dormitory vs student residence

dormitory and student residence both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
dormitory	Yes	No	No	No
student residence	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, dormitory and student residence are synonyms defined as:

dormitory and student residence: a college or university building containing living quarters for students

Other synonyms of dormitory include dorm, hall, residence hall.

dormitory (noun)	student residence (noun)
a college or university building containing living quarters for students	a college or university building containing living quarters for students
a large sleeping room containing several beds