
Special Interest Housing
2023-2024 Academic Year Special Interest Housing Process
To learn about the houses, you can view their websites, contact us, or contact the advisor(s) listed under each house.
Housing Applications for 2023-2024 are now available via the Tufts University Housing Portal. To find the Housing Portal:
- Log into SIS.
- Click on “About Me,” then click on “Housing.”
- Once you have reached the Home Page, click on “Application” on the top left of the screen.
- Theme and Special Interest Housing applications will be available beginning Monday, October 17 beginning at 12 p.m. and will close on January 20, 2023 at 5 p.m.
- General Housing applications will be available
- Rising Juniors and Seniors: beginning Monday, October 17 through November 6 at 5 p.m. to be eligible to apply for a lottery number for on campus housing. Applications received after November 6 at 5 p.m. will automatically be added to the Housing Waitlist unless part of required housing groups (rising sophomores). Rising Juniors and Seniors will still be eligible to apply for theme and special interest housing between November 6 and January 20, 2023. This process is separate from the Junior/Senior lottery process.
- Rising Sophomores: beginning Monday, October 17 through January 20, 2023 at 5 p.m.
- Students noting that they are interested in participating in study abroad will not be eligible for a housing lottery number - this includes students who apply for theme housing or general housing. Those students will be placed on the housing waitlist.
- SMFA students living on Beacon Street are also required to apply for on-campus housing for their sophomore year.
- Rising Juniors and Seniors who are interested in learning more about the Off-Campus Housing process are encouraged to attend one of our upcoming webinars on the subject. For more information, please visit the off-campus housing page. Contact offcampusinfo@tufts.edu for more information or assistance. Join us for our Off-Campus Housing Webinar on Wednesday, October 19 at 6 p.m.
Timeline
Date | Process |
---|---|
October 17 | Housing Applications open via Housing Portal. Theme houses will have a separate application process included on this form. |
January 20 | Special Interest & Create-Your-Own-Theme Housing Application closes |
October 31 - January 31* (tentative) | Interviews for Special Interest houses with House Advisors/Managers |
February 3* (tentative) | Offer Letters send to students; acceptances due shortly thereafter |
February 6* (tentative) | Acceptance into Theme & Special Interest community response due to Residential Life |
To learn about the houses, you can view their websites, contact us, or contact the advisor(s) listed under each house.
Special Interest Housing and Descriptions: 2023-24 Academic Year
The below information on locations for current theme and special interest communities is subject to change.
12 Dearborn Rd (Japanese Language)
Mission: The Japanese Language House aims to provide an interactive communal space with a vibrant Japanese language and cultural atmosphere.
Vision: Residents are able to practice speaking Japanese and gain an inclusive cultural experience with a close-knit community.
The Japanese Language House provides residents with an opportunity to develop a greater understanding of the Japanese language and culture in collaboration with the Japanese Program. The residents gather bi-weekly for dinner and weekly for language “chats,” and celebrate Japanese holidays and cultural events.
- Address: 12 Dearborn Rd
- Contact: Shiori Koizumi
45 Sawyer (Rainbow House)
Mission: Rainbow House provides a safe space and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ students on campus. Our mission is to maintain a friendly, non-judgmental space for members of our community to come together.
Vision: Our vision is to maintain a close community of queer students and allies for the purpose of facilitating friendship, understanding, and solidarity.
The Rainbow House provides a queer–friendly atmosphere for students who are interested in issues of gender and sexuality. Residents of Rainbow House create and maintain a living space that is affirming to all sexual and gender identities. The unit brings issues of queer students to the entire Tufts community through educational, social, and community programming. The Rainbow House also serves as a social outlet for queer students and their friends and fosters the sense of community for which Tufts has come to be known
Past events have included the Annual Halloween and Valentines Day Parties, Thanksgiving "Family" Dinner, Super Smash Brothers Tournaments, "The L Word" viewing of key episodes, Glamour Trash Oscar Party, Fall Pumpkin Carving, and a group outing to Boston University's Annual Drag Ball.
Please note: there is a maximum two-year residency permitted in Rainbow House.
- See the Floor Plan for Rainbow House
- Address: 45 Sawyer Avenue
- Contact: Hope Freeman
90-92 Curtis Street (Chinese Language House)

The Chinese Language House in collaboration with the Chinese Language Program is a language-based environment outside the classroom that promotes and facilitates language learning, cross-cultural exchange, and understanding within the larger community at Tufts.
