Housing in Ann Arbor

Note: Last date to apply for Temporary Accomodation and Airport Pickups - July 31st noon (IST)



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Common housing options

Coming to a new town, housing is usually one of the biggest worries. In case you haven't resolved this matter already, we have some tips for you. There are two types of housing available in this area:

The University Housing Office located in the Students' Activities Building (SAB) has a lot of information about all the options. If you are arriving on campus before your move-in date, please contact the housing office and enquire about the arrangements for Early Move-ins.

ISA can help in securing off-campus accommodation(see  Housing through ISA below).

To get you started, here are a few pointers about the housing options

University housing, Dorms and Co-ops

University Housing is typically dormitories that are spread through out the campus. The famous ones on Central Campus are South Quadrangle, Mosher-Jordan, and Couzens Hall. The only dormitories on North Campus are Bursley Hall and Baits Houses. There also are Northwood Housing Units I, II, III, IV, and V on North Campus. Most undergraduate students live in the dorms. The rooms tend to be small, and are much more expensive as compared to a shared aparment off-campus. If you choose to live in dormitories, you have a meal plan and do not need to worry about food (dorm food however is infamous). Northwood Housing Units are much more family oriented but, single students are also allowed to apply. They do not provide a meal plan. You can purchase a meal plan and eat in the cafeteria. Northwood I, II are pretty close to campus. Northwood IV and V are newer, bigger and nicer and farther away from campus. These units are also more expensive and a little noisier (since they are preferred by families with kids).

Detailed information about all university housing options (with rates, floor plans, etc.) can be obtained from the University Housing office.

The Inter-Cooperative Council is a federation of over a dozen cooperative living houses. The North Campus co-op is a ten-minute walk to EECS, the rest are near Central Campus. The co-ops are student managed and student run, and residents are required to contribute to house chores a few hours per week in addition to the room charge. Rooms range from $400 - $500 a month. This includes cost of food. The food for entire house is cooked at once. Normally there is a TV lounge and a kitchen in the house which may be shared by 20-30 students.

Off-campus apartment rentals

Most students prefer to rent an apartment from a private rental agency and share it with 2 or 3 friends. Willowtree Apartments (College Park Communities Ltd.) and Broadview Apartments ( CMB Management Ltd. ) are apartment complexes near North Campus, having sizable Indian student populations. The Highlands apartments, Parc Point apartments and Huron Towers apartments are also walking distance from North Campus. Greenbrier and Windmere are a five-minute drive from campus. Huron Towers apartments are located closer to the Art and Architecture building. Windmere is expensive, but has excellent management. Most of these complexes have swimming pools and/or tennis courts/gym, etc. Island Drive Apartments, located near medical campus (midway between Central Campus and North Campus), may be convenient for some students. Closer to Central Campus/downtown, you have University Towers and a few apartment complexes owned by CMB management. You will also find houses that have been split into apartments or whole houses that are rented out to groups of 6 to 8 students. These get mixed reviews, depending upon the landlord and the room-mates.

For a complete list of apartment complexes in Ann Arbor, click here (Note:Rates/rents published on these sites may be outdated). For apartment comparisons, please click here.

Other options

Places outside Ann Arbor, or within Ann Arbor but farther from the two campuses, offer better prices than those close to the campuses. The apartment complexes in the neighboring city of Ypsilanti are a convenient 20 - 25 minute drive to campus. While a typical two-bedroom apartment within walking distance of campus might run $950 per month, an equal-sized apartment in Ypsilanti is about $650 per month.

A piece of Advice

It is expensive to live alone in Ann Arbor. The average one-bedroom is $700/month. Most students live in-groups of 2-4 in two-bedroom apartments ($900-1100/month). Besides being economical, living with roommates provides the much-needed company and emotional comfort to international students. When assessing the rent of a place, do take into account whether the utilities (heat, water, and gas) are covered or not. Also, inquire about the laundry facilities. To get furniture for your apartment, check out garage sales around the town. Usually, you can find used (but in good condition) furniture for affordable prices. Pick up a Friday edition of the Ann Arbor News for information on garage sales. You can also find good furniture at very cheap rates at the Property Disposition Center (PDC) close to Northwood Units.

Housing through ISA

We understand that securing suitable permanent accommodation in a new place can be quite an ordeal. This is compounded by the fact that most apartments close to campus get filled up rapidly during summer (June/July) itself. ISA can help out students coming in Fall by booking apartments for them in advance. We work with College Park Communities Ltd. ( Willowtree Towers and Gardens) to give you a better deal. We have briefly mentioned below the arrangements made by ISA and the procedure to be followed to request ISA to book an apartment.

1) Willowtree Apartments (close to North Campus)

Details of booking of apartments at Willowtree

ISA books two bedroom apartments at Willowtree which are shared by three room-mates. Two people share the large bedroom, while the small bedroom is occupied by a single person. We suggest that the rent be split as follows: 40% for the smaller bedroom, 30% for each occupant of the shared larger bedroom.
Please note that this split is only suggested, the three occupants should mutually agree to a split that works for everyone. We do not assign bedrooms and the assigned room-mates will mutually decide occupation of the bedrooms once they arrive here.

On coming here you will have to sign a lease with Willowtree. For this you will have to pay one month's rent in advance through cashier's checks, money order or traveler's check on the move in day. The lease starts from September and you have to pay a prorated rent for August (what this means is that you will have to pay rent for August only from when you move in the apartment). Usually the lease is for 12 months, but you can also sign the lease for 9 months, though in a 9 month lease the rent is usually $300/- higher per month.

If you want to book an apartment at Willowtree through ISA, please fill out this form. Rest assured, we will take care of your accomodation. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

2) University Towers (close to Central Campus)

For students considering accommodation on Central Campus, University Towers is a very good option as it is located in the heart of Central campus.

University Towers provides furnished apartments with two rooms that can be shared by a maximum of four students. They provide students with the following:

We can help you get a deal with University Towers, but cannot promise one.

Housing Team Contacts

Housing / Temporary Accommodation / Airport Pickups


Temporary Accomodation:

ISA can also help in securing temporary accommodation in a current student's apartment, if informed at least 3 weeks in advance of your arrival. Such accommodation will be offered for at most 1 week (or till the host permits) after which the new student would be required to secure permanent housing.

If you need temporary accomodation, please fill out this form. Please give us atleast a week to process your information. We will get back to you as soon as we find a suitable host for you.

ISA may be able to help incoming students by picking them from the airport upon their arrival to Ann Arbor/Detroit. For details, please read the Arrivals and Pickups section.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact umich.isa@gmail.com.