I have been accepted into UT Austin & Cockrell School of Engineering, but I’m also a very clueless homeschooler regarding college things like housing. I’m not sure if this is the right place to pose the question, but what’s it like sharing an apartment for the first year (I’m a freshman for fall 2021 coming in with dual credits)? My parent is not interested in paying for “the dorm experience” when there are cheaper alternatives.
I have minimal experience with all this, and was hoping I could get some guidance. Not sure how to find roomies for apartments or what signing leases is like (I’m about to watch a video thing on leasing by UT’s student services) or how to pick an apartment. Obviously location and cost are both big factors, I gather. Is there a good time when I need to sign leases? I know some people who sign a year in advance so am I too late? How does this work? Thank you for your help!
I’ve also been accepted into UT Austin and I’ve done some research on this so I will share what I know so far.
First off - “cheaper alternatives” is a stretch when it comes to finding apartments close to campus. Keep in mind your monthly rent of the apartment for a 2 bedroom could be around $1200 on a 12 month lease (3 of which you would probably be back at home for) plus food, utilities, etc.
A better option than looking for a full fledged apartment would be looking into private student living. The Castilian is one of the most popular options. Private dorms are all UT Students and you typically share a room with one other kid and then have a connecting bathroom with another room. The Castilian starts at just over 1300 a month on a school year lease so August-May I believe, don’t quote me on that and it includes your room, common areas, dining hall, utilities, and everything else in the building. As far as finding a roommate, you can reach out to people over social media or use their roommate matching form which becomes available in May.
Other private dorms include Callaway, Dobie 21, and more which you can look up. Cheaper alternatives start around 600-700 a month but these do not include dining plans so you might need to purchase one from the campus.
You are definitely not too late, do a little research into private student dorms as that is probably the best option for you.
Hi,
I’ve been looking at my options ever since I made this post and saw that they definitely had cheaper options under $1000 within walking distance (I have nothing against sharing a room/bathroom/apartment). I was looking at leases for just the fall semester, though, and I don’t know about the utilities. I was thinking of just getting an unlimited meal plan at UT for commuters and just eating there… all the time.
I’ve seen a bit about private student living. I definitely am looking at something less costly than The Castilian. I’m interested in these cheaper alternatives that you mention that start around 600-700? Could you name any that I could refer to? I saw Dobie had a separate meal plan per month?
Thank you for your suggestions! I’m thinking private student dorms might be a bit out of the price range I’m looking at (I’m looking at something around or less than $900 and while private is always nice, I don’t mind sharing as long as I can find good roommates).
I don’t know if this helps, but my daughters share an apartment on the Far West UT Shuttle route…they have a 975 square foot apartment, 2 bedroom, 2 bath that they share for $1325 per month. It’s an older apartment but has been completely remodeled. They are happy…shuttles come every 15 or so minutes and it takes 15-20 minutes to get to campus and HEB is nearby. It’s a very safe neighborhood…much safer than the Riverside area or West Campus.