Living off Campus: A guide to student housing in Canada

In the realm of post-secondary life, the decision to venture off-campus to find student housing marks a significant milestone. It's a step away from the familiar confines of campus dormitories or your family home. A leap towards independence, responsibility, and the thrill of creating your own space. As a student, living off-campus opens the door to a myriad of experiences, challenges, and adventures that shape not just your academic journey but your personal growth as well.

But with this newfound freedom comes a set of responsibilities – budgeting, grocery shopping, navigating leases, and mastering the art of adulting. Whether you're considering living off-campus as a local or an international student, choosing the best student accommodation option can be daunting. Thankfully, Boardwalk offers loads of student apartment options that are perfect for those who may want their own space or prefer to have roommates and want to live conveniently near their university.

In this blog, we review some of the top student apartments near many of Canada's top Universities and post-secondary institutions.

Deciding to live off-campus as a student

While many students might choose to live on campus (if there is enough capacity and if the cost is right), it is common that student residences are reserved for first-year and second-year students. More senior students might need to find alternative student housing options in the apartments located nearby. This can be intimidating if you’re new to the city or have moved to Canada as an international student. 

Here are some top things to consider when searching for off-campus apartments:

• Location: Ensure the apartment is conveniently located near your university to minimize commuting time and expenses.
• Budget: Determine if the rent fits within your budget, considering both tuition fees and living expenses.
• Lease Terms: Confirm the length of the lease and whether it aligns with your study timeline.
• Amenities and Facilities: Check for amenities such as laundry facilities, gym, parking, and recreational areas.
• Roommates: Decide if you prefer living alone or plan on sharing the apartment with roommates.
• Transportation: Assess the availability of public transportation options (bus, subway, etc.) near the apartment for easy commuting.
• Visa and Immigration Regulations: For international students, ensure the apartment complies with visa and immigration regulations and you have all necessary documents ready.

For more on what you might need when looking for your first apartment as an international student, check out our previous blog, How Do I Rent an Apartment in Canada as a Newcomer?

Calgary Alberta

Calgary is home to two Universities that draw students from across the country, as well as international students to the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University. Both of these post-secondary institutions are located in the west part of Calgary and are accessed through major roadways for easy car or transit commuting. Here are some nearby Boardwalk apartments that offer rentals for student housing: 

University of Calgary: Off-Campus Student Housing

Northwest Pointe apartments are located directly south of the University of Calgary campus, providing an extremely convenient walk to class and a top choice for student housing. With one-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom apartments, students can choose to live alone or as roommates with other students. This pet-friendly building has a fitness room, shared laundry, and covered parking options. In addition, water and heat are included in the rent price.

Patrician Village apartments are situated just south of the University of Calgary campus and are about a 10-minute walk to campus. This building provides one-bedroom and two-bedroom options, again providing students with the option to live alone or with roommates. Patrician Village is a pet-friendly building with a fitness centre, shared laundry, storage options and an underground parkade, providing extra security for students. In addition, water and heat are included in the rent price.

Boardwalk Heights apartments are located south of the University of Calgary, right across from McMahon Stadium, and are about a 10-minute walk to campus. This building is great for student housing and for young families, with one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments available for rent. This pet-friendly building provides a children's playground, fitness room, shared laundry, and underground parking. In addition, water, heat, and power are included in the price of rent.

Varsity Place Apartments offers great, affordable apartments for students located to the northwest of the University of Calgary campus. They are about a 20-minute walk, 8-minute bike ride, or 10-minute transit ride away. These student apartments offer both one-bedroom and two-bedroom living options. This building is cat-friendly, provides a shared laundry room, outside parking, and water and heat are included in the rent price.

Brio is part of Boardwalk’s Living Portfolio, which provides a bit more luxury. In a prime location for off-campus living, it is only a 15-minute walk away from campus with loads of amenities nearby. This apartment building offers one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and two-bedroom plus den layouts, great for a designated study area or for roommates who need some additional space.

The Brio is a pet-friendly building, with in-suite laundry, air conditioning, a fitness room, BBQ patio, dog wash, bike storage, underground parking and a wifi lounge. In addition, the cost of water, heat, and cable are included in the price of rent.

Mount Royal University: Off-Campus Student Housing

Lakeview Apartments are located to the southeast of MRU’s campus and are about a 10-minute walk away. There are many suite layout options for student housing, with studio apartments, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments available for rent–ideal for those who’d like to rent with roommates. This pet-friendly building provides shared laundry and covered parking, with heat and water included in the rent price.

Lakeside Estates is located to the southwest of MRU’s campus and is a 20-minute walk, 7-minute bike ride, or 10-minute transit ride away. This apartment building is perfect for student housing, with studio apartments, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, or three-bedroom apartments available for rent. This pet-friendly apartment building provides students with a fitness room, shared laundry, covered parking, and water is included in the rent price.

