California Institute of Technology - Off-Campus Housing

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

Caltech has two forms of off-campus housing. There is what students call “off-campus housing,” which implies living off the Caltech campus but still on Caltech property. Caltech owns much of the property around the school, and since there’s guaranteed housing for undergrads and not enough spaces on campus for all the students, they lease or rent adjoining properties to students. These properties include houses and apartment buildings. The school has a housing lottery every year. The lottery includes all school housing, including Avery and Marks, but not the seven houses, because of Rotation which is like a residence hall version of frat rushing. Caltech is responsible for utility bills, Internet connections, and cleaning service in off-campus housing. This is a very convenient way of living near campus, without the actual dorm atmosphere, but with all the advantages of school housing where there is only one bill to pay.

The other mode of off-campus housing is referred to by students as “off-off-campus housing.” When a student lives off-off campus, he or she is not living in Caltech-owned property. Not very many students live off-off campus because Los Angeles is expensive, and even a two-bedroom apartment can be extremely overpriced. For those who want to live off-off campus after freshman year (students are required to live on campus for the first two terms, and they usually just stay the third term to finish off the year), there are always graduating seniors who will leave behind empty apartments and owners of apartment buildings who are usually accepting in replacing one Caltech lessee with another. The grade below reflects off-off-campus living and is not reflective of Caltech’s social house system.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

Off-off campus, which is... Off-off campus, which is non-Caltech housing, is available but, for the most part, not bothered with. I only know of a couple of people who’ve ever done that. ? 12345 Off-Campus Housing Report

Anonymous says:

Housing is very convenient after... Housing is very convenient after freshman year. If you’re going to live in Caltech-affiliated housing, the housing office will see to it that you get to live in Caltech-affiliated housing. Off-campus, self-arranged housing is hard to find and not very cheap. 12345 Off-Campus Housing Report

Anonymous says:

Don’t worry about off-campus... Don’t worry about off-campus housing if you’re going to be a freshman, because you won’t be able to live off campus until your sophomore year. Your off-campus housing options will be different depending on which house you get into as a freshman. 12345 Off-Campus Housing Report

Anonymous says:

Housing is guaranteed after... Housing is guaranteed after freshman year, but most of it isn’t desirable. I was lucky and got in a very nice place, though it costs more than it should. However, I consider the housing worthwhile for the convenience of not having to find a place myself. 12345 Off-Campus Housing Report

Anonymous says:

Mostly, sophomores are the only... Mostly, sophomores are the only ones who can’t live in the seven student houses. However, I think it’s nice to get a break and live somewhere else for a year. There are other housing alternatives for that year, and Caltech offers on-campus housing to all undergrads every year. 12345 Off-Campus Housing Report

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