What students are looking for in off-campus housing

More students across the country are choosing to live off campus, instead of opting for the dorm lifestyle.

Eighty percent of students are living off-campus, according to MultiFamily Executive Magazine Student Housing Concept Community Survey What Millennials Want: Resident Preferences in Student Housing Design and Amenities, and the average monthly rent is costing them $620. However, the majority of students, 42 percent, spend between $400 and $600 on rent, but 17 percent of student renters pay at least $1,000, if not more on rent. Graduate students pay the most, with their rents averaging $700.

Nearly half (42 percent) live with three roommates, 16 percent live with two and 23 percent live with one. Nine percent of students live alone. Most (28 percent) would prefer to live with just one roommate. Thirty-seven percent said two bedrooms was ideal, while 27 percent said three, 24 percent said four, and 11 percent said one. Fifteen percent reported sharing a bedroom with their roommate off campus.

Generally, off-campus housing is more affordable, as 69 percent of students reported that dorm living is more costly than their rent. However, cost isn’t the only reason students live off-campus. In fact, students reported they would spend an average of $85.01 more per month to live off campus. But they want to live close to campus. More than one-third (37 percent) said that they prefer to walk to and from the campus, 23 percent prefer to drive, 20 percent want to use the school’s shuttle service and 8 percent reported they prefer to use a bike. One percent said they would use a skateboard or motorcycle/scooter. However, the majority, 71 percent, of students do have a car at school with them, but 40 percent driving it once a week or less. On the other hand, 31 percent reported driving daily.

Despite transportation preferences, 15 percent of students want to live a few blocks from campus, 16 percent want to live one mile or closer, another 16 percent want to live two miles or closer, while 14 percent said three miles or closer is fine. The size of the apartment is important to, as students rated it 7.89 out of 10 overall in importance.

What are students doing in their off-campus houses? The majority said sleeping, followed by studying, spending time online and hanging out. More than half reported studying in their off-campus room, as opposed to the library or a common area.

Mid-rise apartments are the most popular, followed by a community cottage or townhouse and then a single-family house. Students prefer modern designs, as opposed to traditional or funky. Ideally, students would like more than one bathroom or their own bathroom, big closets and storage areas and a large kitchen area. They also are looking for a washer and dryer in the unit, as well as cable and Wi-Fi included.