The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification offers guidelines to create healthier spaces for building occupants and the surrounding environment. However, most research on these sustainable design benefits focus on physical measurables, such as corporal health and pollution reduction. There have also been studies researching how occupants perceive LEED versus non-LEED certified buildings, but in relation to how interactions with their space affect their physical well-being and preferences. Young adults have been found to have the highest stress levels, particularly those in graduate school, with room ambience being a significant indicator. This study analyzes how LEED certification can affect perceptions of well-being in an academic setting through the use of survey responses from Masters of Environmental Studies (MES) students on the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) campus. The LEED framework is being considered as Penn has made a commitment for all new campus buildings and major renovations to achieve a minimum of LEED Silver certification. The survey, generated through Qualtrics, was sent out through email to all MES students in the academic year 2024-2025. The survey aims to analyze perceptions of LEED specific designs between two academic buildings and how MES students believe it affects their well-being. The two buildings to be considered are the LEED Gold certified Ronald O. Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics, and the non-LEED certified Hayden Hall. The survey received a total of 50 responses from a participant pool of 190, and results are comparatively analyzed between the two academic buildings for each question. The Perelman Center averaged at a higher rate of perception than Hayden Hall overall, and for all categories except green spaces and ability to socialize. LEED certification displays a more favored perception from student occupants, which provides an argument for LEED certification to be applied to other academic campuses or by an academic building developer. Results from this study may also provide evidence for why sustainable building should be pursued beyond physical benefits.