We seek to give students every possible opportunity to succeed and are excited to offer residents further development opportunities through our many diverse Academic Living-Learning Communities (LLC). These programs provide residents with access to educational programs and extracurricular activities exclusive to each LLC. Each community is unique, with specific requirements and living arrangements. Students select certain communities during online room selection, while others require a separate application and acceptance into that program before assignment. Read the following information, and contact LLCs or the HRC main office if you have any questions.
Application deadlines differ among LLCs. Please be aware of application requirements if interested in an LLC.
Community Features/Requirements: Faculty-in-Residence and common classes
Eligibility and How to Apply: Students must be accepted to the Blount program. There is a separate application for this community.
The Blount Scholars Programexternal link provides students with a specialized Living-Learning environment. Located in Blount Hall, built specifically for this community, scholars reside within a building containing classrooms, fellow Blount program members, and a Faculty-in-Residence. For more information call Murrie Dixon at 205-348-1706 or email at murrie.j.dixon@ua.edu.
Apply to BlountCommunity Features/Requirements: Monthly events, faculty/staff mentor, peer mentor, shared academic course
Contact: 205-348-0981 or bridgeprogram@ua.edu
Eligibility and How to Apply: Must be a first-year student and participant in the BRIDGE program. There is a separate application for this community.
BRIDGE is an initiative for first-year, undergraduate men of color to begin to build their story and legacy at UA. The experience begins with a 3-day, 2-night program and extends throughout the academic year. Members of this community enroll in a shared academic course, benefit from year-long faculty and staff mentoring, and form a peer group to share in their first-year experience. Housed in John England Jr. Hall, BRIDGE provides an RA and a group of peer mentors to support the men. A limited number of spaces are available and students are admitted on a rolling basis until spaces are filled.
The 2024-25 application for this LLC will be available at a later date.
Community Features/Requirements: Common classes, peer mentor, programming and events.
Contact: 205-348-4321 or Jack Purser
Eligibility and How to Apply: Must be a first-year student and have a declared major in C&IS. There is a separate application for this community.
The Capstone Communication LLCexternal link connects students pursuing careers in media and communication. Students form a rich community among peers who share academic interests while participating in a variety of social, academic, and creative activities both on- and off-campus. Housed in John England Jr. Hall, current students from the College of Communication and Information Sciencesexternal link serve as resident advisors and peer mentors for students throughout the first year. Participation in the program requires enrollment in two common courses each semester. A limited number of spaces are available, and students will be admitted on a rolling basis until spaces are filled.
The 2024-25 application for this LLC will be available at a later date.
Community Features/Requirements: Common Classes
The Community Engagement LLC provides first-year, undergraduate students with an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and explore the Tuscaloosa area through community engagement. Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the well-being of those people.
In this community, students have the opportunity to live, learn, and study with peers who are also interested in community engagement. Housed in Riverside East, students will benefit from community-based activities related to a wide variety of social, academic, and engagement experiences on and off campus. This LLC will require enrollment in one common EDU community engagement course during the fall semester.
A limited number of spaces are available, and students will be admitted on a rolling basis until spaces are filled.
Contact: Dr. Daniela Susnara, 205-348-1007 or dsusnara@ua.edu
The 2024-25 application for this LLC will be available at a later date.
Community Features/Requirements: Faculty-in-Residence and common classes
Eligibility and How to Apply: Students in Culverhouse College of Business are eligible
The Culverhouse College of Business living option for men and women, located in Paty Hall, provides a personal, caring, and supportive environment through increased student/faculty interaction. A Culverhouse College of Business faculty member lives in Paty, and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) student serves as the Community Director overseeing the operation of the building. This option exposes residents to a variety of perspectives, knowledge, and information by involving Culverhouse College of Business faculty and staff, and business leaders in programs presented in the residence hall.
Residents benefit from the mentoring, advising, and peer counseling that takes place in the building. Group study areas provide excellent opportunities for collaboration on papers, projects, and business team requirements. Paty is open to freshmen, as well as returning students.
There is no application for this community. Eligible students can select it during room selection or be assigned there as space permits. *Limited to Culverhouse College of Business majors.
Community Features/Requirements: Common classes and peer mentors
Eligibility and How to Apply: There is a separate application for this community.
The Delta Initiative: Capstone Women in STEM is a community of freshmen women who have the opportunity to live, learn, and study together. Community members:
The Delta Initiative provides opportunities for career exploration, plan visits with STEM employers, and builds meaningful connections with faculty and STEM practitioners. Students majoring in biology, chemistry, environmental science, geology, marine science, mathematics, microbiology, physics, or any of the eight majors in the College of Engineering are eligible. This program is currently housed in Riverside East.
Contact: Elizabeth Lester, 205-348-5040 or elester1@ua.edu.
The 2024-25 application for this LLC will be available at a later date.
Community Features/Requirements: Students will take common seminar courses and are highly encouraged to live in Paty Hall together as a cohort. Live-in EPIC representatives will also be housed in the LLC to serve as a student resource.
Eligibility and How to Apply: Students must be accepted into the EPIC Scholars Program. There is a separate application for this community.
The EPIC Scholars Program LLC is a small, cohort-based Honors program designed specifically for engineering and computer science students who come from a diverse set of backgrounds and are passionate about promoting positive social change. The EPIC Scholars Program seeks to be inclusive and equitable in admissions, and will consider grades, test scores and other quantitative measures if provided in the application; however, responses to a series of short essay questions are weighted far more heavily in the selection process. Students completing the EPIC Scholars Program will be awarded a minor in engineering positive and intentional change.
