Loading listings
Oklahoma State University packs about 24,500 Cowboys into Stillwater, a true college town in the middle of Oklahoma where campus and city are basically the same thing. The campus core wraps around Theta Pond, a small lake from the 1890s that lights up orange every Homecoming. And Homecoming is a spectacle: billed as America's Greatest Homecoming, it draws huge crowds for the Friday night Walkaround, when the Greek neighborhood closes its streets and shows off elaborate house decorations under the lights. Fall Saturdays mean Boone Pickens Stadium and Orange Power chants. The town is flat and bike-friendly, with The Strip just off campus as the social hub, and Tulsa and Oklahoma City sit about an hour out when you want more.
Oklahoma State requires first-year freshmen under 21 who are unmarried and without dependents to live in university housing for the full academic year. Skipping the requirement without an approved exemption gets expensive, since the school charges you the equivalent of its least expensive housing rate for both semesters.
You can opt out if you graduated from a high school within 30 miles of campus and live with a parent or grandparent, if you are married or have children, if you served in the military, or if you will be 21 when classes start. Most Cowboys at Oklahoma State move off as sophomores.
The Stillwater rental process is standard, with an application, credit check, and usually a guarantor, but read the lease term, since by-the-bed complexes run a full 12 months. Houses near campus can carry occupancy limits, so confirm the rules before signing with a big group. The town also offers spring-only housing options if you are starting in January.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Oklahoma State University-Main Campus before signing a lease.
Stillwater leases on the usual college-town cycle, which means earlier than you would guess. The big student complexes near campus start preleasing for the next fall during the fall and winter, and the newest buildings closest to campus go first. If you want a specific complex or floor plan, be looking by winter for an August move-in. Early movers get the newest near-campus units.
The peak runs fall into winter as the newest buildings closest to campus go first for an August move-in. Because Stillwater is a smaller market, you will find more give than in a big city. The prime complexes and floor plans fill earliest. Be looking by winter to secure a specific unit.
Because Stillwater is a smaller market, houses and older complexes often still have openings into spring and even summer, so you can usually still land something, just expect older units or a spot farther from the core. Spring brings sublets from students leaving for summer internships, and the town offers spring-only housing if you are starting in January. Ask about those off-cycle options.
Just off campus along Washington Street, the Strip area is the walkable social hub, the closest and liveliest place to land.
South and west of OSU, these blocks hold a mix of older houses and by-the-bed complexes within walking or biking distance.
Clustering a little farther out, the newer student complexes trade the walk for newer units and parking.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
Stillwater runs cheaper than most college towns. A shared room or by-the-bed spot usually lands around $400-$650/month per person, and splitting a house with a few friends can drop it even lower. Newer complexes near campus with private bedrooms run closer to $650-$850. Add roughly $40-$90/month for utilities if they aren't included in the rent.