallery

McElwain Hall

South Residence Halls; Redifer Commons, Atherton, Cooper, McElwain, Ewing, Haller, Hibbs, Hoyt, Lyons, Cross, Simmons, Stephens, Chace

Anchor Destination

McElwain Hall Common Area Space

McElwain Hall features an abundance of study and social spaces, including living areas, a recreation room, and a kitchen.

McElwain Hall game room vending machines

Laundry

Anchor Destination

Bathrooms

Each bathroom offers several sinks, private toilet stalls, and individual, private-use shower stalls. Housing Operations cleans the bathrooms on a daily basis.

Anchor Destination

Single Room

A limited number of single rooms are available.

A tidy dorm room with wooden furniture and hanging clothes.

Double Room

The majority of rooms are double-occupancy rooms.

Triple Room

A triple room houses three students in a larger room. A limited number of triple-occupancy rooms are available.

Quad Room

A quad room houses four students in a larger room. A limited number of quad-occupancy rooms are available.

Supplemental Housing

Supplemental Housing is a larger room that has been fully converted to a permanent living space and offers students all the same amenities as a regular room.