Living Learning Communities
Live with students who share similar academic or social interests.
- The 2023-2024 Housing application for new students is open. Learn More & Apply Now
- Housing Renewal for current students will open in February. Learn More
- The WKU Kentucky Street Apartments 2023-2024 application is open February 1-14. Students with 60+ credit hours eligible to apply. Learn More
WKU Living Learning Communities
In a WKU Living Learning Community (LLC), students with similar academic or social interests live together on a residence hall floor and participate in activities tailored to their specific majors or interests.
LLCs are designed to help you connect socially, succeed academically, engage with WKU faculty, staff, and administrators, and chart your course at WKU.
WKU faculty share about WKU Living Learning Communities
Although each LLC has unique opportunities, they all share the same vital purpose and goal: nurturing and developing a prosperous Hilltopper student to become engaged with other students and faculty throughout campus.
*There is no additional cost for a Living Learning Community. However, some LLCs require
students to register for specific classes; please refer to the individual LLC descriptions
for additional requirements.
WKU student attributes collegiate success to involvement in Living Learning Community
“The LLC was the biggest thing that contributed to my success within the Gordon Ford College of Business itself, not only as a person, but also as a college student...”
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No Additional Cost.
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Academic Living Learning Communities may include enrollment in two linked courses that count toward your major and/or General Education requirements.
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Priority housing - you will receive your housing assignment in early April.
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Priority course registration for LLC courses.
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Opportunity to form deeper connections with faculty and staff members.
- Opportunity to connect with people similar to yourself and create lasting relationships through your college career and beyond. You will build your support system early, preparing you as you progress through your coursework and into the career field.
“Joining the LLC allowed me to be in one of the most encouraging environments I’ve ever experienced...I had a group of 25 peers around me that I had three classes a day with, and we all lived on the same floor too. We were instant friends, and we knew so much about each other quickly. They were my first friends on campus, and we didn’t have to go through that ‘I don’t know anyone in this class’ phase. It just made it feel like home.”
Academic Living Learning Communities
The Agriculture Living Learning Community provides a residential environment that fosters peer networking and academic success for freshman who are majoring in Agriculture at WKU.
Majors include:
- Agriculture
- Agricultural Technology & Mgt
In the Agriculture LLC, you will:
- Live with other freshman Agriculture majors on the same floor in a residence hall,
- Take agriculture major courses together, and
- Participate in events throughout your freshman year that will help you to learn more about your area of study and the opportunities available in your discipline.
Participating in the Agriculture LLC is a great way to get to know other students, faculty, and staff in your program.
Satisfies major and general education requirements
AGRO 110: Introduction to Plant Science
Regents Hall is a pod-style residence hall located in the First Year Village
WKU Department of Agriculture and Food Science
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The Business Living Learning Communityis specifically designed for first-year business-minded students to receive enhanced learning programs outside of the classroom. This community provides support toward a successful academic and eventual business career.
I am thankful for all of the friends that I have made and all of the academic benefits [the Business] LLC has to offer!
The Business Living Learning Community provides students with opportunities to connect and engage with fellow business-minded classmates, faculty, peer mentors, and business executives.
Students will benefit from programming designed to focus on community engagement, leadership, and personal development.
Students will have the opportunity to participate in business workshops, networking events with faculty, and business-related excursions.
Events business LLC students can expect to attend are the Annual Hot Rods Game, Game Nights, Podsgiving, and Bowling.
Satisfies major and general education requirements
- FIN 161 -Personal Finance (fall)
- BA 175 - Business Administration (fall)
- ECON 202 -Economics (spring)
Regents Hall is a pod-style residence hall located in the First Year Village
Eligible Majors Include:
- Accounting
- Analytics and Information Systems
- Economics - Economics, Business Economics, Mathematical Economics
- Finance - Business Finance and Personal Financial Planning
- Management - Business Admin, HR, Supply Chain, Entrepreneurship, Global Business Concentrations
- Marketing - Sales, Strategic, and Social Media
"I am thankful for the immediate connections that we all made in the first couple of weeks of school."
