Performances + Events
Housing and Residential Life
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about living on campus at NEC? Review these FAQs for a deep dive into the residential experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mail and packages should be addressed as follows:
Student Name (First and Last) – Room#New England Conservatory
255 St. Botolph St
Boston, MA 02115-5018
Many students ship their belongings to NEC before move-in day. NEC’s mail and copy center, Collegiate Press, can start to accept student packages beginning in mid-August. The mail and copy center will be open for new students to pick up their packages move-in weekend. Please refer to your Housing Welcome email in July for specific information regarding fall move-in.
All resident student mailings (letters and packages) will be received and held within the mail and copy center, located on the first floor of the 33 Gainsborough building on campus. The mail and copy center is open for pick-ups Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Students can check in inside the lobby of the Student Life and Performance Center at 255 St. Botolph Street on published fall move-in days. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by student leaders and Student Services personnel who will assist you with the check-in process, give you a moving bin, and help you find your room.
If you are driving to campus, you will be directed by security outside the Student Life and Performance Center to a temporary unloading area where student volunteers will help you unload your belongings into moving bins. There are metered parking spots on St. Botolph St. and Gainsborough St. The Gainsborough Garage is located a 2-minute walk from the Student Life and Performance Center on the corner of St. Botolph St. and Gainsborough St. Parking is limited.
Please refer to email correspondences from Residence Life and Student Affairs regarding Fall opening updates throughout the summer.
The residence hall has 247 bed spaces for residents.
The Green Room Café, located on the first floor of the Student Life and Performance Center, is the on-campus dining hall. All residents are required to have a meal plan, which is included in the cost of room and board. Details about the plan can be found on the dining page.
The residence hall is made up of seven residential floors with a lounge on each floor. Each lounge contains a couch, chairs, coffee table, cable-ready television, and a trash/recycling closet. The laundry room on the fourth floor is equipped with eight energy efficient washers and dryers that charge $3 per load and accept quarters or Cold Cash. Residents must provide their own detergent.
There is a kitchen on the fourth floor with a refrigerator, microwave, sink, stove, and vending machines. Residents must provide their own kitchen equipment, which must be stored in their own residence rooms. Residents are responsible for thoroughly cleaning up after themselves.
There are no practice rooms in the residence hall. However, students can practice in their room Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m., and Saturday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
Practice rooms are available in 33 Gainsborough and Jordan Hall from 7 a.m.–11 p.m. daily. A noise ordinance in Boston prevents NEC from having any 24-hour practice rooms on campus.
The residence hall does not have additional space to store students’ items. Students who have large instruments can apply for an on-campus locker if they need additional storage. However, off-campus students are given priority for these spaces. Students can keep their belongings in their rooms over the winter and spring breaks but must move out completely at the end of the academic year.
NEC does not offer renter’s insurance to students, but Residence Life strongly recommends that students consider purchasing renter’s insurance while living in the residence hall. NEC is not responsible for students’ personal items in the residence hall.
Residence Life strongly recommends insuring your instrument, if applicable, while living in the residence hall. Some NEC students have used Clarion Musical Instrument Insurance in the past.
There is no on-campus parking at NEC. Long-term parking in nearby garages is extremely expensive; therefore, Residence Life strongly discourages students from bringing a car to campus.
The Student Life and Performance Center is located about a 2-minute walk from the Massachusetts Ave. station on the MBTA orange line, a 3-minute walk from the Symphony stop on the MBTA Green E line, and a 1-minute walk from bus stops for the CT1 and 1 buses. Students should check their email before the fall and spring semesters to learn more about the opportunity to purchase discounted MBTA passes.
Open-air bicycle racks are located outside the SLPC and Jordan Hall. Students must register their bicycles through Public Safety, and bicycle racks are used at students’ own risk. Bicycles are not allowed in the Residence Hall.
NEC is a smoke-free campus. Students, faculty, staff and guests cannot smoke, including electronic cigarettes, on NEC property or within 25-feet of NEC property.
The Residence Life staff consists of one full-time professional Resident Director and seven resident assistants (RAs), who all live in the building. At least one Residence Life staff member lives on each floor of the residence hall. The Resident Hall Office is located on the first floor of the SLPC behind the Security Desk. This office is staffed by a Resident Assistant for one hour every night while they are working on-duty.
Resident Assistants (RAs) are full-time students and paraprofessional staff who work to create a community environment in the Residence Hall through personal interaction with their peers and by sponsoring creative programs to support the philosophy and objectives of Residence Life and NEC. There is an RA on-duty daily from 8 p.m.–8 a.m. who is available to assist students with after-hours crises or emergencies. RAs participate in extensive training every year
All resident students will receive their housing assignment via email by Mid-July. When students receive their room assignment, it will include their roommate’s email address. Students are encouraged to contact their roommate prior to arriving on campus and start to get to know each other. Roommates are also encouraged to discuss what they will bring to campus before fall move-in days.
Sometimes students are traveling during the summer and have limited access to email so they aren’t able to be in touch with their roommate before move-in days. That is normal, and roommates will have lots of opportunities to get to know one another once they are on campus.
We also encourage roommates to check out our collection of Roommate Dynamics Resources for supplemental guidance on getting to know one another better over time.
Guests must be signed in at the SLPC security desk.
The SLPC has a professional 24-hour security guard posted at the entrance. To enter the residence hall, residents must show their Penguin Pass with their residence hall sticker. All guests and visitors must show valid, government-issued photo identification upon entering the building. The building is equipped with smoke detectors, heat detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and a fire alarm system.
Students can study in their rooms, as well as in lounges on each floor of the residence hall. Quiet hours begin at 10 p.m. during the week and 11 p.m. on weekends. Residence Life staff enforce quiet hours to create an environment conducive to studying in the Residence Hall.
The Blumenthal Family Library is also located in the SLPC on the second floor.
The residence hall is open during the fall and spring semester. During Winter Break, the residence hall is closed and residents must leave the building but can leave their belongings in their rooms. The residence hall remains open for Thanksgiving Break, Presidents’ Day Break, and Spring Break. At the end of spring semester, all residents must move out. Rooms should be left in the condition they were in at the beginning of the academic year.
Pets are not allowed in the residence hall.
If you have questions, please contact the New England Conservatory Resident Director, Patrick Hazilla at patrick.hazilla@necmusic.edu.
