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The 5 Best Overall Student Apartments Near Macalester College (October 2026)

Macalester CollegeSt Paul, MNUpdated Monthly

By the FMP Data Team · Reviewed October 1, 2026

5 properties reviewed
25+ reviews analyzed
updated October 2026
independentno pay-to-rank
the short answer

Hamline Pointe Apartments leads our October 2026 ranking of the 5 Best Overall student apartments near Macalester College with a 5.0/5 FMP Score, followed by Liffey on Snelling and The Pavilion on Berry. Across the 5 properties reviewed, students keep coming back to amenities & shared spaces and management & maintenance: the overall signals that move a property up this ranking. Browse all off-campus housing near Macalester College for every option.

  • winnerHamline Pointe Apartments
  • FMP Score range3.6–5.0 / 5
  • avg walk0 min to campus
  • rent range$549–$2658 /person
the ranking

The 5 Best Overall Student Apartments Near Macalester College

Sorted by FMP Score from verified Macalester College reviews, high to low. Scores reflect current Macalester College reviews only.

  1. Hamline Pointe Apartments
    5.0(5 reviews)FMP Score

    why it ranked: Hamline Pointe Apartments stands out as the gold standard for student living near Macalester because of its genuinely exceptional management and community culture. Residents consistently praise Tonia and her team for being responsive, communicative, and deeply invested in creating a welcoming environment from thorough virtual tours for out-of-state students to thoughtful community events and quick maintenance responses. As one long-term resident put it, "Tonia sets the gold bar and high standard of how a property manager should treat its residents." This is the kind of place where people stay for years and genuinely miss it when they leave.

    $1328/person/mo
  2. Liffey on Snelling
    4.4(5 reviews)FMP Score

    why it ranked: Liffey on Snelling earns its ranking through solid, reliable amenities and thoughtful building features that make student life easier. Residents highlight well-maintained rooms, a functional gym that saves you a membership fee, secure package management with notifications, and strong security throughout the building. One three-year resident summed it up well: "overall nice rooms/amenities that are kept cleaned and maintained." It's the kind of straightforward, dependable living situation where you can focus on school rather than worrying about your building.

    $1199/person/mo
  3. The Pavilion on Berry
    4.2(5 reviews)FMP Score

    why it ranked: The Pavilion on Berry wins points for its unbeatable location near the U and light rail, plus a management team that's genuinely working to improve the resident experience. Students praise the friendly, helpful staff, quick maintenance responses, and recently renovated common spaces that actually feel inviting. As one resident noted, "The location is hard to beat," and the leasing office team consistently earns compliments for being "friendly, professional, and genuinely helpful." It's a place where you can tell the newer management cares about getting things right.

    $549/person/mo
  4. Morrow Apartments
    3.6(5 reviews)FMP Score

    why it ranked: Morrow Apartments ranks for its emerging turnaround under new property management, particularly through the work of team members like Bianca who bring genuine care and professionalism to resident services. Newer residents highlight the welcoming leasing office energy, efficient move-in processes, and a renewed focus on building community. As one recent resident shared, "the new property management in her team has been doing an absolute good job getting everything together." While the property has faced challenges, the current team's commitment to creating a family-oriented, well-maintained community shows real promise.

    $1315/person/mo
  5. Harper Apartments
    3.6(5 reviews)FMP Score

    why it ranked: Harper Apartments earns its spot as a top overall choice near Macalester with a rare combination of genuine community warmth, thoughtful management, and a location that actually delivers on the promise. Residents consistently praise the friendly, responsive management team, the welcoming neighbor culture, and quality finishes that match what you see online plus a gym and common areas for hanging out between classes. One long-term resident captured it perfectly: "The apartment was SO quiet and the views looking South over Mac Groveland were unbeatable." If you want to live somewhere people actually want to be around each other, Harper is the real deal.

    $1312/person/mo

The Full Ranking, One Table

Sort by any column. The rank stays with the property.
The full ranking of every listed apartment, sortable by any column.
1Hamline Pointe Apartments5.0/55–$1328/mo
2Liffey on Snelling4.4/55–$1199/mo
3The Pavilion on Berry4.2/55–$549/mo
4Morrow Apartments3.6/55–$1315/mo
5Harper Apartments3.6/55–$1312/mo

Walk times are door-to-door to Macalester College campus. Rent is per person, per month.

FMP award criteria

How We Ranked These Apartments

1

Ranked by the FMP Score

FMP Score, high to low. That’s the whole ranking. It’s our overall measure of a property, combining verified review scores with signals reviews miss, like how current the listing is kept and how responsive management is. Ties go to the property with more verified reviews.

2

Who Makes the List

Every property near Macalester College can appear, but it takes a minimum number of verified reviews before we score and rank it. Properties under that bar sit below every ranked property and move up automatically as reviews come in.

3

How We Calculate the FMP Score

The FMP Score blends the social, management, and quality scores from verified reviews with signals that a place is actively and well run, like how up to date its listing is kept and how consistently management responds to residents. It’s built to surface genuinely well-run properties, not just the highest raw review average.

by the numbers

What Makes an Apartment ‘well-rounded’ Near Macalester College

We ran every verified overall review for Macalester College-area apartments through theme analysis. These are the themes students bring up most when a place feels well-rounded, by share of the reviews that mention them.

responsive management team
85%
welcoming community atmosphere
75%
well-maintained amenities
45%

Based on AI analysis of verified Macalester College overall reviews, refreshed monthly. Percentages show the share of reviews that mention each theme; most reviews mention more than one. See our complete Macalester College review data →

faqs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best overall student apartment near Macalester College?

Hamline Pointe Apartments leads our October 2026 ranking of the 5 Best Overall student apartments near Macalester College with a 5.0/5 FMP Score, followed by Liffey on Snelling and The Pavilion on Berry.

How is this ranking calculated?

This list is ranked by one number: each property's overall score from verified reviews. Students rate a property's overall 1 to 5, and we average those scores, counting recent reviews more heavily than older ones. No self-reported data from landlords.

What makes an apartment the best overall?

The best overall apartments score highly across everything students rate (social scene, management, and unit quality), not just one. This ranking uses each property's overall rating from verified reviews.

How often is this ranking updated?

Monthly. We re-pull verified reviews and re-score every property at the start of each month, so the order reflects the most recent 24 months of student feedback. The “updated” date at the top of the page shows the latest refresh.

How many reviews does a property need to be included?

There's a minimum number of verified reviews to rank by score, and we don't publish the exact bar so it can't be gamed. Properties under it still appear, below every qualified property and ordered by review count, so a 5.0 from one review never outranks a 4.5 from thirty. Once a property collects enough reviews, it moves into the scored ranking automatically.

Is this ranking independent, or can properties pay to rank higher?

It's fully independent. There's no pay-to-rank. Position is set by verified reviews alone. Property managers can't buy placement, remove reviews, or influence the score.

for property managers

Made the List? Get Your FMP Award Badge.

If your property is on this ranking, you've earned an FMP Award. Reach out and we'll set you up with the official badge for your website, social, and print, free. It's how renters know your ranking is real.

Find My Place Award2026
11st place

Best Overall

student apartments near Macalester College

Verified & independentMacalester College · St Paul, MN