Written by: Baran Abbasi & Brionna Condon
Finding student housing each year can be overwhelming with so many on and off campus options. Each student student has unique concerns — like budget, location, safety, and more — that make the search even harder. Our guide makes this process easy by providing step-by-step instructions that focus your search and give you the best possible options regarding your constraints.
Table of Contents
Introduction
There is nothing more important than a good, safe, secure home.
Rosalynn Carter
Georgia Tech students, new or returning, are constantly making decisions…
They are deciding where to eat, what course to take, if they should show up to class, how to spend their weekend, and more. Even though Tech students are accustomed to making decisions and find some incredibly easy to make, there still exists one decision Tech students, without fail, have a lot of difficulty deciding on: where to live.
Student housing is a major challenge each year due to the overwhelming number of on and off campus options. With different priorities like budget, location, and safety, students often struggle to find the right fit. This guide simplifies the process by narrowing choices based on preferences such as living style and commute, saving time, reducing stress, and helping students start the academic year with confidence!
The 8 Steps to Finding Housing
The 8 Steps to Finding Housing
Step 1: Identify your Housing Budget
Step 1: Identify your Housing Budget
Determine how much you can realistically spend on rent each month.
Make sure to include the additional costs of living such as utilities, parking, and groceries while calculating your total monthly expenses. By having a clear understanding of your financial limits, you will be able to stay focused during your research. Creating simple budgets can make this decision process feel more manageable and less stressful.
Step 2: Decide on Importance of Distance from Campus
Step 2: Decide on Importance of Distance from Campus
Consider how close you want to live to campus and whether you are comfortable commuting by walking, biking, public transportation, or driving.
When considering student housing, its distance from campus may affect your daily routine. You need to think about the amount of time you are willing to spend commuting each day and what transportation methods you are comfortable using or have access to. Living closer may save time and increase convenience, but it can also come with higher rent costs, or dorm style shared rooms. On the other hand, living further away can provide for more affordable options. Understanding your priorities will help you balance convenience with cost.
Level 1: Safety is not a major priority and you are comfortable living in most areas as long as the price and location is appealing.
Level 2: You prefer generally safe neighborhoods, but are willing to compromise if other factors like cost, location or amenities are strong.
Level 3: Safety is moderately important to you, and you generally look for areas with decent lighting, some security features, and positive reviews from other students.
Level 4: Safety is a high priority. You focus on secure buildings, safe & well known surroundings, and are willing to compromise on cost or amenities.
Level 5: Safety is your top concern, and you will only consider highly secure housing in areas well known for safety, and are willing to compromise on cost or amenities.
Step 3: Consider your Safety Preferences
Step 3: Consider your Safety Preferences
Decide how important safety is to you on a scale from 1-5, where each level represents increasing concern about neighborhood safety.
Feeling safe in your living environment is important for your mental and physical well being. Depending on the level of safety importance you chose, locations and budgets may have to be shifted. You can also research crime rates in certain areas, as well as read reviews and visit certain housing sites to confirm how safe you feel in a certain location.
Depending on the Safety Level you chose, consider viewing this crime map data published by the Atlanta Police Department for more information about what location would be the best for you! If you are greatly concerned about safety, consider living on-campus. The Midtown area would rank anywhere from a 2-4 on the Safety Levels depending on the specific location you choose. Housing off West Campus will score similarly. Home Park, and the Centennial Apartments are not considered the safest options and will rank from 2-3 depending on the specific location.
Step 4: Roommates
Step 4: Roommates
Think about whether you are comfortable living with people you don’t know or if you already have roommates in mind.
A key aspect to student housing are your roommates as they can reduce monthly living costs and provide social benefits, but also require compromise and clear communication especially regarding shared spaces. In this step, it’s important you are being honest and candid with yourself and your future roommate to prevent conflicts early on and live comfortably together. If you don’t already have roommates in mind, but want to live with someone else, be sure to use matching platforms or housing groups.
Step 5: Amenities
Step 5: Amenities
Determine which amenities matter to you. Examples include a pool, gym, study spaces, coffee shop, gaming room, private bathroom, or private bedroom. Separate these into two categories: “needs” and “nice-to-haves”.
Separating your list into “needs” and “nice-to-haves” is important, so you can stay flexible during your housing search. Not every housing option will include everything you want, so prioritization for your “needs” is essential. This step will help you make more practical trade-offs that will make you feel more confident in the long run.
Step 6: Proximity to Social Areas
Step 6: Proximity to Social Areas
Decide how close you want to be to social events or popular areas, such as Greek housing, or nearby nightlife districts.
Your social life is important, and your housing proximity to social events will impact your attendance and willingness to go out. Being close to these areas can make it easier to attend such events and stay connected to friends. However, this may lead to dealing with more noise or higher rent prices. Finding the right balance and reviewing the importance of location to social areas for you can improve both your social and academic lives.
Look through the infographic to your right to see the different social gatherings to look for and are important to you when deciding where to live:
Step 7: Reevaluate your Location and Budget
Step 7: Reevaluate your Location and Budget
If you are having trouble finding housing, revisit the preferences you selected in the prior steps to see if adjustments will help expand your options.
Flexibility is necessary in student housing markets, so take time to reassess your expectations.
Step 8: Sign Your Lease and Enjoy!
Need the steps to go? No worries! Use the infographic to the left as an easy go to guide! –>
![The infographic displays steps 1-7, which are discussed in greater detail at the [Steps to Finding the Best Housing] section of our guide. The steps provided on the infographic are a summary of what is discussed at the above section.](https://gthow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/a-guide-to-finding-perfect-student-housing-1.png?w=455)
Step 8: Sign Your Lease and Enjoy!
Once you find the right place, review the lease carefully, sign it, and enjoy your new home!
Access this Google Maps link to a list of popular on and off campus housing options to get your list started!
If you are more interested in living on-campus, find more information about Georgia Tech institution based housing information on the linked website.
If you are still confused or not feeling confident on how to find the best housing, consider viewing Georgia Tech’s official guide on housing on campus and around GT visit.
For other sources to help with housing selection, consider viewing Reddit posts by previous students about housing reviews, joining Facebook groups who talk about different housing options, or asking fellow students
Thanks for reading our guide on how to find the best student housing option! Let us know how we did by rating us below:
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