There are 629 public four-year universities in the United States with approximately 6,837,605 students enrolled in a four-year college program. There are another 6,184,229 students enrolled in a two-year college, and these numbers don?t even touch the number of students enrolled in private colleges. However, there are an estimated 14,473,884 students in the United States enrolled in an undergraduate program with 61.7% of them attending school full time.
What do these numbers all mean? For one, they mean that there are a lot of people out there looking for affordable and safe student housing every year. Most universities do not have enough on-campus housing for all their students. Generally speaking, first or second-year students live on campus while older, part-time, and non-traditional students live off campus.
For a young college student, finding student housing can be an intimidating task, and there are a lot of factors you need to keep in mind. These factors include the affordability of the apartment, the location, safety of the area, distance from campus, and transportation options or parking.
Other factors to consider are roommates, who you will live with, how much each roommate will pay towards housing expenses, and who will be responsible if there is damage to the apartment. You also need to consider how will the cleaning be divided and how will food be purchased and prepared in order for it to be fair for everyone involved.
When looking at housing, make sure you ask the landlord what you will be responsible for. You will likely have to pay a deposit on the apartment, so make sure you know what you have to do to get your deposit back when you move. If there are any damages to the apartment, even small ones, make sure the landlord is aware of those damages before you move in. Take an inventory of all the damages, so there is no question. Make sure the landlord signs off on those damages before you sign the lease, so you can?t be blamed for them. You can even take pictures of the damage to show the landlord if you need to.
Be sure to check all the rooms for signs of water damage or mold. Mold is a significant health hazard that you do not want to live with. If there are appliances in the apartment, check to make sure they work before signing the lease. If the apartment is furnished, check all the furniture for stains or damage and add them to the damage inventory list you are creating.
Before looking at student apartments, make sure you will be able to afford it for the whole year. Figure out what your total rent will be. Talk to the landlord about lease term options. If you don?t plan to stay near campus for the summer months, you may be able to sign a nine or ten-month contract. Landlords with student housing tend to offer more options than what is traditionally offered. Find out what utilities you will be responsible for and see if you can get an estimate of what the utilities are on a monthly basis.
When figuring out if you can afford an apartment, don?t forget you will also need to budget in money for food and personal items. Taking on roommates can help reduce costs. However, make sure you are choosing people that will be equally responsible and people that you can tolerate living with. Once you sign a lease, you will be stuck with these roommates.
A lot of students choose to live off-campus for a variety of reasons. A recent survey suggested that privacy was the number one reason students cited for moving off campus. They didn?t like the business of dorm life, sharing bathrooms, or being so close to their neighbors all the time.
When doing an apartment search, you can look online for student housing or check the local or university paper. A lot of landlords that have student rentals will advertise where they know the students will see them. Looking for an apartment doesn?t have to be stressful. You can relax, have fun, and find something you are going to enjoy.