Fortunately for Georgia Tech students, there are a plethora of student living options both on-campus and throughout Midtown for students to choose from.
With all of these options, it can be difficult to decide which type of housing is best for you. Do you want to live on campus or off campus? Are you interested in a traditional lease or individual lease?
Whatever your decision may be, the best way to ensure you will be happy after signing your lease is to make sure you have evaluated all of your options thoroughly.
At Whistler, we want to help students find the perfect living space. That’s why we have written this article to discuss all of the types of housing available for Georgia Tech students, so that you can make an informed decision on the next place you call “home.”
Georgia Tech Housing Options for Students
For undergraduate students, there are a number of living options to choose from. These housing options come in two different categories: on-campus housing and off-campus housing.
The most popular types of On-Campus GT Housing are:
The most popular types of Off-Campus Housing are:
On Campus GT Housing: Dorms
Inside of a dorm at Glenn Residence Hall, one of the most popular dorms on east campus. Image courtesy of GT Housing and Residence Life.
Dorms are a form of Georgia Tech housing specifically designed for freshmen. While it is not required that all freshmen live in dorms, the majority of freshmen opt into living at dorms as part of the First-Year Experience Program. All dorms are located on campus and are meant to help students transition to college life smoothly. They are equipped with lounge spaces to encourage students to interact with their hallmates, laundry rooms located in or near the building, and RA’s (resident assistants) to help students adjust to their first year at college.
If you decide to live on campus as a freshman, you will also be required to be on the meal plan through Georgia Tech Dining. Both of these contracts last from August to the beginning of May. The dorms cost around $6,900 per year and the meal plan costs an additional $5,400 per year for both in-state and out-of-state students.
Most dorms on campus feature one room with two beds, two desks and desk chairs, two dressers, and two wardrobes for you and your roommate. Most dorms will also feature community bathrooms. Depending on the building you select to live in, you may have the option to instead live in a triple (three students in one, slightly larger room) or a quad (four students in one, slightly larger room). Your building may also offer a suite-style bathroom instead of a community bath. Visit the Georgia Tech Housing and Residence Life page to learn more about these options.
Read Next: A Freshman’s Guide to Student Housing at Georgia Tech
On Campus GT Housing: GT Apartments
North Avenue is a Georgia Tech owned apartment complex available to students.
Similar to dorms, apartment-style residence halls are Georgia Tech owned buildings that are leased directly from the school to students. These apartments are open to any Georgia Tech student and are available on a first come, first serve basis.
The apartments have either four or six bedrooms and cost around $9,700 per year. Like dorms, your lease will last from August to early May.
Residents of these apartments will share a living room and kitchen and have private bedrooms. The bathrooms are shared by two people, and the apartment comes fully furnished.
The exact building you chose to live in may affect what amenities you have access to. The most popular Georgia Tech residence hall apartment building is North Avenue. North Avenue apartments have study spaces located on several floors, access to a gym, and are attached to the North Avenue dining hall. To learn more about your Georgia Tech-owned apartment options, visit the Georgia Tech Housing and Residence Life page.
On Campus GT Housing: Greek Houses
Photo courtesy of hodgesandhicks.com
With over 40 Greek houses on campus, there are many students that opt into living in their respective sorority or fraternity houses. Many students opt to live in their fraternity or sorority’s house as a second-year or third-year as they transition out of dorm life. However, with each home’s limited size, not everyone will have the opportunity to live in Greek housing.
Like other on-campus housing options, these leases tend to last from August to early May. Since there are so many Greek houses, they vary greatly in size, capacity, amenities and quality. This means the pricing for these leases also vary. It is generally true that your rent will be equal to or less than on- and off-campus apartments. As a bonus, your meal plan and dues will likely be included in the total cost, making the overall value higher.
Houses are all set up differently, but you will most likely have to share a room with one or more roommates, as well as a community bathroom. Some houses may have study rooms and lounges, while others do not. Check to see what features your house offers before signing a lease.
Fraternity and sorority houses are both run and overseen by each of their organizations. For more information, contact your fraternity or sorority.
