Grinnell is a residential college, and campus life is an essential part of the student's individual development. Just as the residential living system encourages self-reliance and social responsibility, extracurricular activities and events provide opportunities for students to expand their intellectual, cultural, social, and recreational interests.

To ensure participation and experimentation, no admission fee is charged for any campus event. The College sponsors a variety of programs and activities, but many others depend upon student imagination and initiative. A single year's calendar lists as many as 100 visiting lecturers; 60 concerts and recitals by guest artists, students, and faculty; more than a dozen folk, jazz, and rock concerts; 15 major and minor theatre productions; 150 movies, documentaries, and special film series; nearly two dozen conferences, symposia, and special-topic weeks and weekends; and a full schedule of parties, dances, and other all-campus recreational events arranged by student groups.