Housing Options for Transfer Students: Finding Your Home Away from Home

So, you’ve decided that transferring to a different school may be the best way to continue your academic journey. That’s exciting!

The experiences you’ve already had in college have given you a better understanding of your priorities and your preferences. That will help you make wise decisions at your new school. In other words, you’re equipped to make a positive change.

While you definitely have a lot to be excited about, transferring colleges requires you to make a lot of impactful decisions in a short amount of time, and often with incomplete information. That’s why we’re zooming in on housing, an aspect of transferring that many students find challenging. This article will give you some information you’ll need to make an informed choice about your home away from home.

Housing Challenges Faced by Transfer Students

There are a few reasons transfer students find it challenging to locate housing:

• Transfer students may not be familiar with the local area and may not have a chance to look at housing options in-person, especially if they’re transferring to a school that’s far away.
  
  
• Many schools prioritize housing for first time in college (FTIC) students, which can limit options for transfer students.
  
  
• Transfer students are older on average. They are in a different stage of life and have different expectations than younger FTIC students.
  
  
• The affordable housing crisis negatively affects students, reducing the number of options within budget.

These challenges are well-known by university staff members, who seek to secure housing options for transfer students and provide them with added support. “We try to make sure that we do have housing available for transfer students. We try to be very aware of that,” stressed Andy Johnson, Ed.D., Director for Operations & Outreach in the University of South Florida’s Office of Housing and Residential Education.

Johnson pointed out that transfer students are often working on a completely different timeline than FTIC students. For example, they typically don’t get fully admitted for a fall semester until after their spring transcripts are released, while FTIC students can be admitted as early as December. That head-start gives FTIC students an advantage in planning time. “Timing is one of the biggest challenges transfer students face,” he concluded.

On-Campus Housing Options for Transfer Students

Most colleges and universities construct and maintain a range of housing options for students that want to live on campus. In many cases, living on campus is cheaper than living off campus.

At USF, “one of the things that we are always focused on is making sure that we have a broad range of affordable housing,” Johnson said. “That is always in the forefront of our minds: making sure that that we have a variety of affordable options for students.”

Types of On-Campus Student Housing

Here’s a brief rundown of the options you’ll have available to you on-campus as a transfer student:

• Traditional residence halls: Primarily occupied by freshmen and sophomores, these facilities have units for one to two students and a community bathroom shared by everyone on the floor.
  
  
• Apartment-Style Units: Private rooms for one to two students, private bathrooms, and a shared living space that includes a kitchen. These units offer the most independence and privacy.
  
  
• Suite-Style Units: A popular middle ground between residence halls and apartments, suites have multiple rooms for one to two students that share a living space and in-suite bathroom. They offer more privacy than residence halls and more community access than apartments.
  
  
• Living Learning Communities: Often located in suite-style facilities, Living Learning Communities (LLCs) are an exclusive community of students centered around an identity or academic focus. Good examples include USF’s Stonewall Suites LLC for LGBTQ+ students or the Judy Genshaft Honors College LLC. Specific majors may also have their own LLCs.

Each of these types of housing have pros and cons. They also fill quickly, and FTIC students may be given priority for something like a residence hall or be in a better position to be accepted into an LLC. If you act early and get a little lucky, you can find your place in one of these facilities. But is that what you want?

Pros and Cons of Living on Campus as a Transfer Student 

Consider these factors when deciding whether on-campus housing is right for you.

Pro: Designed for Students

On-campus housing is usually designed with amenities that are specifically geared towards students, like study rooms. These facilities are also maintained by the school’s maintenance staff and supervised by a resident assistant (RA), who provides guidance and enforces community rules. Also, the lease terms usually line up with the academic calendar instead of being firm twelve-month commitments.

Pro: Campus Community Connection

As a transfer student, you may be enrolling at a school where you have no existing connections. It will all be new to you: the people, the places, and the culture. If you want to be involved at your new school, living on campus puts you in the middle of the action, making it easier to adjust.

The convenience is unmatched. Your classes will be nearby, and campus activities and events will be, too. Everyone around you will be a student, so you’ll have more chances to connect with your new community.

Con: Older Students May Not Feel at Home

On the other hand, if you’re an older transfer student, this may have diminishing returns. “Finding those social connections and commonalities when there's such a vast life experience and age difference can sometimes be challenging,” Johnson acknowledged. Age gaps that make socializing difficult will be even more irksome in on-campus housing, where privacy and independence aren’t guaranteed.

However, if you work with the housing office on your new campus, you may find that they give you some degree of control over your roommate situation. In response to the social challenges older students face, Johnson said that USF housing gives a lot of consideration to their roommate preferences and tries to give them a suitable match.

Transfer Villages: An Exception Worth Asking About

Recognizing all these potential issues that the transfer students who want to live on campus face, some schools design housing specifically for transfer students. These are commonly called “transfer villages.”

Transfer villages are a kind of LLC that reserves housing specifically for transfer students. In a transfer village, you’ll be surrounded by a community of other transfer students who share your struggles and are more likely to be in the same stage of life as you.

Ask your admissions recruiter whether your new school offers a transfer village you can join.

Off-Campus Housing Options for Transfer Students

While there are several advantages to living on campus, some students prefer to look for housing off campus. That may be due to a desire for independence, a desire to be close to local businesses and services, or a lack of on-campus housing availability. Whatever your reason, commuting can be a terrific way to experience student life at your new school.

However, traffic patterns can vary by date and time. If possible, try to test your commute before committing to an off-campus housing option.

Rent an Apartment or House

Typically, the areas around colleges and universities are hotspots for rental housing to meet the consistent demand. You may be able to afford a rental on your own, but finding one or more roommates to split a lease will usually be the better option.

