The University of Minnesota is home to over 50,000 students, with about 75% of them living off campus. With so many nearby neighborhoods, students have many options that can best fit their budget and living preferences.
At the same time, this can be an overwhelming task for those who do not know where to look.
Nearby neighborhoods
Marcy-Holmes is the nearest neighborhood connected to the East Bank campus. It houses students on the west side of I-35W and Dinkytown, which is home to student life outside of campus. It has a walkable feel with businesses, restaurants, music venues, nightlife and a wide variety of off-campus housing.
Southeast Como is a popular off-campus living destination that is popular with students looking for a place more quiet and farther away from Dinkytown. It is a residential area with many community parks and a small business district.
The Prospect Park neighborhood sits between the University and St. Paul, offering a cozy and quiet atmosphere for students looking to live near campus. Falcon Heights and St. Anthony Park neighbors the University’s St. Paul campus, and are home to a large student population who can stay connected to campus through the transportation offered by the University.
West Bank offers a few options for students, conveniently located for those in the Carlson School of Management and the Law School. It is close to downtown Minneapolis and the Mississippi River and has a wide variety of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, a music venue and a performing arts center.
University Resources
The Office of Student Affairs has an Off-Campus Living unit that helps students with any of their needs.
They have a Roommate Finder tool that allows students to search for others looking for a roommate. They can filter by price point, pets, location and more. They offer an Off-Campus Marketplace managed by Housing & Residential Life where students can find apartments, houses and sublets.
Their website shows an overview of Off-Campus safety, including how to find crime data, report crime, safety tips, as well as resources the University offers. They also have an active Facebook page with information on what to do around campus, move-in tips, opportunities for community engagement and more.
The Student Legal Services offers advice and legal representation to students who pay the Student Services Fee.
They host workshops in partnership with Off-Campus Living to provide renter education for students, including what to look for in a lease, how to protect your security deposit and where to find listings. They can help students with security deposits, evictions, subleasing, look over students’ leases before being signed, understand their rights as tenants and more.
Kendre Turonie, the Off-Campus Living program director and University Liaison to the Minnesota Daily’s board of directors, encourages students to read their lease in its entirety, get their lease reviewed and go through the renter workshops.
“I think it’s really important for students to actually read their lease in its entirety, which can be challenging because a lot of the complexes near campus maybe are owned by out-of-state entities that have multiple companies across the country, multiple locations.”
Apartment complexes will often use a master lease that is supposed to work in a variety of states, which might be 20-30 pages long, which is a lot for one person to read.
“There are some very specific laws in the state of Minnesota to protect renters, and that complex lease might not be legal in Minnesota based on what they have included. That’s why we strongly encourage students to get their lease reviewed,” Turonie said.
Students can sign up on Canvas for the Renter Education Module to have a successful rental experience.
Students feel pressure to start searching very early for off-campus housing for the following fall, usually in October and November.
The Off-Campus Living office encourages students to wait until spring, as there are enough spaces near campus.
A few negative consequences of signing early could be changes in friendships, financial situations and enrolling in study abroad programs.
The Early Renewal of Lease is a policy that went into effect in Minnesota in 2024. It states that landlords cannot ask a current renter to officially confirm if they are returning to their space or not until six months before the end of the lease, if the lease is for a period of time longer than ten months.
Student Ana Couto, a communications liaison for Off-Campus Living, said she renewed her lease early and then her plans changed.
“I’m transferring universities and I’m stuck with the lease, and they also lowered the rates,” Couto said. “So it would’ve been nice to know that I didn’t have to sign at that moment because I felt kind of pressured.”
Couto said she is still responsible for the cost of the lease, unless she can negotiate, break the lease or find someone to sublet the space.
Online Resources
Facebook groups can be a useful tool when finding information about off-campus housing. There are a variety of groups related to roommates, renting and subleases. With different groups open to the public, it is important to watch out for scams when looking through posts.
A great way to be safe is to look through the groups managed by the University. These include Housing for Off-Campus Gophers and UMN Roommate Finder. Websites like Zillow and apartments.com can be resourceful when looking for housing as well, they allow you to filter through price point, bedroom, amenities, pets and more.
Cost
The cost to live off-campus depends on many factors, including location, type of housing and roommates.
Dinkytown is home to a number of luxury apartments, including The Marshall, Fieldhouse and The Standard, the newest apartment community set to open in the fall.
Apartments at The Marshall and Fieldhouse can cost anywhere from $569 to share a bedroom in a two-bedroom apartment to $1669 for a 400 square foot studio for one person, not including utilities, fees or parking spaces.
Some perks to living in an apartment include shared community spaces to do homework, fitness centers, underground heated parking and increased safety measures.
Living in a house with multiple roommates can be one of the more cost-effective options. When looking at multiple-bedroom houses in Como, the price per person ranges from $550 on the lower end to $750 on the higher end. Living in a house can have its own perks, such as extra space, privacy, a garage and a backyard.
Student Dhyan Umeshkumar Thakkar prioritizes low cost, personal space and being close to campus.
“A priority for me was to have the least amount of rent which I need to pay, but something else I wanted was flexibility, I wanted a room with my personal space, I did not want to share a room with anybody. I was looking on Google Maps to figure out how far my classes are and stay as close to the campus as I can.”
He was active on the Off-Campus Living Facebook page, he found the house he lives in and met his roommates.
When looking for housing off-campus, it is important for students to weigh their options and priorities.
Student Everett Pervall, who lives in an apartment off-campus, said some of his priorities were in-unit laundry machines and parking.
“I don’t like where I live currently, it is quite noisy and some of my neighbors are sort of inconsiderate,” Pervall added.
Transportation
Students who do not live in housing owned by the University are considered commuter students.
If commuting by car, the University offers contact parking on a first-come, first-served basis, which must be renewed every semester. These contracts range from $84 to $147 per month and will be charged directly to the student’s account. There are also daily parking options available with daily maximums of $6 to $13.
Student April Gentling said she is concerned with the price of daily parking.
“I hate driving to campus because there is never enough parking and if there is a spot, you’re looking at spending nearly $13 for the whole day,” Gentling said. “As a college student paying high tuition rates that seem to continue increasing, the least the UMN can do is create more parking. The parking situation for commuters is just horrible.”
Biking is a cost-effective way to get to campus. It is important to use a U lock, register your bike through the City of Minneapolis and park your bike in a designated parking area. If extra safety measures are needed, the University offers bike lockers and shelters that can be purchased by contract anytime throughout the year.
Public transportation is another way to get around. All University students who pay the transportation and safety fee, which is part of the student services fees, have access to unlimited rides through the Universal Transit Pass System. This covers the fares of buses and the light rail anytime during the semester.
The University offers on-campus transit, which is free and accessible to all students. The Transit app is a useful tool to see all of the buses nearby using real-time data.
When walking to and from campus, as well as nearby neighborhoods, the University offers the 624-WALK Service, which is available at all times, every day of the year. Students can call 612-624-WALK (9255).
It is recommended that students call 15-30 minutes prior to the desired departure time in order to get quoted a wait time by the dispatcher. A uniformed employee of University Security will walk with you to your destination.