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Champlain College is a private, career-focused institution perched on a residential hill in Burlington, Vermont, overlooking Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Founded in 1878, Champlain has built a national reputation for professional programs in game design, cybersecurity, business, and creative media. The campus is compact and walkable, with historic brick buildings tucked along Maple and South Willard Streets. Burlington is a lively small city with a vibrant Church Street Marketplace and easy access to skiing at Stowe and Sugarbush. Class sizes are small, and faculty bring substantial industry experience. Students benefit from planning their off-campus housing moves well in advance given Burlington's competitive rental market.
All first-year students at Champlain College are required to live on campus. The residence halls sit directly on the hill overlooking downtown Burlington, and the college enforces this policy to help new students build community quickly in what can be a competitive local housing market.
Sophomores and upperclassmen are free to live off campus, and many choose neighborhoods within walking or biking distance of the hill. Popular areas include the Hill Section directly adjacent to campus, the South End along Pine Street, and the New North End along North Avenue.
Burlington is a tight rental market with strong demand from UVM students as well as Champlain students. Rising sophomores should start searching in November or December for leases beginning the following August. Waiting until spring puts you at a real disadvantage for the best units.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Champlain College before signing a lease.
Students who begin looking in November or December of their freshman year consistently land the best apartments. The Hill Section fills up fast because it puts you steps from campus. Starting early also gives you time to find compatible roommates and compare lease terms carefully before committing.
January through March is peak season for Burlington off-campus housing. Landlords along Maple Street, Loomis Street, and in the South End list their best units during this window. If you are not actively touring by February you will find that most quality two- and three-bedroom apartments near campus are already spoken for.
Students who miss the peak window can still find housing in the New North End or further into Burlington's Old North End, typically at lower price points. Summer sublets occasionally open up in May and June. Check local Facebook rental groups and the city's rental listings board for late-breaking openings.
The neighborhood immediately surrounding campus is the most convenient option for Champlain students. Streets like Maple and Loomis have older Victorian rental homes that fill up quickly each fall cycle. Expect a short walk to class but higher rents reflecting the location premium.
The South End along Pine Street and Flynn Avenue offers a more urban, creative-district feel. It is a 10 to 15 minute bike ride or bus ride from campus. Rents can be slightly more affordable than the Hill Section, and the neighborhood has a strong local coffee shop and restaurant scene.
North Avenue and the surrounding streets offer more space for the money, with many larger apartments and multi-family homes. The bus line connects this area to campus reliably. It suits students who want more room or a quieter residential setting further from downtown Burlington.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
One-bedroom apartments in the Hill Section near campus typically rent for $1,400 to $1,900 per month. Shared two- and three-bedroom units in the South End or New North End can bring per-person costs down to $800 to $1,100. Burlington is a tight market, so prices have trended upward in recent years.
Other universities in Burlington share a similar off-campus housing market.
The University of Vermont sits on a hill above Burlington, packing about 13,300 students into a city wedged between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. Burlington runs small and walkable, with the brick-paved Church Street Marketplace as its spine and the lakefront Waterfront Park along Champlain for sunsets and…
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