Living Off Campus at Kent State Without a Car: Which Apartments Sit on PARTA Routes

Off-campus students at Kent State ride every PARTA local bus free with a FLASHcard, and five apartment complexes listed on Find My Place sit on a weekday campus route: The Province and Dartmouth Place on South Lincoln Street, the townhomes on Whitehall Boulevard, 345 Flats on South Depeyster Street, and Campus Pointe on Ashton Lane. Paloma Kent and College Towers are close enough to walk. Hidden Pines and Copper Creek, both more than two miles out, are where a car starts to make sense.

Key Takeaways

• Free, with one catch: off-campus riders have to show a FLASHcard. The Akron and Cleveland Express routes and Dial-A-Ride still charge.
• Route 58 is the one to learn. It stops at Lincoln St. and Townhomes/Whitehall Terrace roughly every 12 to 16 minutes at peak, from about 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on weekdays.
• Campus Pointe gets Route 35 on weekdays only (on Saturdays the bus skips the complex, so you walk out to State Route 59 or Walmart).
• Route 59, the late-night loop, only shuttles between campus and Dix Stadium.
• Paloma Kent (0.2 miles) and College Towers (0.3 miles) don't need a bus at all.
• Parking costs $160 a year at Summit East and $232 for a C-All permit, before gas or insurance.

Which Kent State Apartments Sit on a PARTA Route

Five complexes on Find My Place line up with a weekday campus bus. Two more are walkable. Two are car territory. Here's the split, with distances from each property's listing on the Kent State University off-campus housing page.

• On Route 58: The Province - Kent (0.6 mi), Dartmouth Place (0.6 mi), KSU East Townhomes (0.7 mi) and University Townhomes (0.8 mi).
• 345 Flats (0.9 mi) is on the Route 51 street grid, along South Depeyster.
• Campus Pointe Kent, 0.9 miles out, is served by Route 35, but only Monday through Friday.
• Walk it: Paloma Kent (0.2 mi) and College Towers Apartments (0.3 mi).
• Bring a car, probably: Hidden Pines Townhomes (2.3 mi) and Copper Creek Apartments (2.7 mi).

All campus routes are numbered in the 50s, per PARTA's campus bus page. That's the quickest way to tell a campus loop from a county route on the Passio GO! tracking app.

Route 58: The Bus for South Lincoln Street and Whitehall Boulevard

Route 58 Summit East/Front Campus is the most useful line for off-campus renters. Its timetable, effective August 24, 2026, lists stops at Dix Stadium, Summit East Parking, Townhomes/Whitehall Terrace, the KSU Student Center, Terrace Drive, the Center for the Performing Arts and Lincoln St. Buses come every 12 to 16 minutes at peak, Monday through Friday. First departure from Dix Stadium is around 5:33 a.m.

On the Lincoln side, The Province - Kent at 609 S Lincoln St lists rooms in a four-bedroom from $699. Its two-bedroom is $1,245, so more bedrooms means a lower price, which only happens with per-person rent. A block south, Dartmouth Place (705 S Lincoln St) rents whole one-bedrooms at $1,070.

Out east, the Whitehall Boulevard townhomes are where the money goes furthest. KSU East Townhomes at 1521 Whitehall Blvd lists a five-bedroom at $585 and a four-bedroom at $695. That's per person. University Townhomes on East Summit lists a four-bedroom at $649, also falling as bedrooms rise. Confirm which Route 58 pole is closest to your unit before you sign (the stop name is generic, and the strip is long).

Route 51 and 345 Flats on South Depeyster Street

Route 51 Campus Loop runs clockwise every 13 to 17 minutes on weekdays, from 7 a.m. to roughly 8:20 p.m. Its map follows East Summit, South Depeyster and East Williams streets. It's also the only campus bus that stops at Kent Central Gateway downtown during the fall and spring semesters.

That puts 345 Flats on the loop's path. Rooms in its four-bedroom plans list at $689 to $699, against $1,350 and up for a one-bedroom. Per person, then. Then again, 0.9 miles is a walk plenty of students just do, and downtown Kent is right there for food.

Campus Pointe and the Route 35 Saturday Gap

Campus Pointe Kent gets bus service on weekdays and none on Saturdays. PARTA's Route 35 Interurban East timetable, effective July 27, 2026, says it plainly: the bus "does not service Campus Pt. or Pebblebrook on Saturdays. Please board at SR 59 or Walmart."

During the week, Route 35 runs from early morning to nearly 11 p.m. and stops on campus at KSU/Moulton Hall and KSU/Main and Linden. Buses come about every half hour at peak, with longer gaps early and late. Campus Pointe Kent on Ashton Lane lists private rooms from $724 in a four-bedroom and $925 in a two-bedroom. A good deal, as long as your Saturday shift is somewhere you can walk to.

The Kent Apartments Close Enough to Skip the Bus

Two complexes are so close the bus is a backup, not a plan. Paloma Kent at 1450 E Summit St is 0.2 miles from campus. Rooms list at $799 in a four-bedroom and $959 in a two-bedroom, so that's per person; a one-bedroom of your own is $1,819.

College Towers Apartments at 1800 Rhodes Road is 0.3 miles out. Rent climbs with size here (efficiency $520, one-bedroom $900, two-bedroom $1,100 to $1,250), so these are whole-unit prices. The $520 efficiency is the cheapest way to live alone near Kent State on FMP. Full stop.

Kent Apartments Where You'll Probably Want a Car

Hidden Pines and Copper Creek don't sit on any of PARTA's campus routes. Hidden Pines Townhomes on Meloy Road is 2.3 miles out and lists four-bedrooms from $560. That number is suspiciously low for a whole unit, so ask whether it's per person. Copper Creek Apartments on Copper Court is 2.7 miles away, with whole two-bedrooms from $1,545.

Before signing either one, open PARTA's maps and schedules and trace an actual 8 a.m. trip. If it takes two buses, it's a car lease.

What a Car Costs at Kent State vs. the Free Bus

A Kent State parking permit runs $160 to $232 a year, and the bus is $0. According to Kent State Parking Services, a Summit East permit is $80 a semester ($160 a year) and a C-All permit is $116 a semester ($232 a year). Evening-only permits are $60 a year.

Summit East is a remote lot. You'd still ride Route 58 from it to class. So for anyone living on Lincoln Street or Whitehall Boulevard, a car mostly buys you grocery runs and trips home, which the free Route 35 to Walmart covers on weekdays anyway.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kent State Off-Campus Buses

Do off-campus Kent State students ride PARTA free?

Yes, with a FLASHcard. PARTA says off-campus students must show it to ride free, and the fare page covers all local fixed routes. Without it, a ride is $1.

Does the PARTA bus run on weekends?

Saturdays, partly. Route 57 Stadium Loop runs Saturdays only during the semester, every 30 minutes, and Route 35 runs Saturdays but skips Campus Pointe. Most other campus routes are weekday-only.

Is there a late-night bus from off-campus apartments?

No. Route 59 Stadium Night Loop runs Sunday through Thursday until about 2:45 a.m., but only between campus and Dix Stadium. PARTA states it offers no service to off-campus locations.

Which Kent State apartment is closest to campus?

Paloma Kent, 0.2 miles from campus on East Summit Street. College Towers on Rhodes Road is next at 0.3 miles.

Can I live in Kent without a car?

Easily, if you pick the right street. Anywhere on South Lincoln, Whitehall Boulevard or South Depeyster works on weekday buses. Meloy Road and Copper Court are a different story. Compare all student housing in Kent, OH before you choose.