Starting Your Search

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Thinking about moving off campus? Take your time! Your decision can have a huge personal and financial impact on you in the coming year.

Are you ready for more independence and more responsibility? When thinking about moving off campus, don't forget that it usually means extra work like taking out the trash and cleaning the bathroom.
Do you need flexibility for studying abroad, medical emergencies, or transferring campuses? Off-campus housing usually doesn't have much flexibility, while on-campus housing typically does.
How will you pay for your off-campus residence? If you rely on scholarship or loan money for payments, landlords require that you make payments in accordance with your lease contract, and that doesn't always match with when your scholarship or loan payments become available to you.
What is your budget?
- Check the lease carefully and add to the rental cost all fees and expenses, such as application fees, amenity fees, and carpet cleaning.
- While on-campus housing only charges for the academic year, most off-campus landlords require twelve monthly payments.
How far away from campus are you willing to live? In many areas the price per square foot tends to go down the farther you get from campus.
Do you want your own bedroom or bathroom, or are you comfortable sharing? What amenities do you want, and what can you live without?
Once you have an idea of what you're searching for, visit the Off-Campus Housing Finder and filter listings by price, location, move-in date, number of bedrooms, and more.

Office of Off-Campus Student Support
204 East Calder Way
Suite 200
State College, PA 16801
Website: studentaffairs.psu.edu
Phone: (814) 865-2346
Email: OffCampus@psu.edu