So you’ve received your acceptance letter to Brigham Young University, congratulations! Now it’s time to decide where to live at BYU – Helaman Halls, Heritage Halls, or off-campus housing? There are pros and cons to all the choices.
Which Dorms are Best at Brigham Young University?
Where you want to live Freshman Year at BYU is a personal choice, and it’s not a one-size-fits-all option. With pros and cons to Helaman Halls and Heritage Halls, here are things you should consider.
My husband and I lived in Helaman Halls when we were freshmen back in the day, but things have changed. Our oldest daughter lived in Heritage Halls her first semester and then transferred to Helaman Halls in January, so she was able to experience both dorms. Here’s what you can expect at the dorms at BYU.
Heritage Halls at BYU
Heritage Halls are an apartment-style dorm with a full kitchen and two full bathrooms to share with 6 people. Mostly. There are some exceptions.
- Most apartments at Heritage Halls have three shared bedrooms with two bathrooms.
- There are a few two bedroom apartments with two shared bedrooms and one bathroom.
- Each tenant at Heritage Halls is provided with a bed, closet, desk, chair, and dresser drawers.
- Each apartment is furnished with a refrigerator, microwave, stove, oven, dishwasher, ironing board, dining table, dining chairs, and seating furniture.
- Rooms come without décor.
- There are a few two bedroom apartments with two private rooms and one bathroom available.
- One of these private rooms is for the RA.
When it’s your turn to select your room, you choose the exact room and bed space you want. So I recommend doing as much research as possible before your date arrives. Have different choices just in case your first choice is taken.
This is a typical bedroom at Heritage Halls. You can adjust the beds to be higher if you want for more storage, but drawers fit underneath without the tallest setting.
There is also a desk by the beds as well as an open closet which has a bar to hang clothes. There is no door on the closet, it’s essentially a cut out in the wall, but it was plenty of space.
The grounds at Heritage Halls are really pretty and there is a good amount of space between buildings. They are close to the BYU Creamery and the Wilkinson Center.
One pro to Heritage Halls is that there is a full kitchen in each apartment, so you don’t have to have a meal plan which saves a lot of money on food. You can choose to have one if you want. My daughter really enjoyed the flexibility of being able to eat on campus but then also just making herself something quick to eat at home.
Also, it’s great to have a living area in your apartment where you can choose to have a TV (that you provide) and it gives you a place to watch movies or TV shows with friends and roommates. You can have guests of the opposite gender, too, in the living area. There is a door that closes to the bedroom areas for privacy.
My daughter said the downside to this is that people seem to stick to their own apartments, so she didn’t see a lot of people in the hallways or even outside. Helaman Halls can sometimes feel more social, because there are people everywhere since there aren’t a ton of common areas.
It also seems more common to have returned missionaries at Heritage Halls. So this may also be a good choice if you’re looking for a more mature crowd, because sometimes freshman can be silly and loud.
At Heritage Halls, you’re also responsible for cleaning your own apartment, bathrooms, and for providing your own cleaning supplies, pots and pans for cooking, dishes and silverware for eating, so those are all things you need to work out with your roommates. Dishes are not provided at Heritage Halls.
Helaman Halls
Helaman Halls is on the other side of campus closer to the Smith Fieldhouse and LaVell Edwards Stadium, depending on where your dorm building is located. Most of the rooms are in a long hallway with a shared bathroom for all the residents of the hall. However some buildings do offer suite options.
Shared Room with a Sink
- The shared room with a sink is furnished with a bed, desk, chair and closet for each student.
- An in-room sink offers students a private area to get ready for the day.
- A mini fridge allows students to store perishable items.
- Beds may be raised on provided bed legs allowing extra storage.
- Some rooms have a small ledge above the closet for objects like skis and snowboards.
- Rooms in Building 9 have a different furniture arrangement with a bed on each side of the room rather than along the same wall.
- Tenants on each floor share a common bathroom area with five to six private showers and dressing spaces.
Shared Suites at Helaman Halls
- Shared suites are only available during Fall and Winter Semesters.
- Shared suites are available at David John Hall.
- Outside of David John Hall, each building in Helaman Halls offers two suites in the mezzanine of each building, where a lobby is provided for quiet study or social gathering.
