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Cornell University sits about 23,620 students on a hilltop above Ithaca, in New York's Finger Lakes, and the campus is famously dramatic: two deep gorges with waterfalls cut right through it, and Beebe Lake sits at the north edge. The land rises steeply from downtown, so getting to class means a climb, and the views over Cayuga Lake are the payoff. Just southeast of campus, Collegetown is the dense student district where most upperclass life happens. Ithaca is a small, walkable town built around the Ithaca Commons pedestrian downtown, and the surrounding state parks and gorge trails are a constant draw. Slope Day closes out spring on Libe Slope, and hockey at Lynah Rink is a tradition. Students walk, bike, or ride the free TCAT buses up and down the hill.
Cornell requires first-year and second-year Ithaca students to live in university housing, a two-year rule that comes with a meal plan, so most students do not move off campus until junior year. The requirement keeps nearly all underclassmen on campus.
Exemptions exist for students who are 21 or older by the start of the year, are married or have dependents, or commute from a family home within roughly 25 miles. When juniors move off, Collegetown is the obvious target, and because so much of it is purpose-built student housing, the leasing scene is organized but fast, with many buildings run through a handful of local management companies. Ithaca enforces occupancy rules on rental houses, so confirm how many unrelated tenants a place is legally allowed to hold, especially in the older Fall Creek and Belle Sherman houses.
Read for what heat costs in a Finger Lakes winter and whether parking is included, since hillside spots are tight. Most leases run twelve months and start in mid-August before classes.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Cornell University before signing a lease.
Cornell has one of the earliest, most aggressive leasing calendars anywhere. Preleasing for the following August kicks off in the fall, sometimes as early as October, and the best Collegetown units can be locked down almost a full year ahead. If you want a specific spot on the hill, you sign early, often before you have even met all your roommates. Start looking in the fall to get the best selection.
By midwinter the closest, newest buildings are largely gone, so the prime Collegetown spots clear well ahead of the next academic year. If you miss the early wave, you will have fewer choices and may end up farther down toward Fall Creek or out in Belle Sherman. Move fast once preleasing opens. Waiting past winter narrows your options sharply.
If you miss the early wave, rooms still open in spring as plans change. Summer subletting is heavy because so many students leave for internships, co-ops, and study abroad, so a summer sublet is an easy way to test Collegetown before you commit to a full hillside year. Expect to look farther from campus the later you start. Keep an eye on the listings for spring openings.
Just southeast of campus, Collegetown is the dense, walkable heart of upperclass life, mostly apartments above the shops, and it runs at the top of the range for the location.
North of campus down the hill, Fall Creek is a quieter residential neighborhood of older houses with a small-town feel and friendly streets.
East of campus, Belle Sherman skews toward houses and families and is calmer, popular with students who want a real yard.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A room in a shared Collegetown apartment usually runs about $800-$1,300/month per person, since it's the closest and most in-demand area. Houses down in Fall Creek or out in Belle Sherman split lower per head, while brand-new Collegetown buildings near campus sit at the top.
Other universities in Ithaca share a similar off-campus housing market.
Ithaca College is a mid-sized private institution of roughly 6,000 students perched on South Hill above the city of Ithaca in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The college is nationally recognized for its School of Communications, Roy H. Park School of Communications, and its programs in music, film, television, and…
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