As the academic year comes to a close, many University of Utah upperclassmen are scrambling to secure off-campus housing in a market challenged by high demand, limited availability and rising rent prices.
Four U students in their junior year recently signed a lease for a new house together after their previous lease expired. All four described the process as competitive and often stressful.
“It was awful, everyone else was looking at the same time, and houses were going fast,” nursing student Hannah Cunningham said.
Tight budgets
While the students searched together, each prioritized similar factors like price and distance from the U. Boston Smith, studying early childhood development, said finding a place that accommodated all of his roommates and their budgets was difficult.
The average rent for an 813-square foot apartment in Salt Lake City was $1,574 in April 2025. According to Zumper, apartments near the University of Utah average about $1,450 per month, roughly 24% lower than the national median. However, the rates tend to be higher for rental houses. According to Rentometer, a two-bedroom house in Salt Lake City rents for an average of $1,986. A three-bedroom house averages $2,550 per month. According to Zumper, rental houses near the university average $2,372 per month.
Upper-division students can access on-campus housing, but options are limited, competitive, and often costly. Prices starts at $8,613 for the 25-26 academic year, but it can go as high as $13,683 depending on the accommodations. This means a student’s on-campus housing could be equivalent to paying $1,500 per month in rent.
The U does offer an off-campus housing marketplace. However, Smith said it didn’t help much.
“There are very limited options and most of them are about $1,ooo [per month per person], which isn’t affordable for most college students,” he said.
All four students reported they now pay more than their previous housing situation. Finance student Beth Matson said her new rent is higher than last year’s. Cunningham said she stretched her budget to secure a house closer to campus.
Other challenges
Emma Walton, studying strategic communications, said that finding the house was only part of the challenge.
“There were so many challenges finding a four-bedroom before May 1,” she said. “The lack of communication from some landlords or applying and not hearing back [was hard].”
All four students agreed that the local rental market for students at the university is limited.
“I didn’t really look at apartments. If there were more apartment options close to campus, I definitely would have considered it,” Matson said.
Walton suggested a shift towards more student-focused housing surrounding the U. She explained that student-focused housing would give more students an opportunity to live close to campus.
“When you look at other universities, they offer multiple off-campus housing options for students. That is something Salt Lake really lacks,” Walton said. “If that were to change, I think it wouldn’t be as difficult for students to find off-campus housing.”
n.pickel@dailyutahchronicle.com
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