Duke University
📍 Durham, NC
Check the hall before buying sheets
Duke uses three mattress sizes. Most halls are Twin XL, Edens, Trinity and Wannamaker are Full, and Epworth and Few are regular Twin. This is the most expensive mistake available at Duke.
Bed and room basics
Rooms provide a bed, mattress, dresser, desk and chair, closet or wardrobe, and usually a bookcase. First-year students live on East Campus, while upperclass housing includes West Campus quads and other communities. Buildings have shared bathrooms, laundry and common amenities, with differences by house.
Most bed frames arrive around 31 inches high, and Few has a different adjustable setup. Bed risers are permitted, personal lofts are not, and bed-height changes should be requested through the university. All university furniture stays in the room.
Pack these first
- Bedding in the size confirmed for the assigned hall, not the size a general packing list assumes
- Towels, toiletries and a shower caddy for shared bathrooms
- Laundry supplies and hangers
- A UL-approved power strip
- Basic cleaning supplies
Rules and smart skips
- Permitted: UL-approved power strips, and coffee makers without exposed heating elements.
- Prohibited: open-coil cooking appliances, candles, incense, halogen and lava lamps, string and adhesive strip lights, space heaters, and personal air conditioners.
- Duke says rooms have central or window air conditioning, so a window unit is neither needed nor allowed.
- Skip personal lofts. Risers are the permitted way to gain height.
String lights and adhesive strip lights are on Duke's prohibited list, which surprises people every August.
Before move-in
- Follow the Housing assignment and the current arrival instructions rather than a previous year's.
- Confirm bed size, building access and the unloading plan before traveling.
- Complete the room-condition process on arrival, and photograph the room before unpacking.
- Coordinate shared appliances, rugs, fans and bathroom items with roommates after the assignment is released.
Official sources
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Build My DormOther North Carolina schools
- Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
- East Carolina University Greenville, NC
- UNC Charlotte Charlotte, NC
- North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
- Appalachian State University Boone, NC
DormHQ is an independent planning resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Duke University. School names are used only to identify the housing information being summarized. Housing details change, so always confirm specifics in the official university housing portal before purchasing size-specific items.
