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Off-Campus Housing Near Kent State University
$520/unit
Fees may applyCollege Towers Apartments
$533/unit
Fees may apply606 W Main St
$560/unit
Fees may applyHidden Pines Townhomes
$585/unit
Fees may applyKSU East Townhomes - Student Housing
$599/unit
Fees may applyUNIVERSITY TOWNHOMES in KENT
About Off-Campus Housing Near Kent State University
Kent State University is a large public research university located in Kent, Ohio, a college town of roughly 29,000 residents situated about 11 miles east of Akron and 45 miles south of Cleveland. Founded in 1910, Kent State enrolls approximately 28,000 students and offers more than 300 undergraduate and graduate programs spanning the arts, sciences, education, business, fashion design, and journalism. The university is nationally recognized for its College of the Arts, its journalism and fashion programs, and for the May 4, 1970 shootings that became a defining moment in American history and are commemorated on campus. Kent is a true college town where student life shapes much of the local economy and culture, with bars, restaurants, music venues, and locally owned businesses clustered along North Water Street and the streets adjacent to campus. Off-campus housing is abundant and student-dominated, with large rental markets in neighborhoods immediately surrounding the campus. Freshmen are typically required to live on campus, while upperclassmen enjoy a well-established off-campus housing ecosystem with a wide range of price points and property types.
Kent State University Housing Requirements
Freshman Live-On Requirement
Kent State University requires all first-year students who have graduated from high school within the past year to live in university-managed residence halls. This requirement is designed to ease the transition to university life and ensure new students have access to academic advising, peer support, and campus services. Students who are 21 or older, have transferred from another institution, or live with a parent within commuting distance may be exempt from the requirement.
Off-Campus Eligibility
Students who have completed their freshman year in university housing are eligible to seek off-campus housing in the surrounding Kent community. Sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students represent the vast majority of the robust off-campus rental market in Kent. Students with junior or senior standing sometimes also qualify for upperclassman exemptions during the on-campus housing application process.