- See the Floor Plan for Chinese House
- Address: 90-92 Curtis Street
- Contact: Shaomei Wang
101 Talbot Ave (Russian/Slavic Culture House)
The Russian/Slavic and Central Asian Culture House allows residents interested in the cultures of Russian, East-European, and post-Soviet geopolitical space to engage in cultural and language activities as a part of their everyday life. Students interested in applying do not specifically need to have taken/be taking courses in Russian language and East-European culture, but rather need to have a demonstrated interest in the field or to be of the relevant background. Everyone interested in the culture, geography, and social life of the countries of ex-USSR or eastern Europe is welcome. Knowledge of Russian or other Slavic languages is not a requirement but is recommended, since one of the goals of the unit is to provide an opportunity for Russian language practice outside the classroom.
- Address: 101 Talbot Ave
- Contact: Marina Aptekman
176 Curtis Street (Muslim House)

Mission: The Muslim House offers any resident the opportunity to live in a uniquely Muslim environment.Residents are able to enhance a cultural experience and expand their knowledge of Islam within a closely-knit community.
- See the Floor Plan for Muslim House
- Address: 176 Curtis Street
- Contact: Najiba Akbar
Anthony House (Crafts House)
Mission: We are a creative food and labor communal co-op cultivating a space of action. We encourage creative, personal, and social growth and support. Crafts House has long been devoted to providing a support system for those who feel a lack of support or acceptance elsewhere at Tufts. We make communal, dietary sensitive meals most times a week, and equitably share resources and labor. Under normal circumstances we run the Crafts Center – which started in the basement of the house – where artistic skills and supplies are shared.
Vision: We strive to create an actively anti-racist and anti-bias space, in which activism and cultural exploration is incorporated into events and day to day experience. We hope to create a stronger presence in the Tufts community and beyond.
- See the Floor Plan for Crafts House
- Address: Anthony House, 14 Professors Row
- Interim Contact: Angy Sosa
Bartol House (Arts Haus)
Mission: The overall space we strive to create at Arts Haus is one that inspires each resident to come together to create a strong and supportive hub of creative folks. While Arts Haus has typically engaged the broader Tufts community by hosting events such as costume parties and live-music shows, COVID restrictions have drastically limited the scope of what we can do. In spite of unprecedented challenges, residents continue to build a caring environment where we prioritize taking care of one another while finding ways to have fun safely. Programs in Fall 2020 has included painting nights, movie viewings, Fall pumpkin painting, a murder mystery program on Halloween, and even just simply studying together. At the core of Arts Haus is to provide a home to uplift each other in ways meaningful to us – by artists, for artists.
Vision: COVID has deeply changed the ways in which residents at Arts Haus interact with one another. The pandemic has challenged us in reevaluating what it means to support each other and strengthen our community with meaningful experiences both difficult and joyous. Moving forward, I envision Arts Haus to continue being a home for artists to feel secure in expressing ourselves. When it becomes safer to do so, we hope to slowly begin to host events that invite other Tufts students into our space to enrich the community with funky fun, artsy excitement, and happy memories.
- See the Floor Plan for Arts Haus
- Address: Bartol House, 37 Sawyer Avenue
- Interim Contact: Angy Sosa
Capen House (Africana Center)
Mission: Capen House creates an environment for residents of the house to grow as individuals and as a group. Residents expand their knowledge of Blackness and the world around them through sharing experiences, cultivating conversations, and attending programming that amplifies their abilities and themselves.
Vision: To have strong bonds between residents that can lead into long-lasting connections; connections that stand the test of time and prove that Black People can continue to achieve meaningful dreams by coming together and being present in their lives.
- See the Floor Plan for Capen House
- Address: Capen House, 8 Professors Row
- Contact: Katrina Moore and Montez Paschall
Chandler House (Spanish Language House)
Mission: The Spanish Language House collaborates with the Spanish Program allows residents to develop greater fluency in Spanish and enhance their understanding of Spanish & Latin American countries, lifestyles, and cultures. Residents hold bi-weekly events where members of the Tufts community can stop by and enjoy refreshments and conversation. Rising senior and juniors will have priority during the selection process as well as prioritization for the single rooms within the house.
Vision: To practice the Spanish language and to expose residents to the cultures of various Spanish-speaking countries.
Members of the Spanish House have the opportunity to improve their practical, conversational Spanish daily. Residents should expect to communicate nearly exclusively in Spanish with their housemates and any other visiting Spanish speakers, at least when in the house. Applicants who are actively learning Spanish (non-native speaker, not fluent, etc.) should be ready to communicate in a second language at home, and excited to take on the challenge. Besides house residents who speak Spanish as a first language (primarily exchange students living in the house), we are all learning Spanish, and we are not shy to make mistakes and ask for help with a word or conjugation.
