So you’re headed to Georgia Tech this Fall. Congratulations– your first year as a Yellow Jacket is an exciting time! Now that you have made the decision to head to Atlanta, it is time to decide where you are going to live when you get there.
At Whistler, we help students just like you find their dream apartment for the school year. To help you navigate this process, we are outlining the important steps that should be taken when looking for an apartment in Midtown, including:
- In what areas of Midtown do Georgia Tech students live?
- What types of off-campus housing is available?
- When should I start looking for housing?
- How much does it cost to live near Georgia Tech?
- How do I find roommates as a transfer student to Georgia Tech?
- What are the next steps?
Georgia Tech Transfer Housing at Woodruff Residence Hall
Woodruff South dormitories. Image from Georgia Tech Housing and Residence Life.
Being a transfer student to Georgia Tech can be a difficult transition. To combat this and help students adjust to the Yellow Jacket lifestyle, Georgia Tech offers the Woodruff Welcomes Transfers to Tech (WWTT) program. This program is designed to connect transfer students with one another and ease their transition into their new college community. To learn more about WWTT, check out this guide from the Georgia Tech Housing Department.
With that being said, on-campus housing spots are limited, and we know many transfer students end up waitlisted and looking for alternative housing options. That’s why we have created this guide listing everything you need to know about alternative housing options near Georgia Tech available to transfer students.
Off-Campus Housing for Georgia Tech Transfer Students
Where do Georgia Tech students live?
When looking for off campus housing near Georgia Tech, there are three popular neighborhoods to consider:
- East Midtown
- West Midtown
- Home Park
East Midtown is a favored location for both student apartments and traditional apartments. Near Tech Square and just across the Fifth Street Bridge from the campus, East Midtown offers a vibrant urban lifestyle with a variety of food, drink, and entertainment options, all within a short walk from campus.
West Midtown is located beyond west campus and features student apartments and traditional apartments along Northside Drive and Marietta Street. This area is close to restaurants and campus facilities like the Campus Recreational Center, West Village Dining Commons, and West Midtown restaurants.
Lastly, Home Park is located north of the campus between campus and Atlantic Station. This area is a neighborhood that offers a variety of houses for rent to students just a short commute from campus.
For more detailed information about the different areas where Georgia Tech students live, check out our article, Where Do Georgia Tech Students Live.
Read Next: Student Housing vs.Traditional Housing: Which is Right for Me?
What types of off-campus housing is available near Georgia Tech?
There are three main types of off-campus housing options available to Georgia Tech students:
- Student Housing Apartments
- Traditional Apartments
- Traditional Houses
Student housing apartments are purpose-built housing located near the campus specifically designed to cater to the needs of busy students. This type of apartment will offer individual leases, meaning each roommate signs their own lease and is responsible only for their portion of the rent and designated spaces. Apartments come fully furnished with a variety of floor plan options to choose between, from studios to 6×6 (6 bedroom, 6 bathroom). Student housing apartment complexes also typically provide attractive amenities such as rooftop pool decks, fitness centers, study areas, and on-site coffee shops.
Read Next: 5 Benefits of Living in a New Student Housing Development
Traditional apartments are not specifically designed for students, offer fewer and less tailored amenities, and tend to be located further from campus. These apartments typically offer by-the-apartment leases to be signed by the apartment as a whole, rather than individually by each roommate. This means you and your roommates need to devise your own system for rent and utilities, and all are equally responsible for any property damages.
Renting a traditional house near Georgia Tech campus, particularly in the previously mentioned Home Park neighborhood, is another common option for upperclassmen or graduate students. Like traditional apartments, this type of housing lacks student-oriented features and amenities, and the properties are often unfurnished. With year-long, by-the-apartment leases like traditional apartments, roommates will need to devise their own system for rent and utilities, and all are equally responsible for any property damages.
When should I start looking for housing?
As soon as you commit to transfer to Georgia Tech, you should start looking for housing. Your chances of finding your dream dorm or apartment are much higher when you sign a lease early. Whether you decide to live on- or off-campus, housing options near Georgia Tech can go quickly.
