Off-campus living might be the only option for students who received time tickets weeks and months after the housing applications opened.
According to US News and World Report, over 80% of students at KSU live off-campus. The university warns applicants that housing spots fill fast, and no student is guaranteed the room they prefer or a room at all.
KSU students must decide where to live during the fall 2024 and spring 2025 semesters. With this spring semester almost over, housing applications are now open for several students, but not all.
KSU allows students to select their rooms and match with roommates at various times. One student may choose their housing two months before another.
There are more students than housing at this university, with the number of freshmen increasing each year.
“There’s really no housing available on campus,” Angelina Towns said. “Especially for upperclassmen.”
According to KSU’s website, most housing options that give students their own bed and bath cost around $4,000/semester. That same housing accommodation in some off-campus apartments costs around $900/month, totaling about $3,600 per semester, according to American Campus Communities.
Some students have said they appreciate the affordability and the freedoms off-campus housing allows.
“It makes me feel like a real adult,” Na’Ya Kendrick said. “We don’t have to go through the random room checks, either.”
When a student receives a later wait time for on-campus housing, they’re placed in a room someone declined because other options were available. This often causes students to be paired with someone they have never met before.
One of the most common resources for off-campus roommate matching is RoomSync. This app allows you to create a public profile of yourself with key descriptors for others on the app to read and decide whether you and another person will be compatible living together.
There is a smaller percentage of students who would prefer on-campus living for its accessibility who did not receive the time ticket or housing option they desired when the time ticket opened.
“I prefer taking a 5-minute walk to class,” Kyla Graham said. “It’s better than a 5-minute drive, not including traffic.”
There are several apartments primarily occupied by college students within commutable distance of the school including Copper Social, The Bixby, The Retreat and more.
KSU’s Big Owl Bus transit system has routes between the student apartments and the university that run for five days a week for over eight hours each day, according to KSU’s website.
Those considering off-campus housing arrangements can check RateMyApartments to see ratings and reviews from current or former residents.
