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The University of Maryland sets about 40,700 Terrapins on a sprawling 1,300-acre campus in College Park, just inside the Beltway and a short ride from downtown D.C. The campus centers on McKeldin Mall, a long green stretch where everyone studies, naps, and throws a frisbee when the weather turns. Students rub the nose of Testudo, the bronze terrapin outside the library, for luck before exams. Every spring, Maryland Day opens the whole campus to the public for a giant open house. Route 1 runs along the edge with the student strip of food and shops, and the College Park Metro on the Green Line drops you into the District in about half an hour, with the Purple Line on the way. When D.C. calls, the monuments and museums are all a ride away.
Maryland doesn't strictly require freshmen to live on campus, but it guarantees first-year housing if you confirm enrollment and submit the agreement by the May 1 deadline, and strongly encourages students to spend their first two years in the residence halls. Nine in ten first-years take that route.
With no strict mandate, students at Maryland can move off campus when they choose, though most do as juniors. College Park recently restricted how early landlords can push lease renewals: they can't offer one more than 180 days before your current lease ends, which for most students means late February at the earliest. If you are under 21, expect to need a parent co-signer or guarantor.
Leases almost always run 12 months. Some single-family rentals fall under occupancy limits and rental licensing rules, so confirm the place is properly licensed before you sign. The new renewal rules give you breathing room, so don't let anyone rush you into signing too early.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with University of Maryland-College Park before signing a lease.
College Park runs a bit later and calmer than the most frantic college markets, partly thanks to the city's new lease-renewal rules. The big purpose-built student buildings along Route 1 start leasing for the next year in the fall, so if you want a specific complex or floor plan, get on their list early. For houses and smaller apartments, late winter through spring is the sweet spot. Lock your roommate group in before you tour.
The peak of activity runs roughly July into September right before classes, with late winter through spring the sweet spot for houses. Current tenants can't be offered renewals until about late February, pushing turnover into spring. The Route 1 buildings lease earliest. Get on a building's list early and have your group ready.
If you are flexible, you can find solid options into the summer, though the closest-in places thin out. Spring sublets and summer turnover give late searchers a real shot here, helped by the late-February renewal rule that keeps inventory moving later. Lock your roommate group in before you start touring so you can move quickly when something good opens up.
Right next to campus and Route 1, Old Town is packed with student houses, including Greek life, and the most walkable to class.
A quieter residential pocket just west, University Park is leafy and a touch calmer.
Northeast of campus, Berwyn and Berwyn Heights mix houses and apartments with a more neighborhood feel.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A room in a shared house in Old Town or Berwyn typically runs about $800-$1,200/month per person. A by-the-bed spot in one of the newer buildings along Route 1 or near the Metro often lands closer to $1,000-$1,500/month. Splitting a larger house farther out brings the per-person number down. Add roughly $50-$120/month for utilities depending on what's bundled.