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Housing & Life in New Haven

Halfway between Boston and New York City, New Haven offers great places to live in varied neighborhoods, a wide range of social, cultural, arts, and recreational opportunities: award-winning theaters, world class museums and galleries, exciting nightlife at clubs and pubs, diverse restaurants, cafes, and markets, wonderful parks and recreational areas, public schools nationally recognized for their reform efforts, and great shopping with national chains and local specialty stores. You and your family and friends can explore and get involved in your city, with many events for free or at graduate student discounts!
 
Yale graduate students have many options for affordable, comfortable, and convenient places to live in greater New Haven while at Yale. You can live on-campus, in Yale-owned off-campus apartments, or in off-campus apartment buildings and homes in several neighborhoods. While most graduate students live on or near campus in New Haven, some live in surrounding towns and commute to campus.

Housing Options

  • On Campus: Yale Graduate Housing Dorms and Apartments provide convenient, on-campus housing in historic or modern dorms and varied apartments, with Yale wifi and activities to build community. On-campus housing is only for full-time degree-seeking graduate and professional school students and their families. New students should apply through the Yale Housing website in mid-April. Apply as soon as the application becomes available online, as on-campus housing is limited and not guaranteed.
    • Some students, especially those in Ph.D. programs or those unfamiliar with the area, choose to live in on-campus housing their first year or two, and then move off campus in later years.
      • New first-year students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are given highest priority in housing assignments at 272 Elm Street. Leases in this building are for a period of one academic year only (August – May) and are non-renewable. Most other on campus Yale graduate dorms or apartments generally do not have an occupancy time limit.
    • On-Campus Leases - Graduate Apartment leases are for 12 months (11 month the first year, usually, due to the August start date). Graduate Dormitory contracts are for the academic year (August-May), with summer occupancy options in some buildings. You must continue to be a registered student to live in graduate housing.
    • If you are receiving a stipend, you may be able to pay your regular Yale housing dorm or apartment fees through “Graduate School Student Payroll Deduction” each month. Contact Student Financial Services to inquire.
    • Yale does not have temporary or short term housing on campus.
    • There are no graduate Residential Assistant (RA) or regular live-in positions in the undergraduate residential colleges available to graduate students.
  • Elm Campus Partners oversees University-owned off-campus units in the Broadway, Dwight/Chapel or Gym areas and on Mansfield and Prospect streets in Science Hill/Upper Prospect Hill. They are only rented to Yale-affiliated students, staff and faculty, and are leased and managed by the private firm Elm Campus. Apply March-June for year-long rentals starting in summer. Subletting for summer may be possible.
  • Off-Campus Living is a site provided for the Yale community where landlords and student subletters list privately-owned apartments, homes and house shares.  These facilities are not owned, inspected, or endorsed by Yale, so be sure you do your research - see off-campus housing tips below. Landlord ratings on this site can allow you to read other students’ ratings and post your own for off-campus apartments.
  • Yale Roommate Search Site can help students to find roommates in the Yale community.
 

Off-Campus Housing Tips

  • Look before you sign a lease. Whichever off-campus neighborhood you choose, we strongly recommend that you visit (or have someone visit for you) prospective rooms or apartments before signing a lease. If possible, visit New Haven in April, May or June to view rental units available in August.
  • Understand your rights as a tenant in Connecticut. Seek help if you have problems with your landlord. 
  • Apartment Safety Tips are available from Yale Public Safety. 
  • Share with a roommate. It’s usually cheaper and easier to find shared housing (2 bedrooms or more) than single/studio/1BR units in New Haven.
  • Browse housing sites regularly, as places are constantly becoming available and good listings go fast.
  • New students should check the GSAS Orientation page for the orientation start dates, so you can move and be settled in by mid-August. Consider asking current students in your program about pricing and locations if you cannot visit.