Off-Campus Housing Near Tufts
Off-Campus Housing Near Tufts
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About Off-Campus Housing Near Tufts University
Tufts sits on a hill that straddles the Medford and Somerville line, about five miles northwest of downtown Boston. The university has roughly 13,000 students, about half of them undergrads, spread across the Medford/Somerville campus and the health sciences campuses in Boston and Grafton. Tufts requires undergrads to live on campus for their first two years, so the off-campus renters are mostly juniors, seniors, and grad students. The neighborhood around campus is the draw. College Avenue and Boston Avenue lead downhill to Davis Square in Somerville, a lively area with restaurants, bars, and a Red Line stop, and the Green Line Extension now ends at Medford/Tufts station right at the foot of the hill. That means you can live in a Somerville triple-decker and be downtown in 20 to 30 minutes. The market is dense, competitive, and expensive, and it runs almost entirely on September 1 leases. Plenty of Tufts students sign 9 to 10 months ahead, and landlords near campus expect student groups, so knowing the calendar matters as much as knowing your budget.
Tufts University Housing Requirements
Freshman Live-On Requirement
Tufts requires new undergraduate students to live on campus for their first two years, the equivalent of four semesters in university housing. First-years are assigned a hall and roommate by Residential Life. Rising sophomores also have to live on campus to finish the two-year requirement, and they pick housing through the Housing Portal.
Off-Campus Eligibility
Once you've finished the two-year requirement, you can live off campus, and a lot of juniors and seniors do, especially in the houses and apartments between campus and Davis Square. Juniors and seniors can also enter the housing lottery if they'd rather stay on campus. Grad students aren't covered by the undergrad requirement.
Lease Timing
Medford and Somerville leases usually run 12 months starting September 1. Massachusetts caps up-front charges at first month, last month, a security deposit of no more than one month's rent, and a lock-change fee. Since August 1, 2025, whoever hires the broker pays the broker fee, so if the landlord hired them, you usually don't pay.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Tufts University before signing a lease.
When to Start Looking for Housing Near Tufts University
Early Searchers
The houses closest to campus, on streets off College Avenue, Professors Row, and Boston Avenue, often get signed in the fall for the following September. If you're a sophomore planning to move off campus junior year, form your group early and sort out your budget and who's going abroad. Landlords near Tufts are used to student groups and often rent to the same kind of group year after year, so being early and organized matters.
Peak Demand Window
The busiest period is roughly October through February. Units within walking distance of campus or Davis Square move quickly, sometimes within a day of a showing. Have everyone's paperwork ready, including proof of income or a guarantor, so you can apply as a group right away.
Last-Minute Options
If you're still looking in the spring or summer, widen your search to Teele Square, Ball Square, West Medford, or Medford Square, where there's more inventory. Sublets are common because many Tufts juniors study abroad, and grad students often need to fill rooms. Just make sure your landlord approves any sublet in writing.
Neighborhoods Near Tufts University
Davis Square and Teele Square
Somerville's busiest student neighborhood, with the Red Line, restaurants, and triple-deckers along Holland Street and Highland Avenue. It's walkable to campus, and expect roughly $1,200 to $1,700 a person in a shared unit.
Medford Hillside
The streets right around campus on the Medford side, including off Boston Avenue and College Avenue. You're closest to class and to Medford/Tufts Green Line station. Units here are older houses split into apartments, often rented to groups of Tufts students year after year. Shared units here run roughly $1,100 to $1,600 a person.
Ball Square
Between Davis and Medford Square, with its own Green Line stop and a slightly quieter feel. It's a solid middle option for price and convenience, with a mix of triple-deckers and small buildings a 10 to 15 minute walk from the academic quad.
Frequently Asked Questions: Off-Campus Housing Near Tufts University
Common questions from students searching for housing.
Expect Boston-area prices. Shared apartments in Somerville and Medford usually run roughly $1,100 to $1,700 per person per month, with the closest units to campus and Davis Square at the high end.
Yes. Tufts requires new undergrads to live on campus for their first two years, which covers first-year and sophomore year.
In the houses and apartments between campus and Davis Square, and along the Medford Hillside near Boston and College Avenues.
No. The Red Line at Davis and the Green Line at Medford/Tufts put you close to downtown Boston, and street parking in Somerville often needs a resident permit.
Start in the fall of your sophomore year if you want a place near campus. Most good units sign between October and February for a September 1 start.
Nearly all leases start September 1 and run 12 months. That means you might be paying for summer even if you go home.
The area is busy and residential with lots of students around. Use city habits: lock doors, walk with others at night, and check a street at different times before signing.
Sometimes heat and hot water are included in older buildings, but electricity and internet usually aren't. Ask the landlord for typical winter heating costs.
Yes, especially from juniors going abroad and grad students leaving for the summer. Always get the landlord's written approval first.
The two-year live-on rule creates a predictable wave of sophomores searching in the fall, and the Green Line Extension has made Medford rentals near campus more connected than they used to be.
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