Learning Communities and Theme Houses

set up for
success.
Be part of a
learning community
or theme house!
It’s a great way to connect with others in and out of the classroom!

Iowa State offers both live-in and live-out learning communities. What you’ll find listed below are the live-in learning communities where you live on the same floor as others who have a similar major as you. 

Looking for a live-out learning community or can’t find a live-in one that fits your major? Check out the Learning Communities website.

In a theme house, you live on the same floor as others who have a shared academic or other interest.

Signing Up

Choosing to be part of a live-in learning community or theme house is easy! Just list which one you want to be in on your housing contract. Already signed a housing contract? Log back in and and add your learning community or theme house.

The highest preference in the assignments’ process is given to your learning community or theme house. This means that you may have to choose your learning community or theme house over your roommate if they aren’t eligible to live there.

And, be sure to look at the location of each learning community or theme house – because that’s where you’ll be living! If space is no longer available in your learning community or theme house, we’d assign you to a different location based on your other housing preferences.

Residential Learning Communities

RLCs are small groups of students who live together on designated houses or floors. Students share academic interests, classes, living spaces and develop friendships as part of an innovative program in cooperative learning. As such, most RLCs are limited to students in certain majors.

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Available Learning Communities Location
Aerospace Engineering (Launch Pad) Helser
Agricultural Education and Studies (AGEDS) Larch
Agriculture & Biosystems Engineering Helser, Maple
Agriculture Community Encourages Success (ACES) Maple
CALS Transfer Frederiksen Court Apartments
Chemical Engineering (ChE) Friley
Common Threads Maple
Computer Engineering Learning Teams (CELTs) Friley
Computer Science Friley, Helser
Connect Four Larch
Design Exchange Friley, Helser
Electrical Engineering Friley
Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) Eaton
Honors Cluster Friley, Geoffroy
Honors House Barton, Lyon, Martin
Leadership Through Engineering Academic Diversity (LEAD) Friley
Natural Resource Ecology & Management Freshmen Learning Community (NREM) Willow
Psychology Geoffroy
Science of the Environment and Sustainable Systems Larch
Technology Helser, Maple
Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) First-Year Friley, Martin, Eaton, Helser, Willow, Buchanan, Geoffroy
Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Transfer Frederiksen Court Apartments

Theme Houses

Theme houses provide opportunities for students with common interests to live together and pursue those interests through organized programs and activities. While there are no academic or major requirements, ROTC Theme Houses requires military affiliation and Cross Cultural Theme House requires residents to live with a roommate from a different country.

Available Theme Houses Location
Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) Larch
Allergen Awareness Martin
Army ROTC Willow
Gender Inclusive Housing Freeman