A university residence is a facility that provides housing for university students. Frequently the center is integrated or attached to a university, but there are also residences independent of the universities.

University residences are normally located on the campus itself or in its immediate vicinity. In general, they usually offer everything from accommodation and food to laundry and library.

Today, many university residences offer cleaning, security, maintenance services, sports and leisure facilities, and rooms or studios with all the amenities integrated into the individual space, such as a kitchen and private bathroom.[1]​.

In Spain, Law 49/2002 recognizes university colleges as entities with special protection due to their charitable-teaching nature.[2]​.

The Residence Halls are university centers recognized by law. They must meet a series of requirements, such as being affiliated with a university, having a training program and being at the service of the university community.

In contrast, residence halls are solely student accommodation.

The Residence Halls are non-profit. The economic gain is entirely reverted to the maintenance of the center's facilities and services, as well as the continuous improvement of the training and cultural program. For their part, residences are a private business whose purpose is to obtain economic returns with their product.

The Residence Halls have the social purpose of providing comprehensive complementary training to students. This is achieved through cultural events (conferences, workshops, colloquiums, gatherings, concerts, theatre, cinema, radio, etc.), training courses (for example, in transversal skills, politics, economics, science, etc.) and sports and leisure activities. This social purpose of the Residence Halls does not exist in the university residences.

The Residence Halls are spaces of coexistence, democratic participation and plurality. The schoolchildren are part of the center's organization and, therefore, have decision-making power over its regulations. The residences, for their part, do not contemplate this participation.