Loading listings
Kansas State University anchors Manhattan, a Flint Hills town of about 20,900 students that locals call the Little Apple. The campus is all limestone, and the tallgrass prairie starts right outside town at the Konza Prairie, a research preserve with trails, bison, and big open sky. A few blocks from campus, Aggieville packs six square blocks of bars, shops, and student life into the oldest shopping district in Kansas. Fall means Bill Snyder Family Stadium swaying to the Wabash Cannonball, and winter packs Bramlage Coliseum, the arena opponents dread as the Octagon of Doom. When students want water, Tuttle Creek Lake sits just north for boating and camping. Manhattan stays compact, so most students walk or bike between campus, Aggieville, and home.
K-State requires full-time, first-year undergraduates to live in university residence halls their first two semesters unless they qualify for an exemption. Most freshmen at Kansas State spend that first year in the halls. The two-semester rule shapes when students start planning their move into the Little Apple.
Exemptions typically cover students living at home with a parent or guardian within commuting distance, married students, those with dependents, students who are older than the standard entering age, and veterans. Most Wildcats move into Aggieville apartments or houses in the Little Apple by sophomore year. Manhattan's a true college town, so demand near Aggieville is steady and the best spots lease early.
The local rental process runs on standard Kansas leases with an application fee, a credit or income check, and a co-signer if your history is thin. Watch occupancy rules, since the city limits how many unrelated people can share a single-family rental, and read the lease for snow-removal and lawn-care clauses that can land on tenants. Confirm whether utilities are capped before you sign.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Kansas State University before signing a lease.
Manhattan leases on a real college-town clock. Preleasing for the next school year opens early, often in the fall before the year you'll move in, and the prime Aggieville apartments and close-in houses can be claimed by the time spring rolls around. If you want walkability to campus or the district, start looking in October or November and don't wait past February. Planning ahead matters, because the close-in market here moves earlier than newcomers expect.
The prime Aggieville apartments and close-in houses can be claimed by the time spring rolls around, so October through February is the prime signing window. Classes begin in mid to late August, so the bulk of move-ins land in early August. Walkable spots near Aggieville and campus see the strongest demand during this stretch. Groups wanting a close-in house should sign before February.
Late searchers can still find places farther from campus over the summer, but the best inventory is long gone. Spring leases and sublets show up around December and May when students graduate, study abroad, or head home. That's your shot at a mid-year spot or taking over the remaining months of an existing lease near Aggieville. Late searchers often end up in quieter areas like Northview or Grand Mere.
Aggieville is the heart of it, six blocks of bars, shops, and apartments where students live in the middle of everything and walk to class. It is the top pick for students who want to be in the action.
The surrounding Little Apple core has older houses split into student rentals within walking or biking distance of campus. It is easy to share with friends.
Northview to the north runs quieter and more residential with bigger places and more parking. It suits students who want some distance from the action.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A shared room or by-the-bed spot near K-State usually runs $400-$700/month per person. Older houses in the Little Apple and around Aggieville land at the bottom, while newer complexes in Grand Mere sit higher. Budget another $40-$100/month for utilities, with heating bumping the total in Kansas winters.
Other universities in Manhattan share a similar off-campus housing market.
Manhattan Area Technical College is a small public technical and vocational college located in Manhattan, Kansas, enrolling approximately 700 students in programs focused on applied technology, trades, healthcare, and workforce training. The college offers certificates and associate degrees designed to prepare students…
View housing near Manhattan Area Technical CollegeManhattan Christian College is a small, faith-centered liberal arts institution in Manhattan, Kansas, affiliated with the Churches of Christ. With roughly 300 students, MCC offers undergraduate degrees in ministry, theology, and Christian education, preparing graduates for church leadership and service-oriented…
View housing near Manhattan Christian College