Where Do CSUN Students Live? 5 Off-Campus Areas Compared by Commute

Where do CSUN students live off campus? Mostly in Northridge, within a mile of the university, on blocks like Darby Avenue, Reseda Boulevard and Zelzah Avenue. Push a little further and you hit west Northridge along Nordhoff, then Reseda to the south and Granada Hills up north. Pick by commute. Everything else follows from that.

Here's why it matters so much at CSUN. The university has roughly 3,400 beds on campus and nearly 37,000 students, so living off campus isn't the backup plan, it's what most people do. We ranked the five areas below by how painful (or painless) the trip to class is. Every building named comes from our CSUN off-campus housing listings, and the distances are what each property's commute widget shows.

Key Takeaways

• Six listed buildings are 0.4 to 0.7 miles from campus. If you want to walk, that's your shortlist.
• Nordhoff Street is basically a straight line to class from west Northridge (Metro Line 166 runs it).
• Reseda wins for bikes and buses. Line 240 needs 20 to 25 minutes from the Reseda G Line Station.
• Granada Hills? Houses, hills, quiet streets. Bring a car and a few roommates.
• $55 gets you a Fall 2026 U-Pass for Metro and DASH, and parking on campus is $10.45 a day.

1. Northridge Next to Campus: Best for Walking to Class

No car? Live here. Darby Avenue, Dearborn Street, Devonshire Street and Reseda Boulevard are where most of the student-focused buildings near CSUN sit, and the listed distances are tiny:

• Aspire Apartments at CSUN on Darby Avenue, 0.4 miles.
• Just up the street at 9151 Darby, Campus Crossing (also 0.4 miles).
• Maravilla Apartments on Dearborn and Cambridge On Devonshire, both 0.4 miles.
• Half a mile out: Ensemble at Northridge, at 9530 Reseda Blvd.
• Zelzah Court Apartments, 0.7 miles, on Zelzah Avenue.

Call it a 10-minute walk from the closest ones, give or take where your classroom is. Ensemble is the odd one out on pricing. It's the only building here that prices per person, and a shared room in one of its two-bedroom units lists from $1,195 a month. The rest list by the apartment.

Honestly, this is where we'd tell a first-year to start. You can leave for a 9:00 class at 8:45. One thing to ask every leasing office: is parking included, or extra? FMP's CSUN page flags it too, and people forget.

2. West Northridge Along Nordhoff Street: Best for a Short Bus or Bike Ride

Quieter, a bit more grown-up, and still close. These buildings sit along Nordhoff as it heads west toward Tampa and Corbin:

• The Villagio (19053 Nordhoff) and The Ridgeview (19039 Nordhoff), 1.1 miles each.
• Symmetry Apartments at 1.7 miles.
• Over on Corbin Avenue is Terrena Apartment Homes, 1.8 miles away.

You stay on one street the whole way. Line 166 rolls down Nordhoff, and Metro's current timetable has it stopping at Nordhoff and Reseda, right by campus. Biking? Figure 7 to 11 minutes if you're not racing anyone. The cheapest door in is The Villagio's 562-square-foot studio, listed from $1,918 a month.

It suits the student who drives Mondays and buses Thursdays. Couples like it too. So does anyone tired of hearing a Tuesday-night pregame through the wall.

3. South Northridge on Roscoe Boulevard: Best for Drivers on a Budget

This is the price play. Village Pointe Apartments, at 17171 Roscoe Blvd, is 1.8 miles southeast of campus and has the lowest one-bedroom price of any standard apartment complex on our CSUN list: $1,699 for a 430-square-foot unit.

The catch is the car. Village Pointe is east of the Reseda Boulevard bus line, and the drive up to campus is about 2 miles. Add a parking permit to your budget before you sign anything.

Good for: a student who already has wheels and wants the rent low. Want the full price comparison for Northridge, Reseda and Granada Hills? Our CSUN off-campus housing cost breakdown has it.

