Housing Recommendations

Current Computer Science graduate students have provided some suggestions for new classmates looking for places to live.

Online Resources 

These are resources forwarded to our team and are posted here for students to use, if they so choose. Posting these websites does not imply any endorsement from the University of Arizona Department of Computer Science. Students must do their own research into their housing options. 

Advice

  • "Off-campus housing near the campus is expensive but very convenient, especially if you don't have a car. There are multiple cheaper options on the South side of the campus that are closer too (at the risk of being in a comparatively more dangerous neighborhood). If you have a roommate, there are multiple options further away from campus that have shuttle services (University Villa, Campus Crossings at Star Pass). Single bedrooms in these apartments are a bit on the expensive side."
  • "Living on campus is convenient."
  • "Ask friends and family. Ask alumni. Look online and call and schedule visits to the apartment."
  • "The nearby environment(community) is very important."
  • "Attend the housing fairs, this is when off-campus housing representatives each have a table and you can attend to see a bunch of options all at once."
  • "If you decide to do off-campus housing, I highly recommend you try and get some roommates, preferably with people you know, it makes everyday living and the university experience that much better."
  • "Pick a place close to campus for the first year. Then search for a good place to live during that time. This way you get to check all the neighborhoods and find the best house."
  • "Living close to the campus will make your trip easier. But if you have a car, the price and the condition for the apartments further from the campus are much better."
  • "good neighbors/roommates are important as well as sunlight in the room throughout the day"

Apartment Recommendations

  • La Aldea Graduate Apartments on the University of Arizona campus
    • "If you value community, La Aldea is the best place to live in Tucson. It has a very diverse graduate student community around the world who are in various disciplines."
    • "La Aldea is on campus and at walkable distance to CS dept Gould Simpson Building. Fully furnished and has laundry unit inside apartment"
  • Lantana Apartments - free shuttle to campus
  • University Villa at Ironwood 
    • "has free shuttle and a decent rent if split between the roommates"
  • Campus Crossings Star Pass 
    • "Mine is 3b/3b. Has refrigerator, dryer, laundry, stove, oven, microwave, dish washer, furnitures in it. Only electricity is not included in the rent. Free shuttle to UA is provided."
    • "It's about a 10-15 minute drive from school, furnished, has a free shuttle, laundry, each person gets their own bathroom, you only have to pay for rent and electricity. Each unit also gets a free parking pass if you prefer to drive. Rent for me was about ~550(3 bedroom 3 bath) + electricity 2 years ago when I lived there and the place has a pool, basketball and tennis courts, hangout areas...etc. And you're around other students going to either PIMA or UArizona."
    • "nice place, low rent, worth trying"
  • University Gardens Apartments - within walking distance of campus
    • "Free parking permit, free water use fee, free network"
  • Stone Avenue Standard
    • "I currently live here and it is a smaller apartment complex of mostly students that go to UArizona. It also has a pool (with hot tub), a shuttle that goes to and from UArizona, and I pay about 629 + electricity for a 3 bedroom 3 bath. This one is less than a 5 minute drive from the university so getting to and from the university is an extremely short commute, you could even bike to and from it comfortably. The internet(ethernet) is also the best I've ever had out of every single place I've ever lived, so if you care about having a great internet connection, this place is great. This place also has a gym, equipped with weight machines, treadmills, dumbells, barbells, pretty much everything you'd find in a regular gym."
  • Capistrano Apartments - access to public transportation
  • Sahara Apartments - free shuttle to campus and a local grocery store

  • Campus Crossings 8th Street - within walking distance of campus

Quick Facts

(The data below comes from a 2020 survey that was given to current CS graduate students.)

  • On average, CS graduate students are paying $650 per month for rent and utilities.
  • The majority of the CS graduate students have roommates.
  • Over half of the CS graduate students own a car. Anecdotally, most students with a car bought theirs after their first year in the program.
  • The most common ways CS graduate students are commuting to campus is by walking, driving, and utilizing a free shuttle/public transportation.