Glamorgan Manor is located in the neighbourhood of Glamorgan, just to the northwest of MRU’s campus, being only a 15-minute walk away. This apartment building is perfect for student accommodation, offering one-bedroom, two-bedroom, or three-bedroom apartments for rent. This pet-friendly building provides shared laundry, covered parking, with heat and water included in the rent.

Edmonton Alberta

Edmonton is home to a few different post-secondary institutions, with two of the most notable being the University of Alberta, and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). Both are located in central Edmonton, with NAIT being about the river, near Downtown Edmonton, while the University of Alberta’s main campus is located just south of the river. Many students from all over Alberta, Canada and Internationally move to Edmonton to attend these schools annually.

University of Alberta: Off-Campus Student Housing

Terrace Tower is located just south of the University of Alberta campus and is less than a 10-minute walk away. These apartments are perfect for student accommodation, offering many different student housing options, from studio apartments all the way to a three-bedroom penthouse–the ideal living space for student roommates. This pet-friendly building offers a fitness room and laundry room, with heat and water included in the rent.

Capital View Tower is located to the east of the University of Alberta campus and is less than a 10-minute walk away, located right off of the beautiful Kinsmen Park. This building also provides many options for student accommodation, whether you're looking for a studio or a three-bedroom layout. This pet-friendly building provides a fitness room, storage, shared laundry, and underground parking, with water and heat included in the rent.

NAIT: Off-Campus Student Housing

Kingsway Tower is located to the south of NAIT's campus, being around a 20-minute walk, 7-minute bike, or 12-minute transit ride away. This building provides one-bedroom and two-bedroom student housing options, great for those who want a roommate or prefer to live alone. The building is cat-friendly, has shared laundry, and underground parking, with heat and water included in the rent.

Saskatoon

Saskatoon is home to the University of Saskatchewan, which is located on the central-east side of the city across the South Saskatchewan River. The university is located very well within the city, allowing students to access it from all areas of the city. Many students love living off-campus in student apartments to be able to better enjoy the amenities that Downton Saskatchewan has to offer.

University of Saskatchewan: Off-Campus Student Housing

Dorchester Tower is located to the west of the Univerity of Saskatchewan across the South Saskatchewan River. It is about a 30-minute walk or 10-minute bike away from the University of Saskatchewan campus. This is a prime location for student housing, near many top amenities, shopping and restaurants. 

Dorchester Tower provides various options for student accommodation, from studio apartments to one-bedroom and two-bedroom layouts available for rent. The building is pet-friendly and has a fitness room, social room, shared laundry, air conditioning, and covered parking, with water and heat included in the price of rent.

Carlton Tower is also located to the west of the Univerity of Saskatchewan across the South Saskatchewan River, about a 30-minute walk or 10-minute bike ride away from the University of Saskatchewan campus. The shopping and restaurants nearby are a major draw of the area, along with the picturesque river views. Carlton Tower offers one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments for rent, is cat-friendly, and has shared laundry, a fitness room, and air conditioning, with water, power and heat included in the rent.

Regal Towers I and II are located to the west of the University of Saskatchewan campus right off of Downtown Saskatchewan. It is a 35-minute walk or 13-minute bike ride to campus. The Regal Towers are popularly used for student housing due to their great location to the amenities provided in the downtown core. Both towers have both one-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom apartments for rent. These cat-friendly buildings provide a fitness room, shared laundry, air conditioning, a games room, and underground parking, with heat and water included in the rent price.

Quebec City

University of Quebec (Université du Québec): Off-Campus Student Housing

Place Samuel De Champlain is an apartment building located to the southwest of the University of Quebec, only about a 20-minute walk to the campus. The location is near many theatres and museums, as well as Plains of Abraham Park. The building offers one-bedroom to three-bedroom apartments for rent, great for student accommodation. This building is full of amenities such as a pool, sauna room, storage, and underground parking, with power, heat and water included in the price of rent.

Place Du Parc is an apartment tower located between the University of Quebec and Laval University, being a bit more convenient to the U of Q. This building offers studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments for rent, making it ideal for shared student accommodation. This building provides a pool, sauna, storage, and underground parking, with water, heat and power included in the cost of rent. 

Les Jardins De Merici is also conveniently located between both Laval University and the University of Quebec, right along some green space before you come up upon the St. Lawrence River. This building is perfect for student housing as it offers spacious layouts from studio apartments all the way up to 4-bedroom apartments. The building provides a pool, storage, underground parking, and an on-site convenience store, with water, power and heat included in the rent price.

Laval University: Off-Campus Student Housing

Les Appartements Du Verdier is popularly used for student accommodation for Laval University, while it is about a 45-minute walk to the main campus, it is about a 30-minute walk to the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute. The location is nestled between lots of shops, restaurants and grocery stores. The building provides a pool, storage, underground parking, and an on-site convenience store, with water, power and heat included in the rent price.

Living off-campus with Boardwalk

If you’re a student considering life off-campus next semester, get in touch with our team here at Boardwalk. We love working with students to help them find the perfect student-friendly apartments and help set them up for success at school! Get in touch today, or get out all of Boardwalk’s apartments for rent near you.