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Temple University packs about 37,000 Owls into a Main Campus that sits right in North Philadelphia along North Broad Street, with no walls or gates separating it from the city. That's the whole vibe: you're not in a college bubble, you're in Philly. The Broad Street Line subway stops at campus, so the entire city is a quick ride, from Center City to South Philly. Campus life centers on the student-packed blocks around 13th and Cecil B. Moore, and the Liacouras Center hosts basketball, concerts, and big events on Broad. Cherry and White school spirit shows up hard on game days, and weekends mean wandering into Center City or the row-house neighborhoods nearby. It's a transit-first school where knowing SEPTA is half the experience.
Temple guarantees on-campus housing to first-years who commit and pay their deposits by the deadline, and most freshmen live in the residence halls. There is no strict mandate locking everyone in, so commuters and some first-years do live off campus.
Plenty of students move into off-campus row houses and apartments starting sophomore year, and the blocks right around campus are dense with student rentals. The process is mostly private landlords and student-housing companies, with much of the stock being older Philadelphia row homes split into shared units. Confirm the property has a valid Philadelphia rental license and make sure the unit is not over the legal occupancy.
Tour in person before signing, because listing photos near Temple can be generous and a place that looks fine online can sit on a rough block. Many landlords also want a guarantor if you do not have steady income, so line one up early.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Temple University before signing a lease.
Temple's leasing season kicks off in the fall for the following school year, and it moves fast because so much student housing is concentrated in a few blocks. The student-housing companies and the nicer renovated row houses near 13th and Cecil B. Moore start signing in October and November. A lot of the best-located places are spoken for by the end of the fall semester. Start touring in the fall to get the best selection.
Competition peaks through late fall as the core blocks near 13th and Cecil B. Moore fill up. If you are searching in spring, you will still find options, but you are choosing from what is left, often a few blocks farther from the core. Because Temple is so transit-connected, you can look farther up Broad or into adjacent neighborhoods where a SEPTA ride closes the gap. Move quickly on anything close in.
Classes start in late August, so anyone still hunting in July is usually scrambling for sublets or whatever opened up late. Spring and summer subleases pop up from students graduating in December or leaving for co-ops. That is a solid backup if you miss the main fall wave. Lean on the off-campus listings and roommate boards when you start late.
The blocks right around Main Campus, near 13th Street and Cecil B. Moore, are the core student zone: row houses and apartment buildings within walking distance of class.
Just south of campus, Yorktown is a stable, family-oriented neighborhood of tree-lined streets.
Farther down the Broad Street Line, Northern Liberties and the edge of Center City draw students who want a more polished, nightlife-heavy scene and do not mind the commute.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A room in a shared row house or by-the-bed apartment near Main Campus usually runs about $600-$1,000/month per person. Older row homes a few blocks out land at the bottom, while newer renovated units and student-housing buildings right by 13th and Cecil B. Moore sit higher. The farther you drift from the core blocks, the more the range drops.
Other universities in Philadelphia share a similar off-campus housing market.
Holy Family University is a small Catholic school of about 3,087 students tucked into the Torresdale neighborhood of Far Northeast Philadelphia, a wooded pocket along the Delaware River. It's a heavily commuter campus, so the rhythm is calmer than a big-city college: leafy streets, single homes, and parks rather than…
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