If you’re part of a Greek org but don’t want to live in-house, check out our article on which student apartments are closest to Greek houses at Georgia Tech.
Off-Campus Housing: Student Housing Apartments near GT
Off-campus student apartments offer trendy, state-of-the-art amenities like this rooftop pool deck and lounging area at Whistler.
For our first type of off-campus housing, we are going to take a look at apartments built specifically to house students.
Student housing apartments are built close to campus and designed specifically to meet student needs. Unlike on-campus housing options, these properties offer year-long leases from August through July.
The contract is designed as an individual lease, or a “by the bed lease”. This means you and each of your roommates will sign their own, personal leases with a landlord. Because of this, you are only responsible for your own rent, bedroom, bathroom and common spaces.
Read Next: Benefits of Individual Lease at an Off-Campus Student Apartment
The apartments come in various sizes, ranging from studios to 6×6 (six bedrooms, six bathrooms) floor plans. They come fully furnished with a shared kitchen and living space in each apartment.
Another perk of student apartments are the luxurious amenities designed specifically to appeal to college students. These amenities may include, but are not limited to, rooftop pool decks, fitness centers, study spaces, yoga studios, golf simulators, saunas and on-site coffee shops.
Each apartment’s rental rates vary by location, amenities, and floor plan. You can expect to see prices ranging from $1,200 to $2,500 per person, per month.
Read Next: 6 Best Student Apartments near Georgia Tech in Midtown Atlanta
Off-Campus Housing: Traditional Apartments
The next common type of housing is a traditional apartment. What separates traditional apartments from student housing apartments is that they are not specifically tailored to students. They have fewer amenities, are located further from campus, and do not have student budgets in mind.
Traditional apartments also offer a different kind of lease. They are typically year-long, but signed by the apartment and not by the bed. This means one roommate will usually be in charge of collecting rent from all other roommates and compiling it to pay the total cost of rent to the landlord each month.
There are so many traditional apartments in Midtown, that it’s hard to pinpoint a price range for the typical cost of an apartment. Depending on location, the year it was built, and the size of apartment, prices can range anywhere from $700 to over $3,000 per person, per month.
Read Next: Traditional Apartments vs. Student Housing Apartments
Off-Campus Housing: Traditional Houses
The final type of housing common for Georgia Tech students is renting a traditional house near campus.
The most popular neighborhood for students to rent houses in is Home Park, which is located north of Georgia Tech, between campus and Atlantic Station.
Renting houses is not super common amongst underclassmen and is typically done by upperclassmen or graduate students. This is because these properties are not geared towards students like on-campus living or student apartments are. You will be located further from campus, will have access to little or no amenities, and will likely have an unfurnished home. These variables all increase your overall cost of living.
Leases for these properties are typically year-long traditional leases, meaning roommates will set up their own system to split the cost of rent and utilities, and everyone will be held equally liable for any damages done to the property.
Due to the distance from campus and lack of student-geared accommodations, pricing for houses in Home Park are typically less than you would find at other off-campus locations. You can expect to see rental rates around $800 to $1,000 per person, per month.
Comparison of GT Housing Types
To summarize the types of housing available to Georgia Tech students, we have created this chart to compare and contrast your options:
| Dorms | Georgia Tech Apartments | Greek Houses | Student Housing Apartments | Traditional Apartments | Traditional Houses | |
| Meal Plan | Yes | Optional | Yes | No | No | No |
| Roommate Matching | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Affordability | $$ | $$ | $$ | $$ – $$$ | $ – $$$$ | $ – $$ |
| On-Campus or Off-Campus | On | On | On | Off | Off | Off |
| Furnished | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Varies | Varies |
Now that we have explored the most common types of housing for Georgia Tech students both on- and off-campus, we hope you have a better understanding of your housing options. For next steps, check out our article on the 8 Steps to Finding the Perfect Student Apartment near GT.
Or, for more information on the cost of living near Georgia Tech, you can read our article on How Much Does it Cost to Live Near Georgia Tech?
If you have any further questions or would like to learn more about Whistler, please visit our website or contact our leasing staff. We are more than happy to help you in your search for housing!
