WashU offers housing options 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.
Summer 2025 housing
WashU Residential Life has housing options available in the summer for international students who are currently living on campus and wish to stay for the full summer or a portion of the summer, on a fee basis. Reach out to Jimmy Luong Chacko cjimmy@wustl.edu for more information.
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 housing for 1st year undergraduate students
All first year undergraduate students live on campus in one of the residential communities on a part of campus referred to as the South 40. The area is nicknamed “The South 40” because it is forty acres located directly south of the Danforth Campus. The space is home to about 3,200 residents in 24 residence halls, as well as recreational space, computer clusters, campus eateries, and much, much more. “The 40” is a place to study, sleep, eat, relax, and form new friendships.
Room Type Options:
All housing for first-year students is in either traditional or modern residential communities:
- Modern buildings typically feature suite-style layouts with shared bathrooms among a small group of students.
- Traditional suite style buildings have suite-style layouts with bathrooms among a small group of students.
- Traditional communal style buildings have bathrooms that are maintained by custodial staff and shared by a floor or hallway.
The primary difference between Modern & Traditional Suite Style buildings is the presence of an elevator. Modern buildings have elevators while traditional buildings do not. There is no “better” option—it often comes down to personal preference. Both types of communities offer excellent opportunities to meet other students and engage in the first-year experience.
A note about single rooms:
Single rooms are extremely limited for incoming first-year students and are typically reserved for those with approved accommodations through Disability Resources. Most first-year students are assigned to double rooms, where they will share a space with one roommate.
On campus housing for Sophomores (2nd year undergraduate students
Most sophomores live on the South 40. Some live on the Northside in the Village. Some will opt for our Special Interest Housing.
On campus housing for upper-division ( 3rd & 4th year) undergraduate and graduate students
Our upper-division students have a wide variety of housing options from which to choose.
The area known as The Village sits on the Danforth Campus and includes the suite-style housing of Village House and Lopata House. The Village East and Millbrook Apartments are also on campus. Finally, many of our upper-division students are housed in apartment communities that are located in the neighborhoods surrounding the university. Each of these varied communities provide extensive programs and amenities for students to enjoy.
Graduate-only housing
New graduate housing is now available at Rosedale Court Apartments with various unit sizes, private bathrooms, and fully furnished living spaces. For more information and to express your interest, fill out the interest form.
Off-campus housing
Most graduate and professional 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 WashU-owned apartments owned. Most apartments are located in the Skinker-DeBaliviere area, north of the Delmar Loop and in the Central West End area. Many are 10-20 minutes walking distance from WashU and accessible by the free university shuttle. Admitted students who do not have an active WashU email yet can set up a temporary guest account with Quadrangle.
Find more information in the Quadrangle webinar hosted by The Graduate Center on March 13, 2025. Reach out to ars@wustl.edu with questions.
Parallel Properties is another WashU-owned company, which offers very similar services as Quadrangle.
Apartment referral services
Apartment Referral Services (ARS) is a service offered to all 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
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.
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.
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.