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Colorado College is a small liberal arts school of about 2,050 students, three blocks from downtown Colorado Springs and three miles from the mountains. The big quirk is the Block Plan: students take one class at a time in intense three-and-a-half-week blocks, each ending with a four-day Block Break that empties campus toward the peaks. With Pikes Peak over 14,000 feet and Garden of the Gods, a free public park of red sandstone, minutes away, students ski, hike, climb, and camp constantly. Downtown sits steps from campus along Tejon Street, with art walks, festivals, and the farmers market. Housing mixes traditional halls, historic mansions, and apartments. Between hockey and the Aspen block-break bike trip, it's a mountain-town school.
Colorado College requires students to live on campus for their first three years, so you typically don't reach the off-campus market until senior year. Most students stay in campus housing through those years.
Seniors are automatically cleared to move off, since on-campus housing isn't guaranteed for them anyway, and underclassmen can apply for an exemption with documentation such as living with a parent or guardian in Colorado Springs, being married or in a domestic partnership, or other qualifying circumstances. Students at Colorado College rent in a regular city market rather than a dense student district.
Because you are renting in a standard Colorado Springs market, leases look like ordinary residential ones. Read carefully for who covers snow removal, heat, and yard upkeep, and confirm the security deposit terms. Colorado law sets specific deposit-return timelines, so know your rights before you sign.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Colorado College before signing a lease.
Because Colorado College is small and most students live on campus until senior year, the off-campus search is less of a stampede than at big state schools. Even so, the close-in spots near campus and in the Old North End still go to the early movers. Plan to start looking in the winter or early spring, roughly January through March, for a fall lease, since the best houses within walking distance get claimed by spring.
The peak runs January through March for a fall lease as the best walkable houses near campus are claimed. The academic year starts in late August, and leases generally run a standard twelve months, so summer move-ins are the norm. The close-in Old North End spots go first. Tour in late winter for a walkable house.
The Block Plan adds a wrinkle: with frequent Block Breaks and study-abroad blocks, students often want flexibility, so subletting a room for a block or a semester is common. If you miss the main spring window, watch campus boards and local listings over the summer for seniors heading abroad or graduating who need to hand off a lease. The regular city market keeps some inventory open late.
The historic, tree-lined neighborhood right next to campus, the Old North End is full of character homes and the top pick for students who want to walk to class.
Along and around Tejon Street, downtown is walkable and lively with apartments close to the action and the farmers market.
A bit west, Old Colorado City is a quirky historic district with a bohemian streak and a short drive or bus ride to campus.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A room in a shared house near campus usually runs about $700-$1,100/month per person, with spots in the Old North End and downtown sitting higher and shared houses farther out landing lower. Plan on another $60-$150/month for utilities, since Colorado winters mean real heating costs in older homes.