Thanks to the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. Gary and Gail Broady, there is no additional cost for students to enroll in the Gordon Ford College of Business Living Learning Communities.
WKU Gordon Ford College of Business
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) Living Learning Community is for students who are majoring in a CHHS program.
Students will live together in a common "pod" and will participate in activities that will promote a smooth transition academically, socially, and personally to college life.
The CHHS LLC will provide opportunities to interact and meet with the CHHS Student Wellness Navigators.
Each student in the CHHS LLC will enroll in a common course. This course will facilitate networking within the college and with professionals in the community. Additional courses may be guided based on major of interest. Students will discover how professionals interact and collaborate.
Department of Applied Human Sciences
- Child and Family Services
- Hospitality Management and Dietetics
- Interior Design and Fashion Merchandising
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Communication Disorders
School of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport
- Physical Education
- Recreation, Park, and Non-profit Administration
- Sport Management
School of Nursing and Allied Health
- Dental Hygiene
Department of Public Health
- Environmental and Occupational Health Science
- Health Care Administration
- Health Information Management
- Health Sciences
- Public Health
Department of Social Work
- Social Work
Pre-Professional Programs
The CHHS majors listed above are often selected by students interested in pre-professional programs, such as pre-medicine, pre-physical therapy, pre-dentistry, pre-occupational therapy, pre-physician assistant, pre-optometry, and pre-pharmacy. Students with these pre-professional program interests may also be considered for the CHHS LLC.
Note, students interested in the major of Exercise Science should apply to the Exercise Science LLC.
Regents Hall is a pod-style residence hall located in the First Year Village
Find your inspiration in the Creative Arts Living Learning Community.
Join future artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, composers, actors, designers, technicians, and dancers in this interdisciplinary community designed to cultivate creativity.
Live, study, create and collaborate with fellow students studying the arts.
Students in the Creative Arts LLC have access to residence hall music practice rooms and studio space.
Meredith Hall is a suite-style residence hall, featuring a brand new studio space accessible to Creative Arts LLC students.
Eligible Majors Include:
- Art History
- English (Creative Writing)
- Dance
- Film
- Film Production
- Music
- Performing Arts
- Theatre
- Visual Arts
- Visual Studies
WKU Potter College of Arts & Letters
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The Criminology Living Learning Community is focused on engaging first-year students interested in the professions of criminology (i.e., law enforcement, courts, corrections, victim advocacy, and juvenile justice), and believe their transition to college would be enhanced by receiving extra support from faculty, peer mentors, alumni, and community partners working in justice careers.
Together, participants will live on the same residence hall floor while engaging in shared classroom experiences and programming designed to deepen awareness of and appreciation for the field of criminology.
LLC participants will benefit from a close relationship with faculty and peer mentors in the criminology program, learning from them the techniques of college success.
Satisfies major and general education requirements
- CRIM 101: Introduction to Criminal Justice (fall)
- CRIM 234: Crime and Popular Culture (fall)
- CRIM 330: Criminology (spring)
Meredith Hall is a suite-style hall located in the First Year Village.
I am beyond thankful for the relationships I’ve made in my pod, as well as my phenomenal pod leader and RA. They are the ones that has helped me transition into my new life here on campus.
WKU Department of Sociology & Criminology
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The Earth, Environmental, & Atmospheric Sciences (EEAS) LLC is a community designed for first-year majors in environmental, geographic, geological, meteorological, emergency management/disaster, and sustainability sciences. Although students may major in these distinctively different fields, the disciplines are highly interconnected, with the broad topics complementing and building upon each other.
Students will receive enhanced learning programs outside of the classroom to support a successful academic and eventual geoscience career.
