Residential learning communities (RLCs) are a subset of living-learning programs (LLPs) where students live together based on a theme and are simultaneously enrolled together in at least one course related to that theme. Yet little research has focused on differentiating RLCs from those LLPs without a connected course. Using existing data from the Assessment of Collegiate Residential Environments and Outcomes (ACREO), we explored this distinction by comparing the experiences of students participating in RLCs with those of students in LLPs that did not have course components. Results from this study revealed that, when compared to students in LLPs, students in RLCs reported higher mean values across most experiences, with the two largest effect sizes observed for the factors related to student interactions with residential faculty and peers. Implications are then offered for future research and practice.