5 WashU Off-Campus Neighborhoods: The Loop, DeBaliviere Place and Central West End

The WashU off-campus neighborhoods most students end up in are five: the University City side streets off Delmar, the Delmar Loop, Skinker-DeBaliviere, DeBaliviere Place and the Central West End. The first two put you within a mile of the Danforth Campus. DeBaliviere Place and the Central West End trade a longer trip for MetroLink access and, in the CWE's case, a short ride to the Medical Campus. Per-bed rents in FMP's November 2026 listings of WashU off-campus housing start at $835 at Everly on the Loop.

Key Takeaways

• Closest pick: Kingsland Avenue and Delmar Boulevard in University City, about 0.6 miles from WashU.
• $835 a bed at Everly on the Loop is the lowest per-bed price we found near campus.
• Skinker-DeBaliviere sits between campus and Forest Park (quiet, old houses, and its own WashU shuttle).
• For a one-bedroom alone, DeBaliviere Place starts at $1,248 at Chelsea Apartments.
• Med students, look at the Central West End first. One-bedrooms in and around it list from $950 to about $2,000.
• First-years and sophomores can't sign yet, since WashU requires Residential Life housing for your first two years.

Before You Pick: Who Can Live Off Campus at WashU

If you're a first-year, this list is for later. WashU's sophomore housing renewal page says all undergraduates must live in Residential Life managed housing for their first and second year. So the real off-campus crowd is juniors, seniors, and grad and professional students.

Two transit facts shape every choice below. Full-time registered students can get a Metro U-Pass, which WashU says covers free rides on MetroLink and Metro buses. And the Danforth Campus has two stations of its own, Skinker and University City-Big Bend, both on Forest Park Parkway.

Prices in this guide come from the 48 properties FMP links to WashU. Distances are the straight-line figures from each property page.

1. University City Side Streets: The Shortest Walk to WashU

Pick the blocks just north of campus if the walk matters more than anything else. FMP's WashU page calls University City "the classic student pick," and the math backs it up. Kingsland Courtyard at 608 Kingsland Ave is 0.6 miles from WashU. 740 Leland Ave is 0.8 miles out.

These are small buildings, not student high-rises. Kingsland Courtyard lists a four-bedroom, four-bath unit at $1,300 a month, and 740 Leland lists a three-bedroom at $2,395. Each has just one floor plan posted, so we can't tell whether that's per bed or for the whole place. Ask before you do the math with your roommates.

Best for: a group of three or four friends who want a real apartment and roughly a 15-minute walk to Brookings.

2. The Delmar Loop: Student Buildings and the Red Line

The Loop is where you live if you want restaurants and shows a block from your door. FMP's WashU page calls it "the busiest option," and it's also where the per-bed student buildings are.

• Everly on the Loop, 6105 Delmar Blvd: $835 to $870 a bed in a three-bedroom, $925 in a two-bedroom. It's 0.9 miles from WashU and holds a 5.0 from five FMP reviews (though the visible ones mostly praise a tour guide).
• LOCAL on Delmar, 6630 Delmar Blvd: $1,109 to $1,440 a bed in a three-bedroom, $1,374 to $1,465 in a two. It's 0.6 miles out.

How do we know those are per-bed? Rent drops as the unit gets bigger at both buildings. A one-bedroom at Everly lists at $1,798 and a bed in a three-bedroom at $835, which only makes sense per person (the site labels both "Whole Unit," so don't let that throw you).

Transit is a bit of a trap here. Metro's Delmar Loop station is on the Red Line only, and campus is on the Blue Line. Riding from the Loop means a transfer at Forest Park-DeBaliviere. Walking, or WashU's Delmar Loop Shuttle, is usually simpler.

Best for: upperclassmen who want nightlife and a per-bed student building, and don't mind paying a premium at LOCAL.