Pro: Independence 

Even if you have roommates, you’ll feel like you have a place of your own. You’ll also have more incentive to explore the local area and discover what it has to offer.

Pro: Cooking at Home

With easy access to a kitchen and less proximity to a dining hall, cooking at home becomes an attractive option. Cooking for yourself is cheaper than takeout and a lot healthier. It’s also an important life skill that you’ll use often after college

Pro: Building a Rental History and Credit

Building a record of responsible renting will help you get approved for future leases and build credit towards a loan for a house or car after college. (Note that apartment-style units on campus will also help you achieve this.)

Con: Profit Drive Keeps Prices High

Privately-owned housing is focused on profits, not student well-being, and that keeps prices high. On-campus housing is not driven by profits. Instead, the money that you pay in may be reinvested into sustainable housing for students.

Con: Bigger Pool of Applicants

While apartment hunting, you’ll also have to compete with not just your fellow students, but other residents in the area as well. If there isn’t enough supply to go around, you’ll have to look further away from the campus or consider other options.

Con: Finding an Apartment from Out-of-Town Can Be Tough

If you aren’t familiar with the area, you won’t know where to look for housing. You may have to pore through listings websites, social media discussions, and classified ads to find options. You may not have a chance to take a tour, which will make the decision riskier.

Con: Unfavorable Lease Terms for Students

When renting a privately owned unit, your lease terms probably won’t line up perfectly with the school year. If you don’t need the rental between semesters, you’ll have to pay a fee to break the lease or find someone to sublet. In rare cases, though, the owners may work with you, especially if they advertise the property as “student housing.”

Live at Home or with a Relative

If you have family nearby, living with them while you’re in school is an option worth considering. It’s not for everyone, though. If you aren’t transferring to a college that’s a reasonable distance from your hometown or a hospitable relative, this can’t even be considered. Also, some students may believe that the arrangement will create more challenges than it solves.

Pro: Affordability

Knowing that students struggle to make money, your family may allow you to live with them for free or charge a nominal fee to help cover the bills. You may even benefit from home cooking and find yourself growing closer to them around the family dinner table.

Con: Lack of Privacy and Independence

It can be hard for families to respect boundaries, which can cause some tense situations. You may have to share a bathroom and answer questions about why you were out so late last night. You may even have a “my way or the highway” confrontation. These possibilities can make living with family less attractive, so keep your personal family dynamics in mind before choosing to live at home.

Finding an Off-Campus Apartment

While some colleges offer to help their students locate off-campus housing, you should expect to do most of the legwork yourself.

At USF, the student government runs a website that compiles off-campus housing options all in one place. They also host an apartment expo attended by representatives from local properties. Previously, our university went even further.

In the 2010s, Facebook’s heyday, the housing office managed a Facebook group to help students find off-campus rentals and roommates. Members and posts were vetted against university data to weed out scams. However, as Facebook use among college-age people has declined, the group gradually faded away. Now, according to Johnson, housing has faced obstacles to connecting with students online, so they depend more on university channels, which are adapting to the new media landscape.

The situation at your new school will be unique, but you should ask around about resources like those to make your apartment hunting process easier.

Johnson also recommends putting out a call on your own social media like, “Who do I know at my new university?” If someone responds, politely ask them for housing advice, and consider asking them whether you can tag along for a day or two to get the lay of the land. The more familiar you are with student life at the college, the easier this transition will be.

General Tips for Transfer Students Seeking Housing

Consider this grab bag of general advice while you make your housing decisions:

• Stay aware of deadlines and processes. As a transfer student, you already have a timing disadvantage, so make sure you’re on top of everything you can control and don’t procrastinate.
  
  
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Engage with the university as much as possible and lean on their staff, especially your admissions recruiter.
  
  
• Take one or more campus tours. You’ll become more familiar with your options and have a great opportunity to ask questions.
  
  
• Attend an orientation session, even if you aren’t required to. It’s one of the best ways for new students to get information about their school, and housing will probably be a topic that’s covered in detail.
  
  
• Look at virtual tours of each unit you’re considering. If you can’t tour in-person, these will give you a good idea of what you’re getting into.
  
  
• Seek out students your own age to ask for advice. Other students may not understand your needs the same way.
  
  
• Your living arrangement can fundamentally change your college experience. Carefully think about what your life will look like if you choose each housing option.
  
  
• None of these steps constitute a commitment. You can change your mind at any time. The real commitment starts when you get your room assignment or sign a lease.

If you need tips that are tailored to your specific situation, the housing office at your new school will be happy to help you at any stage of the process. “The whole mission of our office is to help students get here and get them ready to go,” Johnson observed. “We want to help you be successful and find the space that’s going to help you do that.”

Find Your Place at a New School

Transferring colleges can be a lot of work, and getting settled into campus is just the first step. Once you arrive, you’ll have to start building connections and finding ways to get involved.

Fortunately, your school will have resources that you can use to find your place. We’re shouting out some of USF’s resources as examples, but if you’re transferring to a different school, try to find their equivalent for each of these.

• The Office of Housing and Residential Education is the first place you should go for help finding housing, on or off campus. If they don’t have the answer you need, they’ll point you in the right direction.
• The Office of Transfer Student Success is home to dedicated advisors who can help with various transfer student issues. They can help you navigate your adjustment period and thrive at your new school.
• If you’re a transfer student who is also a military veteran, the Office of Veteran Success will provide even more personalized help as you move through your college journey at a new school.
• Finally, New Student Connections is a department dedicated to helping all new students, including transfer students, find a place at their new school. They’ll introduce you to clubs, activities, and events that might not even be on your radar.

If you want to explore the possibility of transferring to USF, we would love to help you learn more about becoming a Bull! Reach out to the Office of Admissions by phone at 813-974-3350 or email transfer@usf.edu any time for assistance.