Regents Hall is a pod-style residence hall located in the First Year Village
WKU Earth, Environmental, & Atmospheric Sciences
Contact: llc@wku.edu
- Maintain a 3.0 GPA
- Major in one of the following:
- Environmental,Sustainability,&GeographicScience
- Geological Sciences
- Meteorology
- Students must take GEOG/GEOL 103 and GEOG 280.
The "Top of the Class" Living Learning Community is for first-year students enrolled in the WKU School of Teacher Education.
All students majoring in education are welcome: elementary, special education, middle grades, or secondary.
This LLC provides a learning community for future teachers to share their passion, learn together, and interact in professional growth activities that develop fellowship and professionalism.
Normal Hall is a pod-style residence hall located in the First Year Village
WKU School of Teacher Education
Contact: llc@wku.edu
I’m thankful for my LLC because I have learned a lot from those who live around me. They have taught me what it’s like to be in a community and have people around me that you can talk to at any point about whatever you need. Being around people that have the same interest as you is a great opportunity to learn from one another! I have made friends for life here and for that I’ll always be thankful!
The Exercise Science Living Learning Community is designed for first-year students in the School of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport who are majoring in Exercise Science.
Each semester, LLC members will enroll in two courses together that are required for the Exercise Science major. Students will also live on the same floor of a residence hall with other Exercise Science students and will benefit from peer engagement, faculty mentorship, and experiential learning opportunities.
Members of the LLC will have opportunities to engage with each other, with faculty members, and with other students in the Exercise Science program. Examples of engagement and educational activities include:
- Guest speakers and discussions on topics in Exercise Science
- Educational exercise sessions
- Pre-registration group advising session
- Peer mentoring
- Faculty meet and greets
Satisfies major and general education requirements
- PSY 100 - Introduction to Psychology (fall)
- EXS 122 - Foundations of Kinesiology (fall)
- BIOL 131-Human Anatomy & Physiology (spring)
- EXS 223 -Introduction to Exercise Science (spring)
Regents Hall is a pod-style residence hall located in the First Year Village
I am thankful for the opportunity to meet lots of friends, and having neighborhood style living within my pod.
To be eligible to join the EXS LLC, students must:
- Be a first-year student
- Major in Exercise Science
- Express interest in the EXS LLC on their housing application and answer the required questions.
Applicants will be chosen based on GPA and stated interest in the program. Members of the LLC are expected to enroll in the designated foundational courses (two per semester) with their cohort.
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The F1RST Gen LLC is for first-year first generation college students. WKU defines first generation as “neither parent graduated from a traditional four-year college.” This includes students whose parents graduated with an associate degree (two-year degree), attended college but failed to graduate, or had a sibling/relative graduate with a bachelor's degree. You are not alone! In Fall 2021, over 29% of WKU’s first-time, first-year students identified as first-generation college students.
This LLC will create an opportunity for you to live in a learning environment that fosters individual and group leadership skills and provides you with a support system for a smooth college transition, develop your brand, and learn to be an influential leader. This LLC is open to first generation students who are exploring different majors and/or career paths in the exploratory studies program, organizational leadership, and communication. Students will take courses together and learn more about major/career path options.
Satisfies general education requirements
FALL
- COMM 145:Fundamentals of Public Speaking and Communication
- IDST 199: University Learning (for First Gen students)
SPRING
- LEAD 200: Leadership Studies
- (Optional) FIN 161: Personal Finance
Hugh Poland Hall is a community-style residence hall located in the First Year Village
This LLC provides programs such as:
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Mentorship from current students and faculty,
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Career coaching and exploratory advisement in partnership with the Academic Career and Development Center (ACDC),
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Experiential learning activities and success strategies programming, and
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Success strategies programming (including financial literacy), and
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The chance to develop a network of peers and explore leadership opportunities on campus.
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Students will take two courses together in the fall semester and one course together in the spring semester. Students are also encouraged to take FIN 161 - Personal Finance, if their schedule permits.
