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Tarleton State University anchors Stephenville, a small Texas town in the rolling ranch country southwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, with about 14,000 students on the Stephenville campus. This is real ag-country territory: dairy farms, rodeo culture, and wide-open land, and the school leans into it, with rodeo and stock shows part of the identity and Texan pride running deep. The town is compact and friendly, built around a courthouse-square downtown where the public square gives you somewhere to land between classes. Memorial Stadium fills up on football nights, and Homecoming brings the campus together. Bosque River park land and nearby lakes give you the outdoor escape. Because Stephenville is small, student life happens close to campus, and most people get around by car.
Tarleton requires first-time-in-college freshmen to live on campus for their first academic year unless they get an approved off-campus exemption. The rule covers the full freshman year. Most students move off campus after that.
The main exemptions cover students living in a family member's primary residence within 45 miles of the Stephenville campus, students living with an enrolled sibling within that radius, part-time students taking eight credit hours or fewer, transfer students with prior credit, and documented financial hardship. You need proof of residency established months ahead, so apply early. The rental process is standard Texas, with an application, deposit, credit or income check, and often a parental guarantor.
Stephenville is small, so off-campus supply is genuinely scarce and competitive. Watch the lease term, since many student complexes lease by the bed on a 12-month basis and you pay through summer. Houses lease by the unit, so roommates share one lease and joint liability, so lock a group early and read the subletting clause before everyone signs.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Tarleton State University before signing a lease.
Stephenville is small, so housing moves early and competitively. The student complexes near Tarleton open renewals and new signings in the fall for the next August. If you want a specific complex or a house close to campus, start touring in October or November. Most students at Tarleton who want a good spot begin the search before winter.
Because there just are not that many beds in town, the good ones fill fast, often by winter or early spring, so aim to sign by January. Houses near campus are especially limited, so the earlier you and your roommates commit, the better. Classes start in late August, so plan an August move-in. This is the window when the close-in inventory clears out.
If you search late, expect slim pickings, since this is not a market where you can wait until July and find something good. Spring transfers and summer sublets occasionally open up as students graduate or break leases. Check the university's preferred off-campus housing list and local listings often if you are searching late. Flexibility on distance from campus helps at this stage.
The student complexes near the university, several along or near Washington Street, are built for Tarleton students and lease by the bed with amenities. They are the most popular option for students who want a purpose-built setup.
The blocks immediately around campus mix older rental houses good for roommate groups with smaller complexes. They put you within an easy walk of class.
Downtown, around the courthouse square, puts you near local shops and the public square within a short hop of class. It suits students who want local character close by.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A shared room or a bed in a by-the-bed student complex near Tarleton usually runs about $500-$800/month per person. Older houses farther from campus land at the bottom, while newer furnished complexes with amenities sit higher. Budget another $40-$100/month for utilities if they aren't bundled into the rate.