A Guide To Graduate Student Housing

In 2023, around 3 million graduate students were enrolled at a degree-granting institution in the United States — and many of them resided in campus living environments. But what accommodation options are available to grad students? And how can they navigate the often complicated housing application process? Learn more about graduate student housing and the benefits of using a student housing platform in your institution.

What Is Graduate Student Housing?

Graduate student housing is college or university accommodation that caters to those continuing their education after an undergraduate student program. Like undergrad housing, this accommodation might refer to residence halls, apartments, or family houses. Academic institutions typically offer on-campus housing to graduates. However, students can also access accommodation from private landlords. 

This type of living environment provides individuals with a chance to reside with other grad students while they complete their degrees. As a result, residents in graduate housing often develop new friendships and build communities. Many accommodation types include facilities that help grad students socialize, such as common spaces and shared kitchens. 

Types of Graduate Student Housing Options

Housing options available to grad students vary. Some institutions have multiple accommodation types available, including campus housing and residences owned by landlords. However, grad students might have limited choices depending on their school and the surrounding area. Here are some types of housing campuses may offer their graduate population.

Residence Halls

This accommodation type often includes shared bedrooms and kitchens, meaning it doesn't provide as much privacy as a graduate house or apartment. That makes it cheaper than other options. Residence halls or dorms are also typically located near academic facilities, meaning grad students can get to classes quickly. 

Apartments 

Grad students will normally have at least a single bedroom to themselves when residing in an apartment, which provides more independence than a residence hall. They might be the only ones to live in this accommodation or share it with roommates. An apartment complex might exclusively cater to graduate students or contain a mix of grads, undergrads, and even working professionals. 

Family Houses

As graduate students tend to be older than undergraduate students, they might live with partners and/or children. Family houses cater to these individuals and typically provide larger living spaces than apartments and residence halls. However, this accommodation type might be further away from campus, making it more difficult for students with families to get to class or involve themselves in college life. 

Tips To Navigate The Application Processes

Applying for graduate housing involves researching housing options, filling out forms, and completing a selection process. Here are some tips that can help you guide grad students who want to move into your college accommodation. 

Research Housing Options In Advance

Grad students should research accommodation choices long before starting their degrees. Otherwise, they might discover other students have taken their preferred housing options, leaving them with no option but to find a private landlord. You can send out emails several months before the semester begins to remind students to reserve campus accommodation, and promote properties with in-depth descriptions and virtual tours. 

Near the start of the school year, you can encourage grad students to make room selections and choose what type of roommates they want to live with in a shared apartment or residence hall. This helps you place like-minded grad students in the same building, which can reduce conflict and improve the campus experience. For example, students with similar interests or those studying the same degree might want to live together. 

The right college housing portal makes this easier by automating roommate matches and room selections. Students can also choose accommodation types, analyze the cost of housing, e-sign a housing contract, and access your current campus plans and maps on one system, which frees up time and resources for your team.

Application Dos And Don'ts

It's important to communicate guidelines for your housing process with grad students looking to move into your college living environment. That ensures potential residents know what's expected of them when applying for housing. For instance, make it clear when students should pay a deposit to secure their accommodation and what documents they need to verify their identities. You can send students the "dos" and "don'ts" of applying for college accommodation by email or upload information to your housing portal for easy reference. 

Other guidelines you might want to give students include reading leases properly before signing them, the consequences of providing false information on an application form, and how they can pay their deposit and rent. By sharing this information early in the housing process, you can reduce confusion and make it easier for students to complete the application process. 

Nail The Selection Process

Provide tips and guidance on how students can successfully complete an application for your campus housing community. Students must know how to secure a place in your accommodation and what happens if they don't complete a particular task or provide a document. For example, a student might have fewer housing choices if they wait too long to submit the right paperwork. 

Students who don't understand the application process can slow down your housing timeline and create more work for your team, so try to make applications simple. One of the best ways to do this is to remove paperwork by using a housing portal. This technology allows students to sign a lease, living agreement, and other documents online with an e-signature rather than printing papers and scanning them or sending them to you in the mail. 

Leverage Exceptional Student Housing Experiences

Housing.Cloud is the purpose-built cloud-native student housing platform that helps graduates secure the college accommodation they need. It automates housing assignments and roommate selections and makes it easy to sign leases and other documents online. In fact, it contains everything grad students and your team need to successfully complete a college housing application, including customizable forms. 

Want to simplify graduate school housing? Schedule a demo of Housing.Cloud, and check out its features for new and current residents now.