hall places

dormitories

Student housing/residences/dormitories.

WB: Are those things called HALL PLACES?

Many dorm type buildings are called (_____) Hall, often named after some person.

I would have had no idea what the phrase meant if just presented it with no explanation. I've never heard it used. It sounds it means a chair on a stairway landing. Dormitory space, dormitory rooms, on-campus rooms/suites, or something similar would work much better.

I agree and would have no idea what this person meant.

"no idea", come on, you two. You are asking us to believe that you are really that thick.

Yes, if someone came up to me and said that exact phrase, I would have to ask them questions. If that means I am thick, oh well.

If they said dorms or housing, it would make more sense.

Not 'someone', T2L, a 2nd language learner.

The meaning is clear from the first sentence. The third sentence explains why he is asking.

Good points, Roger. And the forum is English.

Stuff it, JTT. I have degrees from 2 Ivy League universities and study at a 3rd top tier school, and none of them called on-campus housing anything like that. "hall places" sounds like a table seat somewhere, like at dining commons, not like a dorm room. If the OP hadn't offered the explanation of what he meant before he asked if his phrase meant that, there would have been no clue at all what he was asking.

We aren't talking about a situation devoid of any context, Jack, so I'm not sure what you are whining about.

If WB hadn't posted his question at all, I wouldn't have had understood what he was asking.

Again, stuff it, JTT. I am not whining. I am stating flatly that the bald statement "Do students in your country have to compete for hall places?"
in the absence of the context he provided US, but not presumably the questionee, in his preferatory statement, would not indicate his intent to ask about on-campus housing and how it was assigned. It's an unfamiliar term and susceptible to many different possible meanings. Maybe wherever he lives (and since he calls them "unis", which my Aussie expat sister uses but I have rarely if ever heard in the States, he's probably not in the US) it's common, but it's not general, so he'd better use a different term (or several possibles, like "dorm room") to get his meaning across.

You are losing sight of the fact that this is an esl question. The OP had a thought and wanted to know how it would be expressed in English.He seems to be a Chinese student of English based in prior posting history.

There was no questionee, Jack. Evidently Ivy League unis aren't all they are cracked up to be.

A. There is no such thing as an Ivy League uni. Since they are all in the US, they are Ivy League universities. (if youj were trying to be mildly humorous, you failed).
B. Let me make this so simple even you should be able to understand it, JTT: No, that's not the way it would be natural to say it in English.

Of course it doesn't sound natural. The meaning (without context) is obscure and the whole thing is incredibly awkward. What you are missing here is that is exactly why the question was asked.

It has been answered.

MJ: There is no such thing as an Ivy League uni

MJ: but I have rarely if ever heard (it) in the States,
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MJ: Let me make this so simple even you should be able to understand it, JTT: No, that's not the way it would be natural to say it in English.
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And I never said it was the natural way to say it in English, MJ, not a once.

What do they teach at those Ivy League unis? Didn't GWB go to one of those unis?

If you want to use Aussie slang, feel free. It's not used here. You;re the one who's used it. Inappropriately. Dolt.