International Student Housing Guide - Graduate Students
Finding a Place to Call Home
We are so excited to have you at St. Thomas! It is important that you, as an international student, make proper arrangements for housing before you arrive in the Twin Cities. That’s why we created a housing guide just for you.
Arriving on campus without a place to live can be stressful for you and your family. It can also be costly, as the price of a hotel can get expensive if your search for housing takes longer than expected.
St. Thomas is here to provide resources to help with the transition to campus. Below are some helpful tips to start the search for housing and resources available to you.
Off-Campus Housing
Searching for housing from overseas can be difficult as the area is unknown, and pictures may look different than what they really are in reality.
It’s important to know that apartments become available at least 60 days prior to a start date so for instance, if you are looking for a September 1st move-in date, you will want to be searching in June/July.
If you do not have a place to live prior to arriving, you may have to stay at a hotel while you search. Hotels can be expensive (on average $60-100 per night), so plan ahead.
Rent around the St. Paul campus ranges from $800–1,500 depending on the size and style of the apartment. One-bedroom apartments in St. Paul rent for $1,014 a month on average and two-bedroom apartment rents average $1,310.
In Minneapolis, rent for 1 bedroom can be $1,301 on average and as high as $1,672 for 2 bedrooms.
In addition to the first month of rent, a security deposit is usually required. Many apartments will ask students for a Social Security Number (SSN) when applying for an apartment. International students are only able to apply for a SSN when they have a job here on campus.
Often, apartments will ask students to pay a larger deposit (sometimes equal to a month’s rent) due to the fact that you do not have a SSN.
Make sure to be paying attention to the location you are looking at for housing. You will want to be near public transportation or walking distance to the University of St. Thomas (ZIP code 55105).
There is a free bus shuttle that students can ride between the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses.
When choosing an apartment, there are many different factors to consider. The following list has some of the more important things you should think about:
- Furnished or unfurnished
- Private or shared kitchen and bathroom
- Availability of laundry services
- Location near campus or near public transportation
- Parking availability (if needed)
- Whether the rent includes utilities (gas, electricity, water, heat)
- Safety of the neighborhood
- Deposit (in addition to the first month of rent, a security deposit is usually required)
The following is a list of websites that you can use to search for housing. Be careful of rental scams and people asking you to send them money prior to your arrival.
Off-Campus Student Life
Off-Campus housing is available to St. Thomas transfer students or students who are in their 3rd or 4th year of their degree.
Short-Term Accommodations
Looking for a place to stay for a little while? Check out our short-term accommodation options.