Learning Communities

At Iowa State University, learning communities are small groups of students who generally take one, two, or three courses together and may live in the same residence hall. Other characteristics are listed below. Since learning communities often have several of these characteristics, be sure to explore all the possibilities to find the right choice for you.

Contact with students who have similar academic goals
Common courses
Common place of residence
Career exploration
Introduction to university resources
Peer mentoring
Faculty mentoring

Get Started

Review the list of learning communities.
Read descriptions of the learning communities and identify those of most interest to you.
Contact the learning community coordinator of the program of interest for more information.
If the learning community in which you are interested is residential (reserved residence hall spaces in proximity to other learning community participants - List of Residential Learning Communities), you will have the opportunity to sign up for that program when you contract for housing.
If the learning community you are interested in is not residential, then you will have the opportunity to sign up at orientation.
Most importantly, if you have any questions, if you have additional questions, just ask!

Important Dates

Review the information on our website. See if there is a learning community in your major. Also, look at the programs open to any major. Look at the different program components and see which ones sound like the best fit for you. Contact coordinators of the learning communities of interest to you and discuss your goals with them. They'll help you make the best decision.

Visit Learning Communities website