Housing options
On campus housing
Live on campus with other UW Tacoma students! Our housing is apartment-style, with full kitchens, bathrooms and en-suite washer/dryers. There is fun programming and a UW Tacoma Resident Assistant who lives on-site. The on-campus housing is located directly on the UW Tacoma campus and also features a 12 month lease term so international students are able to live in the on-campus housing over the winter, spring and summer breaks.
Apply now to secure a spot for fall quarter 2012. Apply by filling out an easy on-line survey, and then send in a $10 application fee. The priority deadline of April 15. See the On Campus Housing website for more information.
You can submit an application if you have applied to UW Tacoma but have not yet been admitted. If you are starting at UW Tacoma in winter, spring or summer quarter, housing may be available if there is space.
If you are not in the U.S. and need to pay the $10 by credit card, please contact uwtiss@uw.edu or jmagofna@uw.edu to ask for the credit card payment form. You can also arranged to pay your Enrollment Confirmation fee at the same time as the housing deposit; you can include both fees in the same check as long as you include a note to the cashier that you would like $100 to go towards the Enrollment Confirmation fee and $10 to go towards the housing application fee.
Off campus housing
If you are not planning to live in on-campus housing, or if on-campus housing is already full, there are many options for living off-campus.
Homestay (recommended for freshmen or transfer students coming from out of the country or out of state)
Tacoma-area homestays are provided through Intercultural Homestay and Services. Through the homestay, you can be picked up from the airport, oriented by the IHS staff, and taken directly to your host family. All host families have been personally site checked by IHS and have completed background checks. Each host family provides a furnished room with internet and full meals to the student. There is a $250 placement fee to IHS, and then the monthly rate payable directly to the host family is $600/month. Please see www.ihincusa.com/app.htm to apply, and for more information.
Apartment rentals
Many students rent apartments on their own. You can find a roommate to share the apartment and cut down on costs, or you can rent your own apartment. A “studio” apartment is suitable for a single person, and contains a living/sleeping area, bathroom and kitchen. Contact the management company for the apartment building directly to set up your lease. For international students who do not have a social security number or a U.S. co-signer, normally you provide first and last month’s rent plus a deposit, and submit a copy of your I-20.
Finding a roommate
One of our international students has created a secure system for international students to post roommate requests. Once you have been admitted to UW Tacoma, you can securely log on with your UW NetID to post roommate requests or view other postings. You can then contact interested students directly to see if it would work to rent an apartment together. UW ISS is not responsible for managing the process, but we hope that providing this tool will help students to connect with each other to find a good housing situation.
Furniture
If you do not have furniture, you can rent furniture through CORT. Student packages are available, and the furniture rental service can even deliver your furniture to your apartment and set it up before you arrive.
You can also buy your furniture; there are many stores in the area. One suggestion is to buy furniture from IKEA; the closest store is 18 miles from campus, and you can have the furniture delivered (and even assembled!) for an extra fee.
Nearby apartment buildings
Court 17: This apartment building is right on campus, and one floor houses the on-campus housing students. You can rent an apartment on your own directly, and pets are allowed. The price for studio apartments is around $800-$900/month and often discounts are available. Short-term leases (3 months, 6 months, 9 months) are also available. There are common rooms including a gym, and secure underground parking is available for an additional fee.
Villaggio: This apartment building is just a block from campus and is quite new. There are many studios available, and prices range from $600-$700/month for a studio. Short-term leases (6 and 9 months) are also available. Every apartment has a balcony or access to the patio, and there is a great roof deck with views of the mountains and downtown Tacoma. Secure underground parking is available and pets are allowed for an extra fee. Management is offering an extra deal for UW Tacoma international students: waived application fee and reduced deposit of $150.
More expensive but also very close are Thea’s Landing waterfront apartments, which are right across the glass bridge from campus and on the water. The Harmon Lofts are right in the middle of campus as well, next to the building housing our office!
Other off-campus housing options
More listings are available on the UW Tacoma housing website, and you can also look on Craigslist or Apartments.com.