- Students will also complete Phase 1 of the Dynamic Leadership Institute (DLI). In your second semester, you will complete Phase 2 of DLI and engage in other out-of-class activities with your LLC colleagues.
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The Journalism, Broadcasting, and Photojournalism Living Learning Community is designed to bring together and engage first-year students in the fields of Journalism, Broadcasting, and Photojournalism, and to provide shared experiences across those disciplines.
Students in this LLC will form strong, interpersonal connections to their classmates and faculty in the School of Media, and will have increased and enhanced opportunities to study, discuss and experience the core material from their Freshman SoM classes.
- Students must be first-year majors in Journalism, Broadcasting or Photojournalism.
- Students must be enrolled in a single linked section of SOM 101 (Understanding Media) and one of two linked sections of SOM 102 (Media Content, Collaboration and Community) during their first semester.
Normal Hall is a pod-style residence hall located in the First Year Village
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The Nursing Living Learning Community provides a residential community for peer networking, selective tutoring, mentoring and strategic programming for students who plan to enter the nursing program at WKU.
This LLC is limited to students with a Pre-Nursing major designation.
Regents Hall is a pod-style residence hall located in the First Year Village
I’m thankful for my faculty fellows that are super kind and always willing to help us!
WKU School of Nursing and Allied Health
Contact: llc@wku.edu
PSYCH - Psychology Students Yearning to Climb Higher
The PSYCH LLC is designed is to:
- Help students learn the ins and outs of the psychology major,
- Broaden students' knowledge about career options in psychology,
- Develop transferable skills relevant to the field of psychology and beyond,
- Improve academic success,
- Promote positive social involvement with both peers and faculty, and
- Improve overall wellness.
Satisfies general education requirements
Fall
- PSY220 - Introduction to Developmental Psychology
- TBD Colonnade course
Spring
- PSY210/211
- TBD colonnade course
Normal Hall is a pod-style residence hall located in the First Year Village
- Declared Psychology Major
- Eligibility for MATH 183
I am thankful for my LLC because I have made genuine close connects to people that I can now call my closest friends. I have also been able to be more connected to my major in psychology and have learned ways to advance toward my future career. I have also had many activities that have gotten me more connected on campus. I wouldn’t change this opportunity for anything else.
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) Living Learning Community provides a residential environment for first-year students that fosters peer networking and academic success for students who are majoring in any of the nine undergraduate programs in SEAS through the Ogden College of Science and Engineering.
In the SEAS LLC, you will live with other students majoring in a SEAS discipline on the same floor in Regents Hall, take a major course together, and participate in SEAS LLC events throughout your freshmen year to learn about your major, grow professionally, and make academic and social connections.
Participating in the SEAS LLC is a great way to get to know other students, faculty, and staff in your discipline.
I am thankful for having the given experiences and being able to make friends with the ones in similar fields and who live on the same floor.
Regents Hall is a pod-style residence hall located in the First Year Village
WKU School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Contact: llc@wku.edu
Eligible Majors Include:
- Architectural Science
- Civil Engineering
- Construction Management
- Computer Information Technology
- Computer Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Engineering Technology Management
- Manufacturing Engineering Technology
- Mechanical Engineering
Interest-Based Living Learning Communities
The Chinese Flagship Living Learning Community houses students participating in the Chinese Flagship Program.
Students who participate in the Chinese Flagship LLC are invited to exclusive events intended to immerse them in, and deepen their knowledge of, the Chinese language and culture.
Events may include:
- Chinese New Year and Moon Festival celebrations,
- Cooking traditional Chinese food with faculty,
- Study abroad application workshops,
- A Critical Language Scholarship application workshop with the Office of Scholar Development,
- The annual Spring Symposium, an event designed to showcase student research, language learning, or creative work in Chinese,
- A workshop to learn about federal careers,
- Learning intercultural games with a Chinese tutor.
