By Sophia Romana
TAMPA, Fla. — Housing at The University of Tampa is not guaranteed after freshman year, leaving most students to secure their own apartments. For many, that means facing high rents in the city’s housing market.
The cost and availability of housing near UTampa highlight the challenges students face at schools in urban settings. Unlike students at state schools in traditional college towns, where apartments are generally cheaper and built with students in mind, UTampa students navigate a competitive city market where affordability often depends on roommates and early planning.
The university lists The Henry as its preferred off-campus complex for students. The building offers individual leases by bedroom, comes furnished, and includes amenities such as study rooms, garage parking, and a rooftop pool. Its downtown location places it within walking distance of campus, and a shuttle service to campus is also available.
Other popular student housing complexes include 220 Madison and Apella on Newport. Similar to The Henry, 220 Madison is located downtown and offers fully furnished units designed with students in mind. Apella on Newport is one of the closest complexes to campus, providing fully furnished apartments and an on-site parking garage. The property also offers large floor plans, with options that include up to six-bedroom, six-bathroom units for lower monthly rates per person.
UTampa offers several resources for students searching for off-campus apartments. The university hosts housing fairs where representatives promote nearby complexes, maintains a Facebook housing page with available listings, and provides an off-campus housing map on its website.
Jonathan Gallo, a junior computer science major at UTampa, said finding housing was a long and uncertain process.
“I started touring apartments in the spring, but I wasn’t able to sign a lease until the end of June, for when I moved in August,” Gallo said. “It was a lot of waiting and hoping something would open up in time for a good price.”
Gallo lives at Arabelle Riverwalk, an apartment building about a 10-minute walk from campus. The complex is not designated as student housing and includes a mix of residents. The units also do not come furnished, unlike most student-focused complexes.
“Most apartments near campus had similar prices, and I noticed the costs fluctuated depending on the time of year,” he said. “During the most competitive months, the rent went up.”
He added that location and amenities ultimately influenced his decision. “I was willing to pay a little more to be closer to campus,” Gallo said. “But the price I’m paying is still comparable to what student-housing would cost.”
Many apartment complexes near campus incentivize renters to sign 12-month leases by charging higher monthly rates for shorter terms. For students who typically only need housing during the academic year, this can make leasing more expensive and less flexible.
“You end up paying for extra time, and you’re not even living there,” Gallo said.
At Towson University, a public state school located in Maryland, the off-campus housing process is noticeably different. Students generally encounter more availability and apartments priced with student budgets in mind, offering a sharp contrast to Tampa’s market.
Averi Krebs, a junior at Towson University, said it still took a month and a half of struggle to settle on a place with her roommate, but affordability was less of a concern.
“The average rent for students is usually between $1,000 and $1,400 a month per person,” Krebs said. “But we did a lot of research and found a place for about $850 each.”
At Towson, many of the most popular apartments are located uptown near restaurants, shops, and bars. While those units are newer, they are also more expensive and come with more noise at night. Apartments on the other side of campus, closer to Baltimore, are usually cheaper.
She and her roommate ultimately chose a complex about five minutes from campus, where the rent was lower and the units were not limited to students.
Student-only housing is also an option, but space is limited. “All the student housing fills up really quickly,” Krebs said.
Krebs lives with one roommate. The apartment came unfurnished, and they each have their own bedroom, while sharing a bathroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen.
In comparison, rent at The Henry in Tampa starts at about $1,800 per bedroom for a two-bedroom, one-bath unit. At Arabelle Riverwalk, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit starts at about $1,650 per person.
Even as UTampa students wrestle with high costs, recent data suggest the Tampa market may be shifting. Apartment rents in the metro area fell 8% year over year, according to a new report from the real estate firm Redfin.
Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin, said this year’s dip is likely tied to an increase in supply, according to Yahoo News.
During the pandemic, Tampa’s growing population and cheap interest rates caused developers to flock to the area, Fairweather said in the report. Many of the projects they started building in 2021 and 2022 are just coming online now.
For students at UTampa, the relief from falling city rent prices may still feel out of reach. Demand near campus remains high, and student-focused complexes continue to set costly rates. As a result, finding affordable housing is likely to remain a yearly challenge in Tampa, unlike the more student-centered markets of traditional college towns.
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Arabelle Riverwalk Apartments, located in downtown Tampa, FL. Photo courtesy of Sophia Romana.