BU owns several properties on the Charles River and Fenway campuses; all of them are administered by BU Graduate Housing and are rented only to full-time graduate students. They have furnished and unfurnished rooms, studios, and one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

You can explore detailed information on the housing options here. However, I can highlight the following:

• Peabody Hall

The Peabody Hall is a five-story building located in the Fenway Campus, a 20-minute walk away from the center of the Charles River Campus and connected by the BU Shuttle. This is the cheapest housing option that BU offers, mostly because Peabody Hall is a dormitory-style residence with shared areas. Therefore, rooms are in high demand. All 138 rooms are fully furnished (single bed, dresser, desk, desk chair, side chair, mini-fridge, and microwave oven) and are single occupancy only. Rent is $775 to $975/month depending upon the room (mainly, a function of how many people share the same bathroom). The rent includes all utilities (heat, hot water, and electricity), and Boston University cable and wifi. There is one shared kitchen and coin-operated laundry facility per floor. More information about the apartments can be found here.

• 580 Commonwealth Avenue

This is a relatively modern eleven-story building located in the Charles River Campus, only a 5-minute walk from the College of Arts and Sciences. There are 11 one-bedroom and 209 studio apartments. Rent varies on the type of apartment and area, around from $1,625 to 1,825/month for a studio apartment, and $1,925/month for a one-bedroom apartment. The rent includes all utilities (heat, hot water, and electricity), central air conditioning, and Boston University cable and wifi. All of them are unfurnished (however, essential kitchen appliances are included in all apartments). More information about the apartments and the application process can be found here.

For the 2022/2023 academic period, full-time students are required to complete a Graduate Housing Application. The application requires you to submit a $500 guarantee payment (using a credit card or bank account). The fee shall be applied as a pre-payment towards the first month's rent and is nonrefundable except in the case you are not able to be assigned to a unit. More information can be found here.

If you are considering sharing an apartment with roommates, much of the BU-owned housing is probably more expensive than some of the options in neighborhoods close to campus. However, in my experience, there are some benefits of living in a BU apartment that you might want to take into account:

• If you want to live alone or you are going to live with your partner, the rent offered by BU could be cheaper than other one-bedroom apartments in the area.

• BU apartments are closer to campus than any of the available options around, this implies that you would not spend time and money on your commute to class. During cold and snowy days, proximity to campus could be a big plus.

• BU only requires two months of rent upfront to move in (the first month of rent and a security deposit); meanwhile, most non-BU apartments require between 3 to 4 months of rent upfront to move in.

• Apartment maintenance problems and emergencies are managed by BU maintenance, who respond most of the time quickly and work 24/7 in emergencies.

The most commonly used websites to find apartments off campus are:

• Apartments.com

• Trulia

• Zillow

• Padmapper

• Craigslist

• Facebook (Boston University (BU) Housing, Sublets & Roommates group, or other)

• BU Off-Campus Listings

Another option is to work directly with a broker. Contacting a broker (or real estate agency) directly means that someone else is doing much of the looking at apartments for you, which can save you time and aggravation. Note that when working with a realtor, it is common to pay a realtor's or broker's fee when obtaining the apartment. The fee is often equal to one month's rent and is not refundable.