I am so very thankful for the community we created which enabled us to learn and grow together. The ability to utilize the skills of others while learning Chinese has been immensely helpful which allowed us to make unforgettable connections to one another! I will never forget this experience and I’m so thankful for that.
Throughout the year, students will be connected to an upper-level peer mentor who will serve as a bridge to the upper-level students, and to advise on adjusting to WKU and how to succeed in the Flagship Program. In addition, students will be invited to multiple informal events held at the Chinese Language Immersion House on campus to cook, play games, sing karaoke, or watch movies.
Minton Hall is a community style hall located in the middle of campus.
- This LLC is for incoming first year students.
- Students must apply to and be accepted into the Chinese Flagship Program to participate.
- All students will attend the mandatory Annual Flagship Student Meeting in September.
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The Intercultural Student Engagement Center (ISEC) Academy Living Learning Community is for any student who identifies as a student of color (Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native American, and Multiracial) and/or is a first-generation college student, Pell eligible, and has some need with their transition, persistence, and graduation from WKU.Please note that living in the LLC is not a requirement to be a part of ISEC but is encouraged.
LLC participants may be enrolled in up to two courses including:
- IDST 199: University Learning
- ENGL 100:Introduction to College Writing
- COM 145:Fund Speaking/Communication
- HIST 102: World History II
This LLC is for first-year and second-year students only.
[I am thankful for] the family away from home that is has provided me, it’s a priceless support system, filled with love and black excellence that keeps me on my path and lifts me up when I fall.
Hugh Poland Hall is a community-style residence hall located in the First Year Village.
Munday Hall is a hotel-style residence hall located in the Centennial Village.
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The WKU Mahurin Honors College Living Learning Community is designed specifically for scholars in The Mahurin Honors College (MHC). The MHC has worked with driven and gifted scholars for decades, and we have crafted an environment inside of Minton Hall that focuses on your unique social, cultural, and intellectual needs.
Our inclusive interdisciplinary LLC focuses on maximizing your success through a host of specialized programs as you ascend towards excellence in the MHC. The MHC LLC in Minton Hall is a residence hall full of high energy eclectic scholars just like you.
Students must be admitted to the Mahurin Honors College
I have made friends who share the same values as me. This has helped me enjoy college while also putting my academic requirements first. My friends have encouraged me to keep pushing through homework and even getting up for class sometimes. I am truly so thankful for the lifelong friends that the LLC has brought me.
HON 251: Citizen and Self
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The Army ROTC Living Learning Community is for students who:
- Are enrolling in the ROTC program and a Military Science course
- Want to live in the same residence hall and form connections with other Army ROTC students
- Want to participate in extracurricular activities that connect learning in and out of the classroom
Army ROTC partners with Western Kentucky University to recruit, educate, develop, and inspire ROTC Cadets in order to commission officers of character for the Total Army.
The Army ROTC Living Learning Community consists of a diverse group of first-year students who are engaged in the Army ROTC program, and a variety of co-curricular activities. The living learning community will create camaraderie and team building among ROTC students, ensure each ROTC student is persistent in their academics and connect ROTC students with faculty/staff to track student success through mentorship opportunities. Students in the living learning community will have access to many different opportunities to enhance their abilities and prepare them for their future careers.
Zacharias Hall is a suite style residence hall located in the First Year Village.
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The Stonewall Suites (LGBTQ+) Living Learning Community is for students who strive to promote social integration and change for all gender identities, gender expressions and sexual orientations.
This LLC is open to any student interested in participating. Students interested in this LLC will go through an interview process before being selected into the community.
Satisfies major and general education requirements
Meredith Hall is a suite style hall located in the First Year Village
I'm incredibly thankful for the friends I've made since coming here and hearing all of their incredibly stories. I've really learned so much from them and I'm so grateful to have met everyone in Stonewall Suites!
Contact: llc@wku.edu
The Transfer Living Learning Communityis for any student who is transferring to WKU from another institution of higher education, whether that is a four-year university or a community college.
