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Montclair State University sits about 21,005 Red Hawks on a hilltop in Montclair, New Jersey, close enough to see the Manhattan skyline on a clear day. The town is leafy and walkable, full of green space, with campus framed by the Watchung ridgeline. Student life runs through Rocky the Red Hawk, the bronze statue everyone photographs, and 120-plus clubs that fill the year with festivals, outdoor movie nights, and traditions like Spring Bash and Winter Ball. Campus climbs a hill, so most students walk or hop the shuttle, and the NJ Transit rail station on campus drops you straight into New York City for a bigger night out. It's a commuter-heavy crowd, so the energy stretches well beyond the quad.
Montclair State does not force first-year students to live on campus. Housing is guaranteed for freshmen who pay the deposit by the May 1 deadline, but plenty of students commute or move off campus from day one, and nearly 70% of the student body already lives off campus.
Because there is no live-on mandate, the off-campus pool is competitive and skews toward apartments and shared houses in the surrounding towns rather than purpose-built student complexes. Most students who move off campus do it after freshman year, once they have found roommates and learned the bus routes. Watch for occupancy rules in single-family towns, since some municipalities cap how many unrelated people can share a house, which quietly limits big group rentals near campus.
New Jersey rentals run on standard 12-month leases, and many landlords here want first month, last month, and a security deposit up front, plus proof of income or a guarantor. Line up a co-signer early so you can move quickly.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Montclair State University before signing a lease.
The North Jersey rental calendar moves earlier than people expect. Serious searching for a fall move-in should start in February and March, because the best multi-bedroom places near campus and along the rail line get claimed by April. Apartment complexes in the surrounding towns often post availability 60 to 90 days out. Set alerts and tour fast once listings drop.
The best multi-bedroom places near campus and along the rail line get claimed by April, so the late-winter-to-spring window is the heart of the search. Anyone still looking in July or August is fighting over leftovers, usually farther out or with a longer commute. Move quickly once you find a place that works. Waiting past spring pushes you toward a longer commute.
Classes start in early September, and late searchers should look for sublets from students studying abroad or graduating in December. Check for January and February vacancies when 12-month leases turn over mid-year. Spring searchers should lean on the campus off-campus housing portal and roommate boards, since individual landlords list there year-round and move quicker than the big buildings. Expect fewer choices the later you start.
Leafy and quiet, Upper Montclair is walkable to a commercial district, the closest non-campus option for many and one of the higher-end areas.
A bigger, more spread-out town just south, Clifton offers more apartment stock, bus access, and gentler per-person numbers.
Right next to campus, Little Falls is popular for shared houses and easy commutes.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A shared room or per-person share in a house near campus usually runs $800-$1,200/month. One-bedroom apartments in Upper Montclair and Clifton sit higher, often $1,500-$2,000/month, while splitting a larger house in Bloomfield or Little Falls pulls the per-person number down. Newer complexes cost more than older walk-ups.