4. Reseda: Best for Biking or Busing Straight Up Reseda Boulevard

Reseda is the best car-free option outside Northridge, and it's all thanks to one street. Reseda Boulevard now has 3.9 miles of protected bike lane, from Plummer Street near campus down to Victory Boulevard. The project wrapped up in 2024, per Streetsblog LA, and it's one of the longest stretches of its kind in Southern California.

Prefer the bus? Line 240 goes straight up the boulevard from the Reseda G Line Station to the CSUN Transit Center. Metro's June 2026 Line 240 timetable shows that trip at 20 to 25 minutes on weekdays, with buses about every 10 minutes midday. Small gotcha (we noticed it reading the schedule): some late-night runs skip the Transit Center.

The vibe is more local than Northridge. Reseda officially starts at Roscoe Boulevard. Its old downtown, Reseda Boulevard and Sherman Way, is around 3 miles from campus, and Reseda Park has a fishing lake plus a big duck pond.

Cyclists will love it. U-Pass riders, too. Expect smaller buildings and houses more than student complexes, so start looking early.

5. Granada Hills: Best for Groups With a Car

Granada Hills is directly north of Northridge, up against the Santa Susana Mountains. It's the suburb of this list. Think mid-century single-family homes (Joseph Eichler built the Balboa Highlands tract here), and most of them are owner-occupied. Fewer complexes. More three- and four-bedroom houses.

The middle of Granada Hills is about 2 miles north of campus. You'll want a car; the 118 freeway runs across the south end of the neighborhood. Bus people can ride Line 158 along Devonshire Street, then hop on Line 240 at Reseda and Devonshire, where it starts, for the final leg.

Three or four friends splitting a house with a yard? That's the Granada Hills move. Hikers get a bonus in O'Melveny Park, 672 acres on the neighborhood's north edge and one of the largest parks in LA.

What It Costs to Get to CSUN: Parking, U-Pass and Metrolink

Plan on $10.45 a day to park at CSUN, or $55 for a semester of buses with the U-Pass. That gap can decide the neighborhood for you. The 2026 numbers:

• A daily parking permit is $10.45, per CSUN Parking and Transportation. For a semester pass, the Daily Sundial reported a Student General permit at $239.97 in spring 2026.
• $55. That's the Fall 2026 CSUN Metro U-Pass for undergrads with 6+ units (grad students need 3), valid August 10, 2026 to January 24, 2027 on Metro buses, Metro Rail and LA DASH. Not Metrolink, though.
• Metrolink riders do get a free shuttle from the Northridge station to the CSUN Transit Station on Vincennes Street, timed for trains arriving 6:51 to 9:10 a.m., according to CSUN's Metrolink commute page.
• Midday there's DASH Northridge/Reseda, which stops at the southwest corner of Reseda and Nordhoff every 20 minutes.

Our take? Driving four or five days a week, the semester permit pays for itself in roughly six weeks. And if you're in Reseda or west Northridge and don't mind the bus, $55 for a semester is a steal.

Frequently Asked Questions About Where CSUN Students Live

Where do most CSUN students live off campus?

Northridge. Most of the student-focused buildings sit within a mile of campus. Darby, Reseda Boulevard, Dearborn and Zelzah are the streets to know. Want more room or a different feel? People look at Reseda, Granada Hills and North Hills next.

How far is Reseda from CSUN?

Around 3 miles from Reseda's old center at Sherman Way (less if you're up near Roscoe). On Line 240, the Reseda G Line Station to campus run is 20 to 25 minutes on a weekday.

Can you live near CSUN without a car?

Yep. Stay within a mile of campus, or pick a spot on Reseda Boulevard or Nordhoff Street, where Lines 240 and 166 run (Reseda has the protected bike lane, too). Granada Hills and the Roscoe Boulevard corner are tougher.

Does CSUN run a shuttle from off-campus apartments?

Not one CSUN advertises. Its transportation page names two shuttle systems, the Housing Shuttle and the free Metrolink Shuttle. Most off-campus renters bus, bike or take DASH.