A shared room or a room in a rented house near College Avenue usually runs about $700-$1,100/month per person. The houses right on the prime streets close to campus sit at the top, while rooms in Highland Park or a bus ride out on the other campuses land lower. Newer by-the-bed apartment buildings downtown push higher than an older shared house.

No, there's no hard rule forcing first-years into the dorms, but housing is guaranteed for incoming students and most freshmen live on campus their first year anyway. The bigger move off campus happens sophomore and junior year once you know the area and have lined up roommates.

The streets right off College Avenue (Mine, Hamilton, Hardenbergh) and the Easton Avenue corridor are the heart of student housing. Highland Park across the river is popular for a quieter feel, and students with cars spread into Piscataway and Edison for more space.

You can absolutely get by without one. The Rutgers campus bus system connects College Avenue, Busch, Livingston, and Cook/Douglass for free, and the train station downtown puts New York and Philadelphia within reach. A car helps mostly if you live out in Edison or East Brunswick.

Earlier than you'd think. Landlords near College Avenue start signing leases for the next year in the fall, and the best houses are often gone by November or December. Start touring in the fall semester if you want the close-in spots.

Most are standard 12-month leases, which means you're often paying through a summer you're not living there. A lot of the housing is older homes split into student rentals, so check that the place is properly certified with the city and that everyone is named on the lease. Many landlords also want a guarantor.

The streets immediately around College Avenue and Highland Park across the river are generally calm and walkable. Like any college town, the busier late-night stretches near Easton Avenue see more activity, so stick to well-lit routes, use the campus bus at night, and check in on a specific block before signing.

Usually not in the older houses, so budget another $60-$150/month per person for electric, gas, water, and internet, with heating costs climbing in the Jersey winter. Some newer downtown apartment buildings bundle utilities into one figure, so always ask what's included before you sign.

Yes. Most students rent houses in groups, so roommate setups are the norm, and the official off-campus listings board and student groups make it easy to find people. Spring subleases open up from students going abroad or graduating in December if you need a short-term spot.

It depends on where your classes are. College Avenue and downtown are best if you're in arts and sciences or want walkability and nightlife. If most of your classes are on Busch or Livingston, factor in the bus ride or look for housing closer to those campuses, since the cross-campus commute adds up fast.