<p>Are freshmen allowed to live off campus at Rice? How is the surrounding area if you want to get an apartment? Is it common for students to live off campus?</p>
<p>According to one residential college, they are not. Not sure if at applies to all colleges.</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.duncancollege.net/resources/off-campus-living/[/url]”>https://www.duncancollege.net/resources/off-campus-living/</a></p>
<p>Freshman & Seniors are guaranteed on campus housing (Everyone is guaranteed at least three years of housing), usually the individual colleges have “raffles” to see who will have to move off campus. </p>
<p>I believe you have to stay on campus for freshman year but after that you can go off campus if you’d like. Due to the housing shortage/raffles for Sophomores and Juniors there are a decent number of students living off campus at any one time.</p>
<p>Unless they’ve changed the rules in the last three years, freshmen aren’t required to live on campus. That said, I strongly recommend all students live on campus for their first year, since that makes it a lot easier to stay involved with the residential colleges and other student activities after O-Week.</p>
<p>No, freshman are not required to live on campus. I have a freshman friend at Hanszen who commutes from home.</p>
<p>However, especially for your first year, it’s definitely a good idea to live on campus because it’s easier to meet new people and be involved.</p>
<p>Many students share apartments or houses near Rice, but it is quite expensive. Almost every student has to live off campus one year due to lack of space on campus. People always suffer through their sophomore or junior year off campus and are glad to return for the senior year.</p>
<p>^ LOL - my sophomore S is definitely not suffering off campus and it is much less expensive to live off campus than on. Off campus students can get on campus meal plans so that they don’t have to cook :-).</p>
<p>He has definitely enjoyed the quiet of being off campus and has maintained his sanity much better this year!</p>
<p>I’m not sure what his plans are for next year yet though.</p>
<p>I agree with crazymomster, my senior S is living off campus this year and it is much cheaper! He shares a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo with better upgrades than my home and a closet the size of a bedroom! He really is enjoying his space as well!</p>
<p>The residential colleges seem attractive to me.</p>
<p>According to my research, all undergrad freshmen are guaranteed on campus housing, and my cousin, who went to Rice, said that you have to live on campus your freshman year.</p>
<p>Again, no. Freshman are not required to live on campus, but they are guaranteed housing.</p>
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<p>To add to what several others have posted, housing is inexpensive off campus (relative to living on). Re: people wanting to return for senior year, that is likely due to the ease of being on campus, the proximity to campus activities etc.</p>