Brandeis University
Waltham, MA, USA

Campus Life

Key Campus Stats

Student Gender
Male
Female
41%
59%
Size of Town
Small city
In-State Students
23%
Out-Of-State Students
68%
US States Represented
47
Countries Represented
65
Ethnicity
African American
6%
Asian/Pacific Islander
18%
Hispanic
8%
White
43%
Multiracial
2%
Unknown
3%
Percent of First Generation Students
16%
Student Organizations
208
LGBTQIA Student Resource Groups
Item is checked
Yes
On Campus Women's Center
Item is checked
Yes
Cultural Student Resource Groups
Item is checked
Yes

Housing

0
100
76%
Undergrads Living on Campus
On-campus living required of freshman
Yes
Disability Housing Available
Yes
0
100
78%
Freshman Living on Campus

Athletics

Divisional Sports Nickname
Owls
School Colors
navy and white
Varsity Athletics Association
NCAA
Varsity Athletics Conference Primary
Not applicable
Total Male Athletes
171
Total Female Athletes
145
Intramural Sports
14
Sports Club
12
Sports Team (Men)
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Cross Country
  • Fencing
  • Soccer
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Track and Field
Sports Team (Women)
  • Basketball
  • Cross Country
  • Fencing
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Track and Field
  • Volleyball
Brandeis University Athletics: visit page

Campus Safety

24-HR security patrol
Item is checked
Yes
Campus emergency phones
Item is checked
Yes
24-HR escort safety rides
Item is not checked
No
Mobile campus emergency alert
Item is checked
Yes

What Students Are Saying

The food here is what most would call average. While students have tried to made recent changes to dining options, the food has been slow to adapt. That is not to say that Brandeis food is bad. Its not. The food here is nothing to brag about, but the options are numerous. You name it, we probably have it. A big part of dining here is the presence of kosher dining options which are excellent.
ManOfLaMancha
The food is... okay. The two main dining halls are Sherman and Usdan. Sherman takes more of a quantity over quality mentality; you can eat as much food as you want (pizza, burgers, pasta, salad, ice cream, etc.) and it's not bad, but it's not great either. They DO have special theme nights sometimes, though, and the food at those is much better than the typical fare. Usdan takes the opposite approach; the food is better than what you'll find at Sherman, but it's a la carte, so you have to pay for everything individually.

Also worth mentioning is the dining plan: depending on which one you sign up for, you'll get meals or points. A meal is worth a set dollar amount, and that amount changes depending on the time of day; in the morning it's worth around $4, and at night it's worth roughly $8. You can use a meal to buy food worth up to that amount in Usdan, or you can use one to sit down at Sherman. Most people save their meals for Sherman, because that's the best deal. Points are
Alexander from North Branford, CT
Brandeis has 2 main dining halls and a bunch of other smaller cafes and markets around campus with a variety of options. One of the main dining halls is all-you-can-eat and is split kosher and non-kosher. I personally keep kosher and the food is fantastic on the kosher side. I hear great things about the non-kosher side, as well. My favorite part of dining on campus is Einsteins Bagels which is open very late on school nights for students to get their late night snack. Another cool feature of Brandeis dining is the catering service. If you want to have a special secluded meal just for you and your friends, you can order a catered meal. Or maybe you just want a cake for a birthday celebration, that can happen too.
Alexandra from Seattle, WA
Not the most inspiring and flavor-filled food you're going to find at an educational institution. There are two main dining halls, one which has a buffet style serving and one which is like a food court. There's also some small coffee shops around campus and a store which is usually well-stocked.
Stephanie from Napa, CA
the dining services on campus are only getting better than they were when i was at brandeis.
Christina from Waltham, MA
probably the worse part of brandeis. the food it's the greatest but you can definitely survive with what's available.
cristian from bronx, ny
In 2013, Brandeis changed dining providers from Aramark to Sodexo. The latter has so far provided a variety of dining choices to students, and returning students have said that the food is by far better than previous years'. Freshmen don't complain as food is often tasty. If there is any issue, it would be the lack of variety in the Sherman Dining Hall (All-you-care-to-eat services) -- however this is usually resolved by alternating between dining locations as they all provide their different tastes!
Juan from San Luis, AZ