Read Next: When to Start Looking For Student Housing as a Georgia Tech Student
If you’re looking at on-campus dorms, room selection order is determined by when you sign and complete the GT Housing Application. This application will open upon admission to Georgia Tech as a transfer student (March) and will require you to pay a housing deposit and sign both the Housing Contract and the Meal Plan Contract to complete.
With more and more students being accepted to Georgia Tech each year, room selection in on-campus dorms is very competitive and there will likely be a lengthy waitlist of students that want to live in on-campus dorms and apartments. To increase your chances of getting the dorm you want, be ready to complete and sign this application as soon as you’re accepted to Georgia Tech.
Off-campus housing is also quite competitive, so you’ll want to sign and commit soon after you make the decision to transfer to Georgia Tech. Off-campus apartments begin leasing as early as Fall the year prior to move-in, so spots at popular apartment complexes will be increasingly limited the longer you wait.
How much does it cost to live near Georgia Tech?
Upon publication, living in on-campus housing can range from $3,700 to $5,500 per semester depending on what style of housing you choose. Because these contracts are for two semesters at nine months total, your monthly rate will range from around $822 and $1200.
In general, it can cost anywhere from $800 to $2,500 per person, per month to live near Georgia Tech. This cost is affected by a number of factors including location, amenities, year built, and the floor plan you select. For more details on how these factors will impact your cost of living, check out this article: How Much Does It Cost to Live near Georgia Tech?
Off-campus traditional apartments have a much wider range of pricing due to the variety of options throughout the Midtown area. These apartments can be anywhere from $700 to over $3,000 per person, per month depending on location, building age, apartment size, number of roommates, etc.
Off-campus traditional houses tend to be located further from campus and with less amenities, generally having lower rental rates. Traditional houses in Home Park can range from $800 to $1,000 per person, per month depending on size, number or roommates, age of the house, and area of Home Park.
How do I find roommates as a transfer student at Georgia Tech?
Roommates can make all the difference in your living experience. Coming in as a transfer student, the task of finding roommates can seem a little daunting at first glance.
In off-campus apartments, floor plans typically feature a shared kitchen and living space with private bedrooms and bathrooms for each roommate from 2×2’s (two bedroom, two bathroom) to 6×6’s (six bedroom, six bathroom). This means you can have anywhere from one to five roommates depending on the floor plan you select.
For both on- and off-campus housing options, you’ll have the opportunity to choose your own roommates if you have a few friends in mind.
If you don’t know of any roommates yet, that’s fine too! Most places you sign will have roommate matching systems where you can opt to let your dorm or apartment complex match you with roommates based on a short questionnaire.
If you would rather have more say in the roommates you pick, there are also other resources like Facebook groups, Instagram pages, and other online platforms to help students find roommates. You can find more information on these resources in our article, How to Find Roommates at Georgia Tech.
You can also take advantage of our downloadable roommate questionnaire to see if your roommate is the best choice for your lifestyle.
What are the next steps?
Now that you have determined what types of housing you are interested in and how many roommates you anticipate having, it is time to begin the leasing process!
First, make a list of apartments you are interested in and book tours at each location. From here, you can get more information on rates, amenities, and availability through the leasing staff at each location. If you are out-of-state or not able to tour in person, many leasing staff will be accommodating and provide you with online tours and a virtual call with a staff member to answer any questions you may have.
After you have decided on a location, you’ll complete your application and, once approved, sign a lease for your apartment! For more information on what the leasing process looks like at off-campus apartments, check out our article on How to Sign a Lease at an Off-Campus Apartment Near Georgia Tech.
To make sure you are prepared for the Georgia heat and Midtown lifestyle, check out our ultimate college packing list for GA Tech students.
We hope this guide puts you in the right direction when looking for housing as a student transferring into Georgia Tech. If you have any further questions about student housing near GT or would like to learn more about leasing at Whistler, feel free to reach out to our leasing team. We are more than happy to assist you in your search for housing!
