Housing Options - Office for International Students & Scholars

WashU offers on-campus housing options for undergraduate students and resources to find off-campus housing for students, scholars and employees. St. Louis, and the surrounding areas, is made up of many neighborhoods with a variety of housing options.

On-campus undergraduate student housing

WashU requires all full-time, first-year, degree-seeking undergraduate students to live in the residence halls for the entire academic year. This requirement does not apply to incoming transfer or incoming exchange students.

The Office of Residential Life manages on-campus housing for undergraduate students.

On-campus 1st & 2nd year undergraduate students	South 40 Residential Communities
On-campus 3rd year + undergraduate students	Northside Residential Communities

Off-campus housing

Graduate students, scholars and employees live off-campus. Although there are a number of different ways in which you can rent off-campus housing, we have compiled a list of commonly used resources that many of our international students, scholars and employees use.

WashU-owned apartments

Quadrangle manages apartments owned by WashU. Most of these apartments are located in the Skinker-DeBaliviere area, north of the Delmar Loop and in the Central West End area. Many locations are 10-20 minutes walking distance from WashU and are well served by the free university shuttle.

Parallel Properties is another WashU-owned company, which offers very similar services as Quadrangle.

View Parallel properties

Apartment referral services

Apartment Referral Services (ARS) is a service offered to WashU students, faculty and staff to assist with off-campus housing options. On this website, you will find a comprehensive listing of both WashU-owned and non WashU-owned housing options, resources for finding roommates, and many additional resources that will help you find the right apartment for you.

Temporary Housing

The Core Apartment Residences offer a limited number of temporary housing options for WashU guests who wish to stay temporarily. Depending on availability, this is a good option for visiting students, faculty or staff members and individuals pursuing research, internships and educational opportunities. Each guest must be a visiting student or otherwise sponsored by a WashU department to be eligible. For more information email thecore@wustl.edu.

Additional Information

Renting tips

If you decide to rent an apartment or other housing off campus, we strongly recommend that you purchase renter’s insurance. Renter’s insurance covers your personal property in case of fire, damage or theft. You can find an insurance agent by searching online.

When renting an apartment and traveling off campus, we recommend that you consider important safety tips. The Washington University Police Department (WUPD) has a number of resources for safety topics you may be thinking about as you make housing decisions. A list of these resources, including Safety Tips when off campus and Personal Safety tips can be found on the WUPD website.

Rental housing scams

Many international students and scholars lease and sublet apartments in the St. Louis area. It is important for those who are seeking to rent (or sublease) an apartment to beware of possible scams.

According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, there are three (3) primary ways to know whether or not an apartment rental opportunity or inquiry is a scam:

They want you to wire money. This is the surest sign of a scam. There’s never a good reason to wire money to pay a security deposit, application fee or first month’s rent. Wiring money is the same as sending cash – once you send it, you have no way to get it back.
They want a security deposit or first month’s rent before you’ve met or signed a lease. It’s never a good idea to send money to someone you’ve never met in person for an apartment you haven’t seen. If you can’t visit an apartment or house yourself, ask someone you trust to go and confirm that it’s for rent. In addition to setting up a meeting, do a search on the landlord and listing. If you find the same ad listed under a different name, that’s a clue that it may be a scam.
They say they are located outside of the country but have a plan to get the keys into your hands. It might involve a lawyer or “agent” working on their behalf. Some scammers even create fake keys. Be skeptical and don’t send money overseas. If you can’t meet in person, see the apartment, or sign a lease before you pay, keep looking.

Explore St. Louis

The St. Louis region is one of the Midwest’s key cultural destinations, boasting an abundance of museums, music and theater venues, sporting events, fine dining and shopping districts.

The St. Louis Visitor’s Commission offers Explore St. Louis, a website including St. Louis dining, events, cultural activities, children’s activities and transportation. It is an authority on what to see and do in the St. Louis area.

For more information about St. Louis and the neighborhoods surrounding Washington University’s campuses, explore living in St. Louis on the central WashU website.

We recommend the services listed above, but you are not limited by these options. You are free to choose apartment or housing options through non-WashU affiliated listing agents and rental property services.