- The shared suite is furnished with a bed, desk, chair and closet for each student.
- A mini fridge allows students to store perishable items.
- Beds may be raised on provided bed legs allowing extra storage.
- The shared suite has a bathroom that links two bedrooms together, allowing tenants to share a bathroom among four people instead of 30.
- The bathrooms provide a separate counter/sink area, allowing tenants to still access the mirror and sink if the shower is occupied.
My daughter was in a shared room with a sink and there were 3 toilets and 5 showers for the hall, but she said she never had a problem with overcrowding. You also have a sink in your room to get ready for the day, so not everyone is crowded around in the bathrooms in the morning.
The biggest con to Helaman Halls as a parent is the cost of a meal plan. They are very expensive and yes, students have access to the Cannon Commons for a discount, but you’re still paying $2500 a semester for one person for food. If you have a child who eats a lot of food, then maybe it would be worth it, but it’s still a racket.
I would also prefer to have all the money deposited into the account at once, rather than unused funds that roll over, because at the end of the year, you’ll most likely have a lot of money left over. Then you’re trying to spend it before you leave.
The food at Cannon Commons can get redundant, especially if you’re there for a whole year, but it’s also nice to have the option of having food prepared for you.
The Riviera Apartments
Helaman Halls and Heritage Halls are the most popular dorm options for BYU Freshmen. There’s also another Single Housing option at the Riviera Apartments, which is more like an off-campus style of apartment living. They are not as close to campus as the dorms, but they are still fairly close.
These are probably best if you just aren’t into the dorm life. These apartments also for residents who turn 19 before January 1, 2024 and returning tenants who have lived on-campus during the Fall and/or Winter semester of a previous academic year.
- Apartments at the Riviera have either two or three shared bedrooms and two bathrooms.
- Each room at the Riviera is furnished with two beds, a desk, chair, and closet.
- Each apartment is furnished with a refrigerator, microwave, stove, oven, dishwasher, dining table, dining chairs, and seating furniture.
- Rooms come without décor.
Is Heritage or Helaman Halls Better?
I always get the question Heritage versus Helaman Halls, which is better? The answer is Heritage Halls is better for some students and Helaman Halls is better for others. Each option for BYU Housing will appeal to different students for a variety of reasons.
There are questions you should ask like do you prefer to cook or not? Would you like to be more social or do you need a private space to decompress? What’s your budget? Where will most of your classes be?
There are also other factors beyond a student’s control like roommates (if you don’t know them), compatibility with roommates, other people in your ward, FHE group, etc. that contribute to the Freshman experience.
All of these factor in your decision. My daughter prefers Helaman Halls, because it’s more social, more people are out and about, but she also enjoyed her time at Heritage Halls. She just wanted the opportunity to know more people, and she had more friends from home living at Helaman Halls.
Cost Difference Between Helaman Halls and Heritage Halls
How much does it cost for a year at the dorms in BYU? Heritage Halls ends up being cheaper, because you don’t have to buy a meal plan, but the housing price is slightly more expensive. But if you’re going to be eating UberEats every day, then maybe it’s a wash.
For the 2024/2025 Fall AND Winter Semesters, to live at Heritage Halls it costs $4620 for a shared room and $5600 for a single room. Then you can decide if you want to add any type of meal plan or cook all your meals in your apartment.
For Helaman Halls for Fall and Winter semesters it costs $3945 for a shared room with a sink, $4250 for a shared suite, and $5390 for a single suite. But you also have to add in $5290 for the year for a meal plan! To live at Helaman Halls for fall and winter semesters, it’ll cost a minimum of $9235 for two semesters.
So it’s only about $700 more to live at Heritage Halls just for the (shared) room for two semesters. However, prices continue to increase each year for housing.
The biggest cost difference is having to purchase a dining plan to live at Helaman Halls totaling over $5000 for the two semesters. That is a lot of money, especially for the quality of food provided. But it’s convenient, it’s close, and that’s what you’re paying for.
However, the biggest problem I have with the Dining Plan is that you’re not actually getting $5000 in your account, that’s the “value” you get if you eat at Cannon Commons frequently since you get a discount for eating there.
Good luck in your decision. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments below. And go Cougars! When it’s time to move-in, these college dorm room must haves are great!
