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Rutgers University-New Brunswick spreads about 50,000 Scarlet Knights across four campuses (College Avenue, Busch, Livingston, and Cook/Douglass) strung along the Raritan River in central Jersey. It acts like a small city: you'll ride the campus bus system constantly, since classes can be a river-crossing apart. Downtown New Brunswick sits right at College Avenue's edge, with a real theater district, the Saturday farmers market, and Boyd Park along the water, while Easton Avenue is the late-night artery. Every spring, Rutgers Day turns the whole place into a free festival, and fall Saturdays mean the Scarlet Walk into SHI Stadium. New York and Philadelphia are both a quick train ride away when you want a bigger night.
Rutgers does not force first-years into the dorms, but the vast majority live on campus their first year and housing is guaranteed to incoming students. Most stay put through their first year and into sophomore year before considering a move off campus.
By junior year the migration off campus is in full swing, mostly into rented houses and apartments within walking distance of College Avenue or a quick bus ride from the other campuses. The local process is landlord-by-landlord, and much of the stock is older single-family homes carved into student rentals. New Brunswick enforces occupancy rules and rental inspections, so confirm any house is properly certified and that the tenants on the lease match what the city allows.
Expect to put down a security deposit, and watch for leases that quietly run the full 12 months even though you are gone all summer. Houses closest to campus and on the prime streets go fastest, and many landlords want a guarantor if you do not have income.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Rutgers University-New Brunswick before signing a lease.
New Brunswick runs on an early leasing clock that catches a lot of first-time renters off guard. Landlords near College Avenue start showing and signing for the next school year as early as the fall semester. The best houses on the streets closest to campus are often locked up by November or December, almost a full year ahead. Start looking in the fall for the following year and tour fast.
The heaviest competition runs through late fall and into winter, when the closest, prime-street houses get claimed. If you wait until spring, you are picking from what is left, which usually means spots a little farther out or a bus ride away on Busch, Livingston, or in Highland Park. Do not assume good places will still be there in the spring. Commit quickly once you find a house that works.
Classes start in early September, so anyone still searching in July or August is in scramble mode and leaning on sublets or the off-campus listings board. Spring subleases open up from students studying abroad or graduating in December. If you miss the main wave, that fallback is your best bet. Expect fewer choices and a longer commute the later you start.
The streets right off College Avenue (Mine, Hamilton, Hardenbergh) are the closest and most walkable, so they go first.
Easton Avenue runs from campus into a denser student stretch with apartments above the storefronts and the most nightlife.
Just across the Raritan River, Highland Park is quieter and more residential, popular with students who want calm and do not mind a short walk or bus into downtown.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
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.