3. Skinker-DeBaliviere: Quiet Streets Between Campus and Forest Park

Skinker-DeBaliviere is the quiet one. FMP's WashU page describes it as "a quieter residential mix of apartment buildings and old homes" between campus and Forest Park. You're close to the Skinker MetroLink station, and WashU runs a dedicated Skinker-DeBaliviere Shuttle to the Danforth Campus.

Full disclosure: none of the 48 buildings on our WashU list sit inside Skinker-DeBaliviere right now. That makes it a walk-the-blocks, call-the-number-on-the-sign kind of search. FMP's WashU page puts a bedroom in a shared apartment or house near campus at about $700 to $1,100 a month per person, which is a fair budget here.

Best for: grad students and seniors who want a porch, a park and a short bike ride, more than a gym and a pool.

4. DeBaliviere Place: Forest Park on One Side, MetroLink on the Other

DeBaliviere Place works if you want an apartment of your own and a train at the end of the block. The Forest Park-DeBaliviere station at 250 DeBaliviere Ave is the transfer point between the Red and Blue Lines. WashU's DeBaliviere Place Shuttle links the neighborhood and that station with the Danforth Campus, per the WashU Shuttles page.

Chelsea Apartments at 5539 Pershing Ave is the FMP listing here, 1.6 miles from WashU. Its one-bedrooms run $1,248 to $2,277 and two-bedrooms $2,813 to $3,119. Rent climbs with size, so these are whole-unit prices. Splitting the cheapest two-bedroom comes to about $1,407 each.

Best for: grad students living alone who want Forest Park as their backyard and no car payment.

5. Central West End: Closest to the Medical Campus

The Central West End is the natural fit for WashU medical and health sciences students. WashU's Delmar-DivINe Shuttle runs express between the Danforth Campus, Delmar-DivINe and the Medical Campus, and the CWE MetroLink station sits at 420 S. Euclid. Both the Red and Blue Lines stop there, so a Blue Line train goes straight to Skinker without a transfer.

FMP lists several buildings in and around the CWE, all 2.6 to 2.8 miles from the Danforth Campus:

• 4616 Lindell Blvd: five one-bedrooms listed from $1,100 to $1,450.
• Want a review to go on? The Residences at Forest Park at 4910 W. Pine Blvd has a 5.0 from five FMP reviews. One-bedrooms are $1,500 to $2,040 and a two-bedroom is $2,600, whole-unit.
• The Core Apartment Residences, 718 South Euclid, a few blocks south of the CWE station: one one-bedroom lists at $950, the cheapest solo unit on this list.

The catch is the trip to Danforth. For an undergrad with every class on the main campus, the CWE is a long way to go for brunch spots. For a med student, it's the obvious call.

Want more options in the area? FMP's St. Louis student housing page lists 51 places across the city.

Frequently Asked Questions About WashU Off-Campus Neighborhoods

What neighborhood is closest to WashU?

University City, on the north side of campus. Kingsland Courtyard and LOCAL on Delmar are both 0.6 miles from WashU, and 740 Leland Ave is 0.8 miles out. Skinker-DeBaliviere, a mix of apartment buildings and old homes, is close on the east side too.

Can WashU sophomores live off campus?

No. WashU requires undergraduates to live in Residential Life managed housing for their first and second year. Off-campus leases are for juniors, seniors and grad students.

Do I need a car if I live off campus near WashU?

Probably not. Full-time students can get a Metro U-Pass for free MetroLink and Metro bus rides, the Skinker and University City-Big Bend stations are on campus, and WashU runs shuttles to the Loop, Skinker-DeBaliviere and DeBaliviere Place. A car helps most if you live in the Central West End and have early classes on the Danforth Campus.

What's the cheapest WashU off-campus neighborhood?

The Delmar Loop, if you share. Everly on the Loop lists beds from $835 in a three-bedroom. For a place of your own, The Core on South Euclid, near the Central West End, lists a one-bedroom at $950.