Greater Lafayette Housing

Purdue University is located in West Lafayette, Indiana. West Lafayette and its neighboring city, Lafayette, make up the Greater Lafayette community, which boasts a low cost of living. This makes finding housing on a graduate stipend/paycheck easier.

Lease Cycles

• Many apartments in the Greater Lafayette area require that leases be signed 6+ months in advance of your move-in date. So, if your move-in date is in August, you may need to sign your lease in March (or sooner) to secure housing on time.
• You must verify that your move-in date is before the date that you arrive on campus. Many graduate programs require that you attend orientation (up to a week) before the first day of classes. Some leases do not start until the end of August.
  • For example, if you have orientation on August 16^th, but your lease doesn’t start until August 28^th, you will either need to secure temporary housing until your lease begins or find an apartment that can accommodate your required move-in date.

Off-Campus Housing

There are many off-campus housing options available to graduate students in both West Lafayette and Lafayette.  Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from West Lafayette. Many Lafayette apartments are less expensive than those in West Lafayette, and some are within walking distance of campus.

*Before signing a housing contract we highly recommend that you review the apartment rental scam and renter's rights information at Purdue University Off-Campus Housing.

Housing Search Resources

The following websites can help you learn more about off-campus housing options:

• The Off-Campus Housing website is a one-stop resource for off-campus housing information. Below is a list of some of the resources available on this webpage. To learn more about off-campus housing options, you can also contact Ashley Darnell, Assistant Director of Off-Campus Student Services, at adarnel@purdue.edu
  
  
  • Current rental listings
  • Photographs and floor plans
  • Maps with proximity to campus
  • Links to landlord's email, application/lease, and or/website
  • Text description and list of amenities
  • Roommate search tool
  • Message boards
  • Tips for avoiding rental scams
  • Housing search timelines
  • Information on renter’s rights
  • Landlord/ property surveys 
  • Additional housing search websites include:
    • • boilerapartments.com
      • apartments.com
      • Local Newspapers:
        • Exponent: purdueexponent.org
        • Journal and Courier: jconline.com 

Transportation to Campus

If you own a car, the availability of parking permits may depend on how far you live from campus. You should familiarize yourself with Purdue's parking regulations for students.

If you do not own a car or prefer public transportation, City Bus is free to students with their PUID. Remember to check potential bus schedules to see if they match your schedule. Visit City Bus online for schedules and routes.