Should grad students live in campus housing?

For many of us, starting graduate school includes moving to a new city, state or even country. This often means figuring out new housing arrangements, which can be stressful, especially if you aren’t familiar with the area you’re moving to or you’re moving alone. 

One solution may be to live on campus. Before I started my graduate program, I didn’t realize this was an option. After doing some research, I found that most schools offer housing specifically for graduate students. So, is on-campus living right for you?

Options

Institutions that offer graduate housing likely have a variety of residential communities. Some options may provide communal dorm-like accommodations while others are comparable to private apartments. Searching your school’s housing or residential life website is a good place to see what your choices are.

My graduate school had options that were similar to private apartments with two to four bedrooms. The campus housing office would help assign roommates, if needed, all of whom were graduate or professional students. Space in graduate housing can be limited, so if you’re interested, it’s a good idea to check your options and apply early.

Benefits

In on-campus housing, utilities and amenities may be included in one flat price, taking some of the guesswork out of your monthly expenses. Some housing may be fully or partially furnished, which can be a plus if you don’t have (and don’t want to buy) furniture or if your program doesn’t last very long. And as I said before, you may be able to more easily find a roommate by going with on-campus housing.

Another benefit is that on-campus housing is typically just that — on campus. This can be convenient for early morning classes, late nights in the lab or just being near campus life in general.

Considerations

Most schools offer leases or housing contracts for the full academic year starting in the fall, so consider when you need to arrive on campus when you think about your housing options.

If you’re headed to grad school with a partner or family, on-campus housing options may not work – many are reserved for students only, although that may not be the case at every school. Do some research.

Finally, prices vary greatly based on the school and the option you choose. As with most housing, prices are typically lower if you live with more people. Private apartment-style rooms may be more expensive than dorm-style rooms. It helps to consider your budget when picking the housing option that works for you.

Other options

If you aren’t going to live on campus, what are your other options? I initially looked at on-campus housing at my graduate school because I was moving from Michigan to Maryland and was totally unfamiliar with the area. I also didn’t know anyone at the school, so I liked the idea of having assigned roommates.

My school offered apartment-style housing with kitchens and individual bedrooms, which was what I wanted. However, the cost of this on-campus housing ended up being much higher than other nearby apartments that weren’t associated with the school, so I lived off campus to stay within my budget.

On-campus housing can be a great option. Not all universities have off-campus options that are close to the campus, and if you don’t have a car or the area doesn’t have good public transit options, living on campus can be worth the extra cost. Plus, as I said before, furnished options or having roommates assigned can relieve some of the stress of moving.

Most grad students have many housing options, especially if your school is in an urban area. If you’re heading to an unfamiliar place, on-campus housing is worth looking into.