To Park, or Not to Park
Because U-M has so many students packed into such a small geographical area, parking can be difficult to find, and expensive when you find it. Like they say in the orientation video (at right), "there's no parking, really, there's not." Unless you really need to have a car on a frequent basis, it’s generally recommended not to bring a car to campus. The University’s partnership with Zipcar provides a low-cost alternative for students who only need cars for occasional use. However, if you do need your car on a frequent basis, you will want to plan for parking ahead of time. Most often, your options for parking depend upon where you live.
On-Campus Students:
If you are living in University-owned housing, such as a residence hall, Henderson House, or Northwood Apartments, you are eligible to apply for one of the limited number of parking permits available through University Housing. University Housing lots are located at Northwood, Baits/Bursley, Fletcher, and Oxford. Students living in these locations have first priority for a parking permit, but there is no guarantee that there will be enough available spaces in these locations to meet demand. However, if extra spaces are available, opportunities for parking may be extended to students living in other residence halls. The parking passes cost around $161 annually for residents of University Housing. In order to get a pass, you will need to be entered into a parking lottery.
Off-Campus Students:
If you are living near campus in non-University owned housing (apartments, houses, co-ops, etc), or living within The Ride (Ann Arbor’s city buses) service zone, first check your lease to see if you have parking spaces included with your lease. If you do, be sure that you have the correct number of spaces for the number of cars. For example, it is common to have a 3-bedroom apartment that includes one parking space. If this is the case, you will need to work out a plan with your roommates for access to the parking space.
If your lease does not include parking, there are a few options. The University has a few “storage” parking lots available for students. There are 100 storage spaces available on North Campus in lot NC-32 and 80 available on South Campus in lot SC-34. Permits for these lots are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Monthly parking permits may also be available through Ann Arbor's Downtown Development Authority, but most lots have waitlists. You will also find that some local landlords will rent out parking spots to non-tenants. For example, owners of large apartment complexes with adjacent parking lots will often rent out unfilled spots to students who do not live in the apartment building. Try calling your landlord to see if they have any open spots, or search online for “Ann Arbor parking space for rent.”
Finally, some students choose to simply park along the streets in the residential neighborhoods. Competition for these spaces is quite fierce, and there are some inherent difficulties with parking along the street -- such as strictly-enforced time/day limits, special parking rules when it snows or on football-game days, hard-to-understand no parking signs, and of course the ability to parallel park in small spaces.
Commuter Students:
If you do not live within walking or bussing distance of campus, and will be driving your car into campus for classes, you have two different options for parking. The first option is to purchase a permit to park in the U-M Commuter Lots. These lots are located on the edges of campus (near the Crisler Center and Michigan Stadium on South Campus, and several lots on North Campus) and are serviced by the U-M blue buses. Permits are available for juniors and seniors only and cost around $100 for the year. U-M blue buses are free and run every 7-10 minutes during the fall/winter terms. The second option is to use The Ride's Park & Ride Lots. Parking in these lots is free and you can then ride the Ann Arbor buses to campus for free using your MCard. Using the Park & Ride lots do not require a permit and are open to students of all academic years. Remember, if you plan to use the commuter lots keep in mind that these lots are not intended for overnight parking. They are intended for commuter parking only. Cars parked in these lots overnight are subject to towing.
Need help figuring it all out? Join the Transfer Connections Facebook group or email askatransferstudent@umich.edu. Good luck!