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University of Dayton is a Catholic, Marianist school of about 11,650 Flyers in Dayton, Ohio, where campus flows right into the surrounding streets. The first building most students ever see is UD Arena off Interstate 75, a famous college basketball venue. What defines life here is the Student Neighborhood, blocks of porch-lined houses south of campus where upperclassmen live shoulder to shoulder and the whole place feels like one long block party. Downtown sits minutes away on the Great Miami River, where RiverScape MetroPark runs a fountain and an ice rink, and The Flyer shuttle connects campus to the river and the Oregon District. Traditions run deep, none bigger than Christmas on Campus, when students pair with local kids for a big night of service.
University of Dayton requires first- and second-year students to live in UD housing, and the exemptions are narrow. Plan on two years of university housing as the default. Most juniors and seniors then move into the Student Neighborhood.
You generally qualify for an exemption only if you are 21 or older, married, or living with a legal guardian within 40 miles of campus. What makes UD unusual is that the Student Neighborhood itself is largely university-owned, so for most juniors and seniors, moving off campus means moving into a university-leased house rather than signing with a private landlord. You go through the housing portal to request a house and group rather than hunting the open market.
You apply as a full group, so your roommates and headcount lock in early. There are also independent landlord-owned houses around the neighborhood that work more like a traditional lease. Read the contract for how it handles damages and shared-space rules, since university houses carry community standards a normal rental would not.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with University of Dayton before signing a lease.
Because so much of UD's off-campus housing is university-owned, the timeline runs through the school's housing process rather than a private market, and it starts early. The university opens housing selection for the following year during the academic year, typically in the fall and winter. You apply as a full roommate group through the portal, so settle your group early. Organizing first is how groups land the most sought-after Student Neighborhood houses.
The most sought-after Student Neighborhood houses, the ones closest to campus and with the right bed count, go to the groups that organize and apply first. Selection runs through the fall and winter, so that is the window that matters most. Classes start in late August, and by then assignments are long since set. Lock your roommates and apply on time rather than waiting for summer.
Independent landlord houses around the neighborhood lease on their own schedule, often a bit later, so they can be a fallback if you miss the university selection window or your group changes. Spring brings some sublet and reassignment activity, but the bulk of the decisions happen months ahead. If you are deciding late, look to the independent houses rather than the university process. The real move is to lock your roommates and apply on time, not wait for summer.
The heart of off-campus life, porch-heavy blocks like Kiefaber, Lawnview, Stonemill, and Trinity, mostly university-owned and walkable to class.
A smaller pocket north of the main neighborhood, quieter but still close in.
The North Student Neighborhood across Stewart Street, another university-owned cluster of student houses.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
Off-campus housing near University of Dayton generally runs about $700-$1,100/month per person once you split a house, with university-owned Student Neighborhood homes and newer units sitting toward the top and larger shared houses landing lower per person. Smaller apartments on your own run higher. Budget another $50-$130/month for utilities depending on what your contract covers.