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Austin, TX is the Texas capital and a fast-growing tech-and-music hub, built for students around the University of Texas at Austin and its 50,000-plus enrollment just north of downtown. The student world centers on West Campus, the dense high-rise district right beside UT, with North Campus and Hyde Park stretching north and Riverside across Lady Bird Lake. Downtown's live-music venues, the Texas Capitol, and a calendar of huge annual festivals keep the city buzzing. Outdoor life is central: Zilker Park's 361 acres, the hike-and-bike trails ringing Lady Bird Lake, and Barton Springs give you somewhere to be outside nearly year-round. With Longhorns football and a deep music scene, Austin blends college-town intensity with a real city.
The undergrad favorite, a dense mix of high-rise apartments and houses right beside UT where you can walk to class and the strip.
Stretch north with quieter, tree-lined streets and a mix of houses and smaller buildings popular with upperclassmen and grad students.
Across Lady Bird Lake to the southeast, the value pick with bigger complexes and a UT shuttle route into campus.
Here's what you need to know about getting around Austin.
UT students ride CapMetro free with their ID, including frequent buses, MetroRapid limited-stop lines, and Night Owl routes running until the early morning, plus UT shuttle routes that serve Riverside and other student areas. Riverside is farther out but the UT shuttle covers it in about 20 minutes. The free system reaches most student neighborhoods. Students near campus can rely on transit for daily trips.
Students living in West Campus barely need a car, since you can walk straight to UT and into the bars, restaurants, and high-rises packed around campus. Biking is popular and the hike-and-bike trails along Lady Bird Lake double as commuting paths. The trails give cyclists a scenic, flatter route. Near campus you can cover daily life on foot.
The city sprawls and traffic is heavy, so students in outer areas keep cars, but near campus you can skip the parking fight entirely. A vehicle helps for trips beyond the central student districts. Budget for parking if your housing sits outside West Campus. Many students near UT go without a car altogether.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
Austin is one of the pricier college markets in Texas. Rooms near UT range widely, roughly $700 to $1,500 a month per person, with West Campus high-rises at the top end and Riverside the value play, often $700 to $1,000. Splitting a unit with roommates is how most students make West Campus work.
Browse student housing near each Austin-area university.