This was posted on another thread, and I think it's worth repeating and something to consider (ask about) when touring schools:


"Lining up housing for Sophomore year. Because of tight rental markets the process started immediately after winter break and it was clearly a source of stress. Finding roommates wasn't the issue, just chasing down leads on availability was difficult. Older DC had guaranteed housing all four years, so this caught us off guard."

In upperclass university housing, if a roommate issue develops then there will be more options to bail. If one has a lease on a commercial apartment, then usually one is just stuck.

As a parent, I much prefer on-campus for at least 3 years. I don't want to deal with the BS and leases, and empty apartment over the summer, etc. Faulty balconies, etc. At my school a balcony at a shoddy apt building (newer build) fell with student overload...ugh

This data is available in the CDS for each school too.

We only looked at private schools, so all of them.

FWIW, DS picked a school where lots of parents on the FB page stress and worry having 'heard' that "you have to scramble for off campus apartment right after you move in freshman year or your kid will have no where to live OMG!!!" Totally false. My kid lived on campus all four years.

Often those "scramble" rumors start with kids who want a very particular off campus house or street (for partying), so they are popular houses and often passed down from student to student. Somehow that gets blown up into the rumor that there is "no" housing because drama princess didn't like having to live in the house a block over, so she breathless tells her followers on TT how impossible it is to get housing. Her parents believe her, outraged on her behalf, and spread the "wisdom" on FB.

So look into it among adult sources at the college itself.

Northwestern requires first 2 years on campus.

Vanderbilt is implementing residential colleges ( like yale, Princeton) and new dorms and apartments are quite nice

CWRU requires the first two years on campus.

Hamilton - all 4 years required

Thank you everyone for feedback. Hope this discussion helps other families. The world these days seems to be moving so fast that a safety net of kids living on campus together is helpful. I recall moving off campus and it was not great and stressful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVa does not *require* 2 years in dorms, but there are multiple on-grounds housing options that allow a student to choose that. Enough students ipt for off-grounds housing that a student wanting on-grounds nearly always can get it somewhere on grounds (but not necessarily at their 1st choice dorm).

People scramble for off-campus housing by 2nd year. Not ideal

I am sure I do not understand PP.

I lived on-grounds in a dorm all 4 years. No scramble. In my upperclass dorm this was very common.

Yes, of course, some choose to rent a commercial apartment after 1st year, but many of us stayed all 4 years in the dorms.

Also my son has done it and I wouldn’t call it a “scramble.” He lives very close to grounds and walks everywhere. No “commuting.” I’d check your source. I’m not saying it was for your child, but if you don’t have actual experience at the school I’d refrain from posting about it. No one cares about what you’ve heard. Also as the previous poster said, there is plenty of on grounds housing available.

Rice -- and it's residential college system is fantastic.

St Olaf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVa does not *require* 2 years in dorms, but there are multiple on-grounds housing options that allow a student to choose that. Enough students ipt for off-grounds housing that a student wanting on-grounds nearly always can get it somewhere on grounds (but not necessarily at their 1st choice dorm).

People scramble for off-campus housing by 2nd year. Not ideal

I am sure I do not understand PP.

I lived on-grounds in a dorm all 4 years. No scramble. In my upperclass dorm this was very common.

Yes, of course, some choose to rent a commercial apartment after 1st year, but many of us stayed all 4 years in the dorms.

University of Dayton has very unique student housing. 70% of all undergrads live in student housing and they require two years on campus. Freshmen live in traditional dorms on campus. Sophomores have the option of dorms or apartments. The apartments are in the "student neighborhood" which is a neighborhood of single family homes and duplexes directly adjacent to campus. There's one high rise apartment building and several garden style apartment buildings in the neighborhood. I think mainly sophomores live in the high rise and juniors are in the garden apartments. I think its difficult to get a university house until senior year (lottery.)

The neighborhood has houses and duplexes that were originally built as company homes for NCR back before/at the turn of the century. Students started moving into the houses in the 1950s when the university grew. When I lived there in the mid 80s, there were still a few families in the neighborhood, but most of the houses were occupied by students. Today, I don't think there are any families left - it's 100% students. Today, most of the homes are owned by the university but there still are some owned by landlords. The university owned homes are considered on campus housing. The school has had to tear down some of the homes and they've built new ones that have the character of the original homes.

So the 30% of students that are not living in "dorms" are most likely living in landlord homes in the neighborhood.