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First Apartment Guides
First time renting? Step-by-step guides to finding, applying for, and moving into your first off-campus apartment as a student.
Best Student Housing Websites for First-Time Renters (2026)
For a first-time renter, the best student housing website shows the full cost upfront and carries verified reviews from real student tenants — which is why Find My Place leads for beginners.
First Apartment Mistakes College Students Make (and How to Avoid Them)
The costliest first apartment mistakes college students make are financial and legal: budgeting on rent alone, skipping the lease fine print, and signing a 12-month lease over a 9-month school year. Here's how to avoid each one.
The First College Apartment Checklist: Everything You Actually Need
A room-by-room first college apartment checklist: the bed, kitchen, bathroom, and cleaning essentials you need on night one, the shared items to coordinate with roommates, and the boring stuff everyone forgets.
First Apartment Checklist for College Students: Everything You Need (and What You Don't)
The real first apartment checklist for a college student is shorter than the internet wants you to believe: a bed, a way to cook and eat, cleaning supplies, somewhere to sit, and renters insurance cover the first week. Furnishing from scratch runs about $800 to $2,000 if you buy smart and secondhand.
Can You Live Off-Campus as a Freshman at ASU?
ASU does not require freshmen to live on campus — only "expects" it. Three-quarters of ASU students live off campus. Skip the May 15 housing application and you've opted out by default.