University of South Florida·Tampa, FL·Updated Monthly
By the FMP Data Team · Reviewed July 1, 2026
Hawks Landing leads our July 2026 ranking of the 5 Best Overall student apartments near USF with a 5.0/5 FMP Score, followed by 220 Madison and ULake Apartments. Across the 5 properties reviewed, students keep coming back to amenities & shared spaces and management & maintenance: the overall signals that move a property up this ranking. Browse all off-campus housing near University of South Florida for every option.
Sorted by FMP Score from verified USF reviews, high to low. Scores reflect current USF reviews only.
why it ranked: The top overall pick near USF, at 5.0/5 from verified reviews. I love the activities they have going! the staff here are great and the place always looks nice and neat!
| 1 | Hawks Landing | 5.0/5 | 5 | – | $520/mo |
| 2 | 220 Madison | 5.0/5 | 5 | – | $1339/mo |
| 3 | ULake Apartments | 4.2/5 | 5 | – | $845/mo |
| 4 | Apella on Newport | 4.2/5 | 5 | – | $1930/mo |
| 5 | The Retreat at Tampa | 3.4/5 | 5 | – | $996/mo |
Walk times are door-to-door to USF campus. Rent is per person, per month.
FMP Score, high to low. That’s the whole ranking. It’s our overall measure of a property, combining verified review scores with signals reviews miss, like how current the listing is kept and how responsive management is. Ties go to the property with more verified reviews.
Every property near USF can appear, but it takes a minimum number of verified reviews before we score and rank it. Properties under that bar sit below every ranked property and move up automatically as reviews come in.
The FMP Score blends the social, management, and quality scores from verified reviews with signals that a place is actively and well run, like how up to date its listing is kept and how consistently management responds to residents. It’s built to surface genuinely well-run properties, not just the highest raw review average.
We ran every verified overall review for USF-area apartments through theme analysis. These are the themes students bring up most when a place feels well-rounded, by share of the reviews that mention them.
Based on AI analysis of verified USF overall reviews, refreshed monthly. Percentages show the share of reviews that mention each theme; most reviews mention more than one. See our complete USF review data →
each fmp ranking re-ranks the same properties by a different lens (management and quality among them) and keeps its own list, refreshed monthly.
The most active social scenes: shared spaces, resident events, and roommate matching, scored from verified reviews.
see the ranking →The most responsive, reliable landlords: maintenance turnaround, lease transparency, and deposit fairness.
see the ranking →The best unit and building quality: condition, upkeep, and amenities, scored from verified reviews.
see the ranking →Hawks Landing leads our July 2026 ranking of the 5 Best Overall student apartments near USF with a 5.0/5 FMP Score, followed by 220 Madison and ULake Apartments.
This list is ranked by one number: each property's overall score from verified reviews. Students rate a property's overall 1 to 5, and we average those scores, counting recent reviews more heavily than older ones. No self-reported data from landlords.
The best overall apartments score highly across everything students rate (social scene, management, and unit quality), not just one. This ranking uses each property's overall rating from verified reviews.
Monthly. We re-pull verified reviews and re-score every property at the start of each month, so the order reflects the most recent 24 months of student feedback. The “updated” date at the top of the page shows the latest refresh.
There's a minimum number of verified reviews to rank by score, and we don't publish the exact bar so it can't be gamed. Properties under it still appear, below every qualified property and ordered by review count, so a 5.0 from one review never outranks a 4.5 from thirty. Once a property collects enough reviews, it moves into the scored ranking automatically.
It's fully independent. There's no pay-to-rank. Position is set by verified reviews alone. Property managers can't buy placement, remove reviews, or influence the score.
If your property is on this ranking, you've earned an FMP Award. Reach out and we'll set you up with the official badge for your website, social, and print, free. It's how renters know your ranking is real.
student apartments near USF
why it ranked: A podium finish for overall near USF, 5.0/5 from verified reviews. Absolutely great place to live and the best staff of any apartment in Tampa
why it ranked: A podium finish for overall near USF, 4.2/5 from verified reviews. I haven't moved in yet, but I'm excited! I have sold my home and working in medical field. Sometimes in Tampa, sometimes travel professional. Looking forward to having U Lake as my oasis…
why it ranked: Holds a 4.2/5 overall score from verified USF reviews. Apella is a wonderful student housing community. It is super clean, the office staff and maintenance is very responsive and…
why it ranked: Holds a 3.4/5 overall score from verified USF reviews. Charlee that works front desk is really professional and cooperative. She has very good knowledge about the property and their…