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Holy Family University is a small Catholic school of about 3,087 students tucked into the Torresdale neighborhood of Far Northeast Philadelphia, a wooded pocket along the Delaware River. It's a heavily commuter campus, so the rhythm is calmer than a big-city college: leafy streets, single homes, and parks rather than nonstop nightlife. Pennypack Park borders the area with miles of creek-side trails for biking, running, and fishing. Tigers turn out for Division II games, and campus life centers on a close community. Getting around is easy: the SEPTA Trenton Line stops at Torresdale station near campus, and Route 66 and 84 buses run along Frankford and Grant Avenues, so downtown Philadelphia is a straightforward ride, about 13 miles southwest.
Holy Family is largely a commuter school, so there's no heavy freshman live-on mandate like you'd find at a residential campus. Many students live at home or commute from the start, while others choose the residence halls for convenience.
The university offers residence halls, including the Garden Residence near Torresdale station and the newer Stevenson Lane suites, but many students live at home or move into nearby Northeast Philadelphia rentals. If you go off campus, you're renting in a normal city neighborhood rather than a student housing district, which means working with local landlords and agents.
Expect first month and a security deposit up front, plus proof of income or a guarantor. Philadelphia requires rental units to have a valid rental license and a certificate of rental suitability handed to tenants at lease signing, so ask to see both. Row homes and twins are common here and often pass utilities, trash, and yard upkeep to tenants, so read the lease for who pays what, get every roommate on the lease, and confirm the legal occupancy before you pile in.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Holy Family University before signing a lease.
Because Torresdale is a regular residential neighborhood and not a student-dominated market, the leasing rush is gentler than at a college town, but the best-value homes near campus and the train still go to early movers. Plan to search in spring, roughly March through June, for a summer or fall move-in. Family-oriented rentals in the Far Northeast tend to turn over for summer. If you want walkable access to Torresdale station, commit sooner rather than later, since those spots are limited.
The spring stretch from March through June is when most well-kept homes turn over. There's no campus office matching you to off-campus units, so lean on local listing sites, neighborhood boards, and agents who know the Northeast. Homes near campus and the train fill first. Moving during this window gives you the widest pick of the steady local supply.
Searching late in summer is workable here since the market is steady rather than frantic, but your pick of well-kept homes shrinks. Subletting is uncommon in this neighborhood, so plan around a standard 12-month lease rather than counting on a short-term handoff. Widen your search along the bus and train lines if the closest blocks are full. A little flexibility on location goes a long way late in the season.
Wooded, riverside, and quiet, the closest pick with parks and single homes around campus.
A bit southwest along Frankford Avenue, older row homes and more give on price, on the bus and train lines.
A dense, walkable residential grid with twins and rowhomes, popular and well connected by Route 66, with suburban-style streets in Academy Gardens nearby for more space.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A room in a shared row home or twin near Holy Family usually runs $600-$950/month per person. Splitting a house in Holmesburg or Mayfair lands at the lower end, while a small one-bedroom on your own costs more. Sharing with a few roommates is the standard way students keep their share down in the Far Northeast.
Other universities in Philadelphia share a similar off-campus housing market.
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