The EPIC LLC is housed in Paty Hall, which is essentially adjacent to the home of the College of Engineering – H.M. Comer Hall, the Shelby Engineering and Science Quad, Hardaway Hall and the ENGenuity Lab. Paty Hall will host the biweekly EPIC Scholars Peer Mentoring Coffee Hours, and is also home to Alabama IMaDE, a hub for innovative research and education in intelligent and advanced manufacturing featuring a wide variety of manufacturing robots.
Contact: epic@ua.edu
The 2024-25 application for this LLC will be available at a later date.
Community Features/Requirements: Common class
Eligibility and How to Apply: There is a separate application for this community.
If you wish to enhance your German skills in a fun and relaxed environment, the German House is the right fit for you! The Hans und Sophie Scholl Haus constitutes a unique Living-Learning program. Students who live in the house agree to speak German as much as possible and UA offers an optional conversation course exclusive to German House residents. The program is supervised by a student director, who is a native speaker and lives in the house with the other residents.
Scholl Haus is currently housed in the Bryce Lawn apartments.
Contact: Dr. Johannes Fröhlich, jfrohlich@ua.edu
The 2024-25 application for this LLC will be available at a later date.
Community Features/Requirements: Faculty-in-Residence
Eligibility and How to Apply: Students must be accepted to the Honors College.
Students in the Honors College have the option to live in Blount, Ridgecrest West or South. These Living-Learning facilities form the center of the University’s tightly knit honors community.
*Affiliation with Honors College is required.
Who: First-year students in the Honors College
Where: Ridgecrest South
Program Requirements: Students must be accepted to the Honors College. Enrollment during fall semester in the 2-hour course, UH 100: Honors Connections LLC.
Contact: Dr. Anne Franklin Lamar, 205-348-9913, aflamar@ua.edu
Community Highlights:
Designed as an immersive and supportive environment, the Honors Connections Living Learning Community (LLC) helps ease the transition to students’ new homes on campus as they start their freshman year at The Capstone. Honors Connections fosters community through the building of friendships, pairing with upperclassmen mentors, hosting engaging programs, and enrolling in an Honors College course. Honors Connections Mentors will live in the LLC hall with students and, in conjunction with Ridgecrest Community Staff, will be available as a resource not only in the community but in the Honors Connection (UH 100) class, helping to build connection with the Honors College and the greater UA community, while engaging in a curriculum that challenges students to become critical and creative thinkers, ethical and reasoned citizens, and collaborative and inclusive leaders.
HRC will assign accepted students to the LLC. The 2024-25 application for this LLC will be available at a later date.
Community Features/Requirements: Common class, peer mentor, programming
Contact: Dr. Kiara Summerville, kssummerville@ua.edu
Eligibility and How to Apply: Must be a first-year woman who intends to live on campus. There is a separate application for this community.
Lucy’s Legacy is for women interested in exploring the historical significance and experiences of women of color at UA. Named in honor of Autherine Lucy, the first African-American student to attend UA, Lucy’s Legacy strives to support the academic and social transition of women to UA. Members of this community are part of a group of first-year women who enroll in a shared academic course, benefit from mentoring and resources, and form a peer group to share in their first-year experience. Additionally, Lucy’s Legacy provides a RA and a group of sophomore-senior level peer mentors to serve and support the women. A limited number of spaces are available and students are admitted on a rolling basis until spaces are filled.
The 2024-25 application for this LLC will be available at a later date.
Community Features/Requirements: Students will take common courses and live in Ridgecrest South together.
Contact: Submit questions here, or contact Ashley Wilder-Morrison at MccolloughInstitute@ua.edu or 205-348-2362.
Eligibility and How to Apply: In-state students must have a minimum 3.5 GPA, 30-36 ACT, or 1360-1600 SAT. Out-of-state students must have a minimum 3.5 GPA, 32-36 ACT, or 1420-1600 SAT.
The McCollough Institute for Pre-Medical Scholars housed in Ridgecrest South offers a minor in interdisciplinary studies on medicine to a small cohort of aspiring physicians. McCollough scholars will form a Living-Learning Community investigating big picture questions about the art of medicine. The program focuses on academic excellence, leadership, community service, and undergraduate research. In addition, students’ primary major must be in the College of Arts & Sciences.
The 2024-25 application for this LLC will be available at a later date.
Community Features/Requirements: Faculty-in-Residence, required course for fall and spring, and peer mentors
Eligibility and How to Apply: There is a separate application for this community.
The Parker-Adams Living-Learning Community (PA) housed in England Hall is available to any student registered in the College of Arts and Sciences. During the fall semester, the program focuses on the transition to college life. Topics include an introduction to campus services, study skills, test preparation, and academic advising. During the spring semester, students are introduced to experiential learning opportunities such as education abroad, internships, undergraduate research, and service learning. Social and cultural activities are also scheduled throughout the year. Student peer leaders and a Faculty-in-Residence live in the residence hall to provide guidance and support. PA students take EN 101 and EN 102 together as a group. Program activities and services are offered through one credit compass courses: AS 101 (fall) and AS 102 (spring). PA students form valuable relationships with faculty, staff, and students that continue beyond the freshman year.
Parker-Adams will move to PA room assignments are made by HRC staff during the spring semester following acceptance to the program.
The 2024-25 application for this LLC will be available at a later date.