Where Should You Live During Grad School?

Among the myriad of tasks to complete and decisions to make between the decision to go to grad school, starting the search and sending in your applications is finding a place to live while you obtain your degree.

If you’re commuting from home or participating in a completely online program, this won’t apply to you. But for the thousands of students who will be studying on campus and need housing for grad school, the search can be challenging. One of the benefits of visiting a campus is determining if it’s a place you want to both live and study.

Here are some factors to consider before looking for housing.

Do you have a stipend or work study program that that includes a housing allowance? If not, come up with an amount you’re comfortable paying each month.

How close do you want to be to campus? If you’re conducting research and need to be on campus a significant portion of the day or you have classes early in the morning or late at night, you may want to consider staying fairly close to campus. This also allows you to walk or bike to campus.

If you don’t have a car or want to lower your environmental footprint, it would be helpful to know what public transportation options are available so you can stay within a reasonable range of bus and train stations.

This is always a good option when there are budgetary issues, and most campuses have roommate referral services. However, if you’re a more solitary person or need to make sure you have enough quiet time for studying, this may not be a preferred option for you. Boarding houses may offer a compromise in this situation, however.

Make sure you consider conveniences like parking, laundry and grocery stores as factors when making your decisions.

Once you’ve decided on a school and accepted your offer start looking for a place to live. Many housing options that cater to colleges and universities will cater to leasing agreements around the school year.