The Johnson campus offers a stunning view of Sterling Mountain and Vermont’s northern Green Mountains from the 350-acre location, with opportunities to get into nature on trails right on campus as well as nearby Babcock Nature Preserve. Johnson hosts student and professional concerts, theatrical performances, and gallery shows throughout the year at the Dibden Center for the Arts and the Julian Scott Memorial Gallery.
Some of our residential buildings are offline for renovations and capacity assessment. Activities may still take place in these spaces, but they are not available for new-student housing selection in 2025-26.
Campus Housing
The Johnson campus offers four on-campus living options: three residence halls and on-campus apartments. Each residence hall floor is staffed by an undergraduate Resident Assistant (RA), with a Hall Advisor overseeing the entire building. Staff are trained in mediation, conflict management, and crisis support.
- Arthur Hall: A suite-style residence hall with four double-occupancy bedrooms, a common room, and a shared bathroom. Limited single-room availability is offered. Suites are designated single-sex or gender-inclusive. Laundry facilities are located on one floor of this hall.
- Governors Hall: Offers single-, double-, and triple-occupancy rooms, with a common area on each floor. Floors are designated single-sex. If the demand for substance-free housing exceeds the space available in Arthur, one or more floors of Governors may receive this designation. A kitchen is also located in this building and laundry facilities are located on one floor of this hall.
- Campus Apartments: One-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments located on campus. The apartments are unfurnished but include a kitchen, heat, hot water, electricity, and trash/recycling removal in the cost of rent. A laundry room for the apartments is provided in a central building.
All Residence Hall Rooms Include:
- Twin extra-long bed (mattress measures 36 x 80 inches)
- Wardrobe closet or dresser
- Desk and chair
- Wireless internet (not included in the Campus Apartments)
Information about items students are allowed to bring with them can be found in the University Handbook.
Dining
Residential students are required to enroll in a food plan each semester. Students will have food plan options to choose from and are encouraged to select a plan that most closely matches their dining preferences. Commuting students are encouraged to purchase a food plan if they plan to be on campus during meal periods.
Our Johnson campus offers two dining options.
Stearns Dining Hall is the primary dining facility on campus, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week and accepting food plans and cash. Every meal includes vegetarian and vegan options, a range of healthy and delicious cuisines from around the world, and a salad bar stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables, many locally sourced. The wood-fired pizza oven is a campus favorite as well. Stearns is also open from 9 p.m. to midnight, serving pub fare for students needing a late-night snack.
Badger Snack Bar, a light-filled retail snack bar on the third floor of the Stearns Student Center, is a great spot to grab freshly brewed coffee (Vermont Coffee Company and Mountain Grove), a wide variety of teas, specialty drinks and cold beverages, and snacks and sandwiches, too.
Clubs and Activities
Interested in outdoor adventures, politics, student leadership, service trips, love to dance, or want to work on the student newspaper? You can jump right into these and many more student clubs and activities. There are so many ways to join in at Johnson, and we’ll help you learn about all of the options and how to get involved.
Student Wellness and Safety
Keeping our students safe and healthy are among our top priorities here. A successful learning environment depends on both! Our Wellness Center and Public Safety office provide dedicated support and programming to meet the needs of students and ensure the safety of all.
Health and Wellness Services:
The Wellness Center is located on the second floor of Martinetti Hall and is open Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. – noon. The Wellness Centers provide free, confidential mental health services for all students. We offer emergency response and crisis intervention, individual and group counseling, workshops and presentations, and consultation for the Vermont State University community. Our goal is to help students to develop coping strategies to navigate any challenges they may face.
For medical-related needs, our Wellness Center offers first-aid and triage services by a registered nurse, referrals to local medical practices and dentists, and health and wellness information. The nurse is available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Questions? Contact Wellness@VermontState.edu.
Public Safety Services:
The office of Public Safety seeks to ensure a safe and secure environment for all members of our community. Located in Dewey Hall, the office provides a range of services to help support the needs of students, staff, faculty, and guests on our campus.
Outside of Campus
The town of Johnson, one-half mile downhill from campus, is home to the renowned Vermont Studio Center as well as a community green where all are welcome for free concerts throughout the summer. Smuggler’s Notch, Stowe Mountain, and Jay Peak resorts all offer easy access to fantastic skiing, riding, hiking, and mountain biking.
The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, currently covering nearly 45 miles, will connect 18 towns over 93 miles of trail across the state when complete; you can access the 17.4 mile stretch that runs from Cambridge to Morristown from downtown Johnson. The Vermont Long Trail, a 273-mile trail running the length of the state, can be accessed just west of the village. About 10 miles away in the town of Elmore, 700-acre Elmore State Park offers hiking, camping, swimming, boating, and fishing, with gorgeous views from the Elmore Mountain fire tower.
