Housing Issues in the US

[yoyobarn]

Hi,

What is the usual housing plan for graduate students in the USA? Do they live in

(i) their own rented apartments
(ii) student "hostel / dormitory" (single room)
(iii) student "hostel / dormitory" (shared room).

Also, is accomodation free?

Sorry if I sound naive, as I have never lived in the US before..

Thanks a lot.

[owlpride]

It depends on the university. Some universities have on-campus housing for their graduate students, others do not. Where it exists, university housing may be cheaper or more expensive than off campus housing. Columbia and Stanford, for example, offer subsidized housing because Manhatten and Silicon Valley would be too expensive for a graduate student otherwise. (Which does not mean that university housing is cheap. Both Stanford and Columbia charge over $1,000 a month for a room in a shared apartment, but that's still significantly cheaper than free market prices in the surrounding area.) At some other places, you would pay a premium for the convenience of living on campus.

Graduate students usually live in apartments, not dorms. Depending on the housing prices, it might be customary for a student to have their own apartment or to rent a single bedroom in a shared apartment or to share a bedroom in a shared apartment.

[yoyobarn]

Thank you very much!

That would probably mean any money I earn from TA will be spent on housing/food right?

[PNT]

It depends on the university. Some universities have on-campus housing for their graduate students, others do not. Where it exists, university housing may be cheaper or more expensive than off campus housing. Columbia and Stanford, for example, offer subsidized housing because Manhatten and Silicon Valley would be too expensive for a graduate student otherwise. (Which does not mean that university housing is cheap. Both Stanford and Columbia charge over $1,000 a month for a room in a shared apartment, but that's still significantly cheaper than free market prices in the surrounding area.) At some other places, you would pay a premium for the convenience of living on campus.

Graduate students usually live in apartments, not dorms. Depending on the housing prices, it might be customary for a student to have their own apartment or to rent a single bedroom in a shared apartment or to share a bedroom in a shared apartment.

Do university's give assistance in finding accomadation? for example how would an international student arrange such things from the otherside of the world before they arrive? Do grad students usually organize shared apartments of the like together?

[Sandra27]

I never thought that it could take up to $1000 in renting a place to live in the US,thats too high but of course thats the way it is.Now I know how expensive it is to attend school in the US.

[ANDS]

Thank you very much!

That would probably mean any money I earn from TA will be spent on housing/food right?

What else would you spend it on?

I never thought that it could take up to $1000 in renting a place to live in the US,thats too high but of course thats the way it is.Now I know how expensive it is to attend school in the US.

That is hardly the norm. The two campuses mentioned are in the bay area of California and New York city - not exactly representative of the US in terms of housing prices. It is very easy to find shared housing that isn't going to make you a pauper.

[owlpride]

^ Thank you for clarifying this! Yes, I had no intention to imply that housing costs in Manhattan or Silicon Valley are representative of housing prices in the US. On the other end of the spectrum, Indiana University Bloomington offers graduate housing for $350 per month (last time I checked), just as an example.

Your stipend will normally reflect the cost of living in the area. For example, graduate students at Stanford get a stipend of ~$30,000 per year. Graduate students at Indiana University only get ~$15,000.