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West Virginia University packs about 26,000 Mountaineers into Morgantown, a hilly Appalachian town along the Monongahela River where campus and city blur together. WVU splits across three areas, Downtown, Evansdale, and Health Sciences, linked by the PRT, a driverless people-mover locals treat as their own quirky subway. Fall Saturdays roar at Milan Puskar Stadium, and basketball fills the WVU Coliseum, with the Mountaineer and his musket leading the noise. Off campus, Sunnyside sits at the downtown edge as the classic student strip, while the Mon River Rail-Trail runs the riverfront for miles of running and biking. Downtown's High Street keeps the social scene close. It's a tight, hilly campus where the PRT does the heavy lifting.
West Virginia University requires first-year students to live in university housing, and most off-campus complexes specifically lease only to non-freshmen. Freshmen who want an apartment-style setup are generally pointed toward the university's own Oakland-area apartments rather than private off-campus buildings.
Standard exemptions apply for students who are older, married, living with family nearby, or facing documented circumstances, all handled through WVU Housing before you commit elsewhere. Most students move off after freshman year once they clear the live-on requirement.
Older houses run whole-unit 12-month leases where everyone shares responsibility, while newer complexes use by-the-bed leases. Many older houses leave all utilities to tenants, and parking on the hills is tight, so confirm both before signing. The big local quirk is terrain, since Sunnyside, South Park, and Wiles Hill all sit on steep streets.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with West Virginia University before signing a lease.
Morgantown searches start earlier than you would expect for a town this size, mostly because demand for the close-in houses is fierce. For houses near campus, start scouting in mid-September of the prior year, since the best ones get claimed fast. For apartments and complexes, early October is the practical start. Given the steep streets, tour in person and clock the actual walk to campus and the nearest PRT stop.
Searches spike from mid-October into mid-November as students lock plans for the next year, and the closest spots in Sunnyside, South Park, and Wiles Hill go first. Classes start in mid-to-late August, so settle by late fall or winter to land a good place. Demand concentrates on the close-in, walkable streets. A short map distance can hide a brutal hill, so the convenient addresses clear fastest.
Late searchers should look at complexes farther out and along bus routes, which turn over later. Spring and sublet availability stays thin since leases run a full year, though summer subleases open when students leave town. You will trade some proximity for availability. Touring in person remains essential given the terrain.
Sunnyside is the classic student strip, right at the downtown campus edge and walkable to class and High Street, though it leans loud and party-heavy.
South Park sits across the creek with historic homes and a slightly calmer, more residential feel, while Wiles Hill offers houses and condos on the hills near campus, quieter than Sunnyside but still close.
The Evansdale area near the engineering and rec buildings suits students with classes on that side, with complexes along the PRT line and bus routes.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A shared room or by-the-bed spot near WVU usually runs $450-$750/month per person. Rooms in older shared houses in Sunnyside or South Park land at the bottom, while newer complexes sit higher. Many older houses leave all utilities to you, so plan on another $50-$120/month for electric, gas, water, and internet on top.
Other universities in Morgantown share a similar off-campus housing market.
West Virginia Junior College Morgantown is a small for-profit career college located at 148 Willey Street in Morgantown, West Virginia, enrolling roughly 200 to 400 students at any given time. The college focuses on career-oriented programs including business administration, medical assisting, and related professional…
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