International Student Housing

Many students rent apartments on their own. You can find a roommate to share the apartment and cut down on costs, or you can rent your own apartment. A “studio” apartment is suitable for a single person and contains a living/sleeping area, bathroom, and kitchen. Contact the management company for the apartment building directly to set up your lease. For international students who do not have a social security number or a U.S. co-signer, normally you provide first and last month's rent plus a deposit and submit a copy of your I-20.

Some nearby apartment buildings are:

Ellis Apartments:  Ellis Apartment is a brand-new apartment built in 2022, conveniently situated just a block away from UW Tacoma. Offering the ultimate in modern living with in-unit laundry, a full kitchen, and the luxury of air conditioning, starting at $1,199 per month for studio and one-bedroom options.

Koz on Market and Koz at the Dome: Koz is the most convenient option as Koz on Market is just across the street from the campus. They offer studio apartments at a relatively lower rate (around $800 - $1000). They have limited rooms available so contact them as soon as possible for more information.

Villaggio: This apartment building is just a block from campus and is quite new. There is parking on-site at an additional rate. Pets are also allowed at an additional rate.

More expensive but also very close are Thea's Landing waterfront apartments, which are right across the glass bridge from campus and on the water. The Henry is next door. The Harmon Lofts are right in the middle of the campus.

502 Estate is a house located in the Stadium district. 

Tacoma Flats is a unique micro-apartment and co-living concept in downtown Tacoma.

The Lex Tacoma is an apartment building in downtown Tacoma with studios up to two bedroom units.

Some Rental Listing Sites: 

• Apartments.com
• Apartment List
• Apartment Search
• Craigslist
• ForRentUniverity
• Furnished Finder
• HotPads 
• RentCafe.com
• Point2 Homes
• Trulia 
• Zillow 

Renters Insurance:

When renting an apartment, it's a good idea to purchase a renter's insurance. Insurance policy which landlords have will NOT cover loss or damage to renter's property and belongings. So protect yourself!   

You may search the keyword, "Renters Insurance" online to compare policies and rates. ConsumerAffairs.com has provided a list. To access the list, please visit this website.  

Disclaimer: International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) does not endorse any off-campus entities. ISSS is not responsible for the contents of any linked sites or services provided by off-campus entities.

If you do not have furniture, you can rent furniture through CORT. Student packages are available, and the furniture rental service can even deliver your furniture to your apartment and set it up before you arrive. This is a flyer with pricing (valid until 10/1/2022) 

You can also buy your furniture; there are many stores in the area. One suggestion is to buy furniture from IKEA; the closest store is 18 miles from campus, and you can have the furniture delivered (and even assembled!) for an extra fee.

Husky2Husky (H2H) is an innovative home-sharing program that offers affordable housing to UW Tacoma students by utilizing spare rooms in Tacoma residents' homes in exchange of rendered services. To learn more, visit the H2H website.