The University of Texas at Austin is one of the most popular universities in the United States. It owes its status to the fact that it is quite affordable and it’s a very prestigious school. In fact, it is often considered a “public” Ivy League school. In essence, you get the prestige of an Ivy League school without the price tag.
The University of Texas at Austin has a lot of great humanities and social science courses for students that plan to go into a wide variety of fields. However, just like with any university, housing could be an issue. You can always try to live on-campus but if the dorm scene is not for you, you might want to try living off-campus. Just like with any other university, living off-campus takes a little bit of legwork to find the best deal and to get a clear idea as to what the average prices are. Average off-campus room and board is around $10,250 per year which is around 80% of on-campus housing options.
It’s not as expensive as other college towns but it can be quite pricey if you don’t play your cards right. Remember, these are average figures; meaning there are some that are higher and there are some that are lower. To make sure that you get a good deal, try to look for a place at the best time. If you are looking to rent next August, start looking in October of this year. It may sound crazy but a little bit of advanced preparation and timing is needed to score a good place off-campus.
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Keep in mind that even if you did not prepare or plan ahead, you can still get an off-campus place however, expect it to be more expensive or not as good as if you had planned ahead. It’s easy to find a really rundown place, that’s not a problem. But if you want a decent place at a good price, you have to really look ahead and plan for some time in the future. If you’re looking for a place outside of west campus, your wait time is probably going to be a little bit longer. There are usually a lot more places in west campus but if you’re looking for a place outside of that region, there are places available. You just have to wait longer for it. While I don’t recommend it, if you’re really pressed for time and you don’t have much choice in regards to your timing when looking for an apartment, you might still be able to hook up with a great place even if you look in July or August, just right before you need to move in.
The problem with this option is that you just don’t know what places will be left over. There can still be some gems in the rough but for the most part, it’s going to be some not-so-good places.
The most popular places to rent off-campus are North Campus, Riverside, and West Campus. Outside of West Campus, you have to plan ahead. The average rent for off-campus housing in the University of Texas at Austin is $575 for one bedroom, $1,350 for two bedroom, and $1,800 for three bedroom. Keep in mind that these are just average prices. They may go up or go down depending on current economic trends. The key is to not just look at one place, but to look at a wide variety of places and at different locations.
Happy apartment hunting!
This guest post was written by veteran college blogger Chris Walker for http://www.ivyresearch.com Boost your admissions chances with a powerful admissions essay, visit ivyresearch.com Today!