This LLC equips students for future success and strives to help students get connected to the campus community by helping them access helpful resources and making meaningful connections with other students.
Meredith Hall is a suite style residence hall
I am the most thankful for the community and friends I've made while being a part of my LLC.
Contact: llc@wku.edu
View From the Hill | Incoming Freshmen at WKU encouraged to apply for Living Learning Communities
Living Learning Community options and locations may be subject to change.
Apply for a Living Learning Community through your WKU Housing Application.
Depending on the LLC, you may be asked to submit more information.
If you need to make changes to your LLC application after submitting, please email llc@wku.edu.
Beginning mid-February, LLC admission decisions will be shared via email and in the WKU Housing Portal.
Students who apply for an LLC after February 15th can expect to receive an email decision by March 31st.
Receiving a Placement Offer
- Students must accept or decline the offer in the WKU Housing Portal.
- To accept, follow the instructions in the WKU Housing Portal and confirm the LLC Learning Contract.
- If the student chooses to deny the offer, the student can apply for a different LLC in their WKU Housing application.
- If you accept, you will be assigned to the building/floor housing the LLC.
Receiving a Waitlist Offer
- The student will be added to the LLC if a placement becomes available.
- If the student does not want to be added to the waitlist for the LLC, they can deny the waitlist offer and apply for a new LLC in their WKU Housing Application.
“Living in an LLC makes it easier for us to access our teachers.”
Danielle Williams, a member of the Criminology Living Learning Community (LLC) at WKU, has found life in an LLC beneficial for starting her academic journey.
“I’ve made some of my best friends through the Business LLC.”
Nick Herdegen, a member of the Business Living Learning Community, says that being a part of the Business LLC helped him transition into WKU both academically and socially.
“I’ve made some of my best friends through the Business LLC.”
Nick Herdegen, a member of the Business Living Learning Community, says that being a part of the Business LLC helped him transition into WKU both academically and socially.
“It’s great because we’re all in the same classes and I have people I can bond with.” He explained that being in an LLC means being surrounded by “people who all specialize in what you learn”, which gives you a great opportunity to help and be helped by the people who live right down the hall.
Additionally, he explained that being in an LLC gave him a community of people as soon as he arrived on the Hill, as there are often events such as visiting Chaney’s Dairy Barn or Monopoly nights that allow the students in the LLC to get to know each other.
Even though Nick has switched from pursuing an accounting degree to the pre-nursing program, he still feels like the LLC experience benefited him greatly and helped him connect with other Hilltoppers.
Photo & interview by WKU student, Isabelle Hannah ('24)
“I have people living with me, who are also in the same classes as me. I’m able to connect with them and practice speaking Chinese with them.”
Taryn Guyer, a member of the Chinese Flagship Living Learning Community, explained that she is more motivated to complete her work when she sees all the people around her completing and collaborating on assignments.
Have you ever been interested in learning a new language? Or in learning more about a culture?
WKU’s Chinese Flagship Program offers students an opportunity to learn Chinese with no previous knowledge of the language, by immersing them in Chinese classes five days a week and giving them an opportunity to engage with native speakers.
Taryn Guyer, a member of the Chinese Flagship Living Learning Community (LLC) explained that being a part of the LLC gave her a unique opportunity to learn more about the language from being surrounded by members of her classes in her residence hall.
“I have people living with me, who are also in the same classes as me. I’m able to connect with them and practice speaking Chinese with them.”
Taryn also explained that being in an LLC is academically beneficial, as she is more motivated to complete her work when she sees all the people around her completing and collaborating on assignments.
“There are people who live in the LLC that are in more advanced classes than me, and I am able to ask them for help.”
The Chinese Flagship LLC offers students in the program a unique opportunity to become even more immersed in learning the Chinese language, as it surrounds them with people who are all learning and practicing the same language.
(270)745-2037
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