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The University of Alabama drops about 37,840 students into Tuscaloosa, a Druid City that runs on football, the Black Warrior River, and a deep Crimson Tide tradition. Fall Saturdays revolve around Bryant-Denny Stadium, where the Walk of Champions and a packed Quad turn game days into the main event of the week. The Riverwalk greenbelt connects campus to downtown along the water, so morning runs and afternoon study breaks happen outside. University Boulevard, known as The Strip, sits right at the edge of campus and stays busy day and night. Most students walk or grab the Crimson Ride buses to get around, and the flat, tree-lined Quad makes the core of campus easy to cross between classes.
Alabama requires all first-year, full-time students to live on campus for their entire freshman year. Most students spend that first year in the residence halls before making the move off campus as sophomores.
You can apply for an exemption if you will be 20 by the start of the semester, you are married or have dependent children, or you live with a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian within 60 miles of campus. Most students at Alabama move off campus as sophomores, and that is when the search for a place near The Strip or along University Boulevard kicks in.
Tuscaloosa runs heavily on by-the-bed student complexes, where you sign for your own bedroom and get matched with roommates, plus older houses and duplexes closer to downtown. Many student buildings bill per person, lock you into a 12-month term that runs through the summer, and tack on amenity or administrative fees. Confirm exactly what utilities and furnishings are covered before you sign.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with The University of Alabama before signing a lease.
Tuscaloosa leases early and fast. The big by-the-bed complexes near campus open their renewals and preleasing for the next school year in the fall, and a lot of the best units are spoken for by winter, well before spring classes even wrap. If you want a specific building or a spot walkable to The Strip, plan to tour and sign between October and January. The earlier you lock something in, the more you have to choose from.
The peak runs October through January as returning students claim the best near-campus units. Leases here almost always start in August and run a full 12 months through the following July, so you are committing for the whole year. Student high-rises along The Strip fill first. Tour and sign in this window for a walkable spot.
If you are searching late, look toward the spring for relets and takeovers from students studying abroad, graduating early, or heading home for the summer. Houses and duplexes closer to downtown turn over a little later than the high-rises, so they can be a solid late-spring fallback. Expect fewer options and a bit more distance from campus the longer you wait.
The Strip puts you steps from campus and game-day energy, with student high-rises that lease fast and sit at the higher end.
Downtown offers older houses, lofts, and a walkable core along the Riverwalk.
Forest Lake is a quieter residential pocket east of campus with houses and duplexes that tend to run gentler than the new builds.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A bed in a by-the-bed student complex near campus usually runs about $600-$1,000/month per person. Older houses and duplexes around Forest Lake and downtown land at the lower end, while newer high-rises near The Strip sit higher. Budget another $30-$100/month for utilities if they aren't already bundled in.
Other universities in Tuscaloosa share a similar off-campus housing market.
Stillman College is a small private HBCU liberal arts college enrolling roughly 800 to 1,000 students in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Founded in 1876, it maintains a close-knit campus community with a strong tradition of academic and spiritual development. Located near the University of Alabama, Stillman shares the broader…
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