Student Housing Guide

UCSC Extension International Program

Housing Options

Studio: A studio apartment is one large room with a small kitchenette and bathroom. Monthly rent can range from $950-$1,250.

One-bedroom apartment: One-bedroom apartments have a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. One-bedroom apartments can often be shared by two people. Monthly rent can range from $1,500-$1,900.

Two-bedroom apartment: Two-bedroom apartments have two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Two-bedroom apartments can be shared by two to four people and the monthly rent can from $1,750-$2,500.

Room in a house: There are often houses available for rent or with individual rooms for rent. Students who choose to rent a room in a house will have access to the bathroom, kitchen, yard, and other parts of the house. Monthly rent for one bedroom in a house is $575-$850 and monthly rent for an entire house varies greatly depending on the size of the house and its location.

Homestays: Stay with a local family or group of students. There are many organizations that connect international students to local families. Prices vary so please contact http://isphomestays.com/ for more information.

How to Find an Apartment

If you are looking for an apartment or shared housing, we would like to suggest a few options:

  • Consult housing Web sites, local newspapers and magazines. Some of the most commonly used resources are listed below. A few of these, such as Craigslist and Metroactive (among others) also have an option to search for rooms in shared apartments or houses.

Online Resources

Newspapers

Magazines

You can pick up free magazines at Safeway, Albertsons, and other local grocery stores and newsstands:

International Program Housing and Services

Welcome to Silicon Valley. We hope that the resources we've gathered will help you in your search for housing.

Apartments

Many international students choose to live in local apartment complexes or houses. This gives you an opportunity to live on your own and choose your roommates (people you may share the apartment with). While many apartments and houses near campus can be fairly expensive, you may find that living with other students or families can help reduce costs.

When choosing an apartment, we suggest that you first look at it and learn about the policies and costs before signing a lease. Below is a brief description of housing arrangements and approximate costs in the area.

Things to Consider When Looking for an Apartment

  • Is the apartment close to the bus stop? You can find out if an apartment is close to a bus stop online. Type in the address of the apartment, UCSC Extension’s address (2505 Augustine Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95054), and the time you want to arrive at Extension. The Web site will tell you the bus route(s) to take, the total travel time, and the cost per trip.
  • The following cities are listed from the closest to UCSC Extension: Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Milpitas, and San Jose.