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Elon University fills its namesake town in Alamance County, North Carolina, with about 7,100 students on a campus so leafy it doubles as a botanical garden: storied oaks, brick pathways, and shaded commons. The town of Elon is small and tucked into the Burlington area between Greensboro and the Triangle, which makes campus the center of gravity for student life. Traditions hold it together: College Coffee gathers the community on the commons every Tuesday morning, and Under the Oaks marks opening convocation each fall. The environmental center at Loy Farm, where the EcoVillage houses students in green-built homes, gives campus a working-farm edge. Downtown Elon's Main Street is a short walk from the quad, and Greensboro and the Triangle are a quick drive away.
Elon University has a two-year residency requirement, so first-year and sophomore students generally live on campus in its residential neighborhoods. Many stay on campus their third and fourth years too, since Elon aims to keep most undergraduates living on campus. Exemptions go through Residence Life and typically cover students living locally with family or with documented circumstances.
After the two-year mark, students who move off campus settle around the town of Elon and into neighboring Burlington and Gibsonville. Because Elon is small, much of the off-campus housing is regular Alamance County rentals rather than giant student complexes, so the process feels like renting a normal apartment or house, with an application, credit and background check, deposit, and often a guarantor. The closest walkable houses near campus are limited and go fast.
Read house leases for joint-tenant terms and yard duties, and confirm occupancy caps, since small towns still limit renters per home. Leases usually run a full year, so match the term to your plans. Reviewing the full agreement up front keeps you from inheriting a roommate's obligations.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Elon University before signing a lease.
Elon's off-campus calendar reflects its small-town size. Because the two-year requirement keeps freshmen and sophomores on campus, the off-campus hunt is mostly a junior-and-senior game, and the supply of walkable houses right by campus is limited, so those go early. If you want to be within walking distance of the quad, start looking in the fall of the prior year. Sign by winter or early spring with your roommate group locked in.
The newer apartment complexes in the Elon and Burlington area prelease through winter and spring. Classes start in late August and leases usually run a full year. The walkable houses near the quad see the strongest demand and get claimed first. Locking in your roommate group by winter keeps you ahead of the competition.
If you search late into summer, you'll find more options out in Burlington and Gibsonville than right next to campus, and you'll probably want a car. Spring openings and sublets come up when students go abroad, which Elon students do often, so a study-abroad semester can free up a room mid-year if you ask around. Checking with student groups can surface a handoff. Widening your radius opens up more choices.
Downtown Elon and the streets right around campus offer the few walkable houses and apartments closest to the quad, and they go fast. It's the most convenient option near class.
The broader town of Elon holds quiet residential streets and newer complexes a short drive or bike from campus. Complexes along the main corridors split the difference on commute and calm.
Burlington, the larger neighboring city, has the widest range of apartments and houses, more parking, and a slightly gentler price, better if you have a car. Gibsonville, the small City of Roses just east, is a calm option for students who want a house and don't mind commuting in.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A room in a shared house or apartment near Elon usually runs about $600-$950/month per person. Houses split among roommates in Burlington or Gibsonville land at the lower end, while newer complexes and the few walkable spots right by campus sit higher. Budget another $50-$120/month for utilities, and ask what's bundled before you sign.