Old Dominion University

ODU is on a 251-acre campus in the urban setting of Norfolk, Virginia, not far from Virginia Beach.

ODU Student Activities

ODU has many clubs, organizations, and activities for students to join – including band, chorus, theater groups, a campus newspaper, a radio station and more.

Interested in Greek life? ODU has fraternities and sororities.

ODU has the Asian Pacific American Student Union. In fact, more students participate in the Asian Pacific American Student Union than any other on-campus activity.

Other popular student organizations at ODU include Student Government Association, Student Veterans Association, Colleges Against Cancer and Student Activities Council.

The ODU community comes together each year for Homecoming, Student Organization Fair and Relay for Life.

Does ODU Offer Student Housing?

This table offers information on housing at ODU.

ODU offers housing for students. Students are not required to live on campus. First year students are guaranteed on-campus housing.

Most ODU students live off campus. In 2022, 22% of undergrads at ODU lived in some kind of on-campus housing and 71% of students lived off-campus or commuted to ODU. There are 4,361 spots available in on-campus housing for all 18,678 undergraduates. In the 2021-2022 school year, 4,097 students chose to live on-campus. On the weekends, about 22% students stay on-campus. First year students are not allowed to park a car on campus.

ODU offers coed housing and housing for students with disabilities.

ODU Athletics

At ODU there are a variety of athletic options for students interested in joining a sports program.

Intercollegiate sports are the highest tier of college sports and can be very competitive. Intercollegiate teams are regulated by the NCAA, funded by the university, and compete against teams from other universities. The division of a sports team depends on the size of the university, funding, and competition level. An intercollegiate school team will be Division I, II or III, with Division I being the highest level.

Club sports are not regulated by the NCAA and are a great option for students not interested in trying out for an intercollegiate team. Club sports are usually student run but can also be funded by the university.

Intramural sports are the most casual and informal. Intramural sports are often free and require very little time commitment.

Let's take a look at the athletic options available at ODU:

Is ODU Safe?

College is like a home away from home. Whether you're walking to class or coming back from late-night studying (or partying!), it's important to feel safe on campus.

Old Dominion University is patroled 24 hours a day by trained security. The ODU campus has emergency telephones or alarms for students to use anytime of day or night. The school also has student security patrols.

ODU offers late-night transportation or safety escorts for students. Dorms can only be accessed with secure key cards so that students can feel confident that they are safe in on-campus housing.

Plan a Visit to ODU

Visiting colleges is one of the best ways to get a sense of the campus and student body. If you'd like to visit ODU, take Interstate 64 and Interstate 264 to Norfolk, VA. If you need to fly, book your flight to Norfolk International airport.

While you're planning, check out other schools in Virginia you may want to visit too. Click the heart at the top of each school's page to save it to your college list.

Want to visit but can't make the trip? Explore ODU's campus without leaving home by taking a virtual campus tour

Keep Reading About ODU

Choose one of the options below to find out more about about ODU:

Overview

Admissions

Academics

Tuition & Aid

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