Stanford
Student Services

Housing

University housing is available to enrolled Stanford degree-seeking undergraduates and graduate students and non-matriculated graduate students as space permits and according to policies described on the R&DE Student Housing website.

Residential and Dining Enterprises (R&DE) Student Housing is responsible for managing and maintaining student residences, assigning students to housing, and operating the regional housing front desks.

Information on university housing assignments, options, policies, application procedures, and deadlines may be obtained on the R&DE Student Housing website, by telephone at (650) 725-2810, or by email at studenthousing@stanford.edu.

Current and prospective students may also contact R&DE Student Housing by filing a ServiceNow request.

Information regarding off-campus housing may be obtained from the Community Housing section of the R&DE Student Housing website, by telephone at (650) 723-3906, or by email at communityhousing@stanford.edu. Due to COVID-19 our office at 408 Panama Mall, Suite 101, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 is closed to in-person assistance.

Residential Education (650-725-2800) and the Graduate Life Office (650-736-7078) are responsible for residential education staff, educational programs, counseling, and crisis intervention in undergraduate and graduate housing respectively.

Housing Rates

Complete information on housing is available on the R&DE Student Housing website. Campus housing rates are generally below local area market rents.

All on-campus rates are per student and include utilities and coinless laundry. Off-campus, subsidized housing rates include utilities, but not laundry. Room rates are charged quarterly on the university bill. Information on payment options and procedures is discussed in assignment information sent out by R&DE Student Housing and see the "Payments" policy. 

House Dues

A quarterly house dues fee for students is generally determined by the local residence staff and/or residents of each house and may be included with room and board charges on the university bill.

Technology Fee

Students who live in housing are automatically assessed a technology fee on their university bill that covers in-room network connections and a landline phone with telephone service (service provided on campus only).

Undergraduate Residences

Approximately 97 percent of undergraduates live in university housing, excepting students studying abroad during the academic year. All freshmen are required to live in on campus residences their first year and are automatically assigned housing following admission. Information on the housing assignment process is included in the R&DE Student Housing section of Approaching Stanford. Because freshmen must live in campus housing, losing eligibility for University housing also leads to a loss of student status until the student has returned to university housing unless an extraordinary exemption is granted from the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.

Residence assignments for continuing undergraduates are made on the basis of an annual lottery, called the Draw, and quarterly assignment rounds. Undergraduates are guaranteed four years of University housing (three years for transfer students) if:

  1. they are in compliance with the university housing agreement and university policies,
  2. they apply by the appropriate deadlines, and
  3. they are willing to live anywhere on campus. 

Undergraduate residences include traditional residence halls, language and culture theme houses, cross-cultural theme houses, student-managed and cooperative houses, apartments, suites, fraternities, and sororities.

Graduate Residences

Approximately 66 percent of matriculated graduate students live in housing provided by R&DE Student Housing, both on campus and off campus. Residence assignments are made on the basis of an annual lottery and quarterly assignment rounds. New matriculated students are guaranteed university housing for their first year of study if:

  1. they are in compliance with the university housing agreement and university policies,
  2. they apply by the first round application deadline for the autumn term, and
  3. they are willing to live in any residence for which they are eligible

At Stanford University, new matriculated students are students who are in a graduate program for the first time. Students starting a second graduate degree are not considered new students and therefore are not guaranteed housing.

Coterminal students who opt to live on campus are required to live in undergraduate housing for the duration of their four years of guaranteed undergraduate housing regardless of their student status. Once these four years have been used, students can apply in the annual spring Lottery for graduate housing, where they apply with a low priority. Coterminal students are not guaranteed housing and are assigned after new first-year graduate students who are guaranteed housing and continuing students with remaining priority years.

Academic-year assignment priorities for graduate students are detailed on the Assignment Guarantee and Priorities page of the R&DE Student Housing website. Priorities are dependent upon degree level and number of years each student has already lived in housing.

Single graduate students may request assignment to furnished graduate apartments in a variety of configurations.  

  • Studios (private living/bedroom area, bath and kitchen)
  • Shared premium two- and four-bedroom apartments (private bedroom and bath, shared kitchen and living/dining room)
  • Shared standard two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments (private bedroom, shared bath, kitchen and living/dining room)
  • Shared junior two-bedroom, two bath apartments (private bedroom and bath, shared eat-in kitchen, no living room)
  • Shared junior two-bedroom, one bath apartments (private bedroom, shared bath, eat-in kitchen, no living room)

Couples housing is available to students who are married and to students who have a same-sex or opposite-sex domestic partner who is living with them at least 50% of each week. At Stanford University, a domestic partnership is defined as an established, long-term romantic partnership with an exclusive mutual commitment in which the partners share the necessities of life and ongoing responsibility for their common welfare. Couples without children may request assignment to a variety of furnished configurations.

  • One-bedroom apartments (private bedroom,  small den, kitchen and living/dining room)
  • One-bedroom apartments with den (private bedroom and bath, small den, kitchen and living/dining room) - only a limited number available for two-student couples
  • Two-bedroom apartments (private bedroom and bath, study room, kitchen and living /dining room) - only a limited number available for two-student couples
  • Premium two bedroom, two bath apartments (private bedroom, two-baths, study room, kitchen and living /dining room) 
  • Premium studios (private living/bedroom area, bath and kitchen)
  • Standard studios  (smaller private living/bedroom area, bath and kitchen)

Housing for students with children is available to married couples, domestic partners, and single parents who have dependent children living with them at least 50% of each week. Housing is not provided for extended families. Parents/siblings of students and live-in day care staff are not permitted to live in university housing. Furnished apartments are available for students with children, based on the number of dependents. 

  • Two-bedroom apartments (two bedrooms, one bath, kitchen and living /dining room)
  • Three-bedroom apartments (three bedrooms, one bath, kitchen and living /dining room)
  • Four-bedroom apartments (four bedrooms, one bath, kitchen and living /dining room)

Community Housing

Community Housing provides resources to assist students in locating private rooms, houses, and apartments available for rent in surrounding communities. Students must make rental arrangements directly with landlords. An online listing service facilitates the process of making connections.

Information on community housing may be obtained from the Community Housing website, by telephone at (650) 723-3906, or by email at communityhousing@stanford.edu. Due to COVID-19 our office at 408 Panama Mall, Suite 101, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 is closed to in-person assistance.

Note that Stanford University does not investigate, endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of the information provided by any listing, or the condition of the accommodation. Furthermore, the University assumes no responsibility for housing arrangements made by persons using any of these services.