- See the Floor Plan for Spanish Language House
- Address: Chandler House, 125 Powder House Blvd.
- Contact: Isabel Castro Escudero
Davies House (International House/I-House)
Mission: Davies House, better known as International House (or "I-House") is a Tufts residence for 16 students from all over the world, including the US. The I-House offers an intercultural living arrangement for both international and domestic students with the goal of creating an environment in which residents can share their cultures and celebrate their differences among friends.
Vision: The vision of the International House is to promote unity and harmony among students from all of the world. We seek to create an equitable space for all of us to celebrate our own cultures and personalities, and we hope to serve as a beacon of hope, unity, and internationalism to the rest of the Tufts community.
- See the Floor Plan for I-House
- Address: Davies House, 13 Sawyer Avenue
- Contact: Lizzie Siegle
92 Professors Row (FIRST House)
Mission: The FIRST House provides a safe and welcoming space for students who are First Generation, Low-Income, or have Undocumented Status. We strive to continually cultivate a deep understanding and connection amongst members of our community.
Vision: We hope to continually support, uplift, and encourage each other as we create a space to celebrate the unique experiences of students within our community.
- See the Floor Plan for FIRST House
- Address: 92 Professors Row
- Contact: Daniela Pozos-Nicolau
Hall House (Bayit House/Jewish Culture House)
Mission: The Jewish Culture House provides a setting where students can live and develop in a Jewish communal atmosphere. Residents sponsor programs aimed at informing the community about Jewish issues and culture. The residents also maintain a kosher kitchen
Vision: The Jewish Cultural House (or “the Bayit”) is a non-denominational Jewish communal space on Tufts campus led with the values of its residents and community.
- See the Floor Plan for Bayit House
- Address: Hall House, 98 Packard Avenue
- Contact: Rabbi Dr. Naftali Brawer and Perry Doherty
Latin Way Apartments, 170s (Asian-American House)
Mission: The Asian American House provides a safe space for students of Asian or Asian American descent in a predominantly white institution. Residents of the unit organize activities related to the Asian American experience. Past activities have included an art exhibit, food fair, informal afternoon gatherings with faculty, and discussions on Asian American issues and topics.
- See the Floor Plan for Asian-American House
- Address: 170s Latin Way Apartments
- Contact: Aaron Parayno
Hillside Apartments, 350s (The Hive)
Mission: The Hive is a focal point for the environmental community on the Tufts Campus. By bringing eco-friendly students together, we promote the spread of knowledge and passion for sustainable living. The house provides a living space for students interested in the environment and sustainability. Additionally, the house hosts events geared towards educating people about the environment and sustainability as well. The Hive strives to be a model for sustainable living on campus. We hope that the Hive will become more sustainable with each new group of students that live here as they build upon the sustainable living practices of previous students.
- See the Floor Plan for The Hive
- Address: Hillside Apartments, 350’s Suite
- Contact: Ann Ward
Milne House (La Casa Latina/Latinx Culture House)
La Casa Latina provides a support system to the Latinx community at Tufts, welcoming students interested in the Latinx culture, and Latinx issues. In conjunction with the Latinx Center, residents sponsor activities and events to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of Latinx culture.
- See the Floor Plan for La Casa Latina
- Address: Milne House, 8-10 Whitfield Road
- Contact: Marvin Casasola
Schmalz House (French Language House)
Mission: People who share this common interest in French language and culture can live in this house to not only practice their French, but also to share their knowledge and experiences, have positive discourse, and have fun together.
Vision: To foster an appreciation for, understanding of, and growing interest in French language and culture.
- See the Floor Plan for French Language House
- Address: Schmalz House, 11 Whitfield Road
- Contact: Anne-Christine Rice
Wyeth House (German Language House)
Mission: Residents of the German House are curious about and interested in German culture and language. Together, they create a space that facilitates awareness and understanding of everything German--both for themselves and the larger Tufts community. The German House hosts long-standing events like Kaffeestunde and Filmabend, and residents are encouraged to shape the House’s purpose and offerings by organizing cultural, academic, and/or social activities related to German culture and language, whether independently or in collaboration with other campus groups and resources. House residents have the opportunity to live alongside German exchange students, and to further deepen their understanding of German language and culture. German language experience is a plus, but not required.
- See the Floor Plan for German Language House
- Address: Wyeth House, 21 Whitfield Road
- Contact: Doris Pfaffinger: 617-627-2621