U of SC Housing - Freshman through Senior Year

We have heard several different things regarding housing at U of SC. We are out of state in MA so we have no “boots on the ground” in the lovely area of the University. How difficult is it for upperclassmen to find housing on campus / off campus? How safe are the areas around the campus to live in? Looking for any real experience rather than hearsay. Thank you to all!

There are plenty of off campus housing/apartments around, as well as homes to rent. There is crime like in any city. Students need to take appropriate precautions.

As a current student at USC, there is not much housing on campus for upperclassmen unless you are an Honors student. However, there are endless apartment complexes in the area, and many are exclusive to only USC students. Most of these communities are gated and/or require keycard entry, making them safer for students.

I would echo what others say above. I have heard that most upperclassmen live off campus but not all. We have a freshman son at USC right now and he has been “accepted” at one of the off-campus apartment buildings with his three current roommates. His place looks awesome from the web site, he has been many times
(to hang out with friends) and loves it. It is about 1 mile to campus, which for him is no big deal…furnished and only $740/month per person (each with own room). I have heard that unless your son or daughter is completely asleep at the wheel, finding off-campus housing for sophomore year is really not that hard

My D graduated in May. She lived at 650 Lincoln second year (campus housing with priority for athletes, Honors, B school, maybe some others). She was off campus in a townhouse walking distance to Moore her last two years. 3 BR, 3 baths, rent was $725/month per person plus utilities.

There are many complexes that cater to students, and many are walking distance to campus (remember, the weather is nice there so walking in January is not a problem). As long as your son has roommates to find a place with, he’ll be fine.

There are also houses to rent, but my D’s view was that you get them via word of mouth, meaning your S or a roommate knows a resident who will ask the landlord to “pass down” the place to a new group.

Thank you! Love the fact that you all included the typical monthly rent - that is a big help! What you are saying about finding apartments seems to echo the information I have heard third hand so its reassuring.

And yes since it is warm there in January walking would not be an issue!! That is another thing he loves about Uof SC!

Even though she was in Honor’s my daughter (2019 UG and 2019 Grad School) opted to live off of campus. Sophomore year she lived at the Village, which while it was plenty roomy, it was farther from campus. Her rent was $650 a month in a 4BD/4BA, plus utilities over the $50 per person cap. Junior year she lived in a 4BD/4BA apartment at Stadium Suites, with a monthly rent of $575, plus her share of utilities over the cap. Although it was close to the football stadium, it was not the safest place. For her senior year she wanted a 1BD and she lived at The Lofts. It was walking distance to campus and her rent and utilities were around $950 per month. She graduated in May and had one final semester to complete her Master’s so she signed a lease at The Gates (located beside of the football stadium). It is not student housing, more of a condo complex through a local real estate company. She is in a 2BD/2BA for $675 plus her half of the utilities for the month. She plans on staying there until her lease is up in June, since she accepted a job with a national accounting firm in the area. Prices will vary widely, and I would not recommend moving yearly like she did. Lol.

Agree with the others. While it’s challenging to get on campus housing for upper classmen, most want to live off campus after freshman year, anyway. For girls in sororities, many opt to live in Greek Village which is considered on campus and run by the University (and feels very much like a dorm). My sophomore is in the newer Empire apartments which are higher in rent but are about as close to campus as you can get in a newer place and are very secure, which was important to us. She is in Public Health which is literally next door, and is easy walking distance to Greek Village and all of her other classes. It’s been great. She plans to stay there until graduation.

My son lives in the fraternity house this year (all are sophomores) and he will live in a house with some of his fraternity brothers next year. The house was acquired through a connection (one of the boys is from Columbia) and the boy’s father negotiated the lease. I googled a crime map for the area and found it to be safe (by urban standards). I think they will each pay $600 plus utilities but it is a 12 month lease. Unfortunately, we won’t be saving any money moving off campus.