Off-Campus Housing: The Center for Language Education & Development

How do I begin?

The first step is to determine what your preferences are.  A couple issues that you want to consider are: 

• Do you want an apartment, a shared house, or a homestay?  For homestays, check out the link on the right side of this page to find out how to apply for one.

• What forms of transportation are you willing to take to get to campus? Is it important that you be able to walk? Would a bus be alright? Would you mind taking the Metro? What is “walking distance” to you? For some, it’s two kilometers; for others, it’s two blocks.

• How much are you willing to spend? Remember that rent rates in the area are generally high, and the closer you are to campus, the more expensive the rent might be.

Once you’ve considered these and other factors, you can start to narrow down the neighborhoods you would find desirable.

Some popular neighborhoods for students are:

• Adams Morgan – An eclectic neighborhood that has affordable eateries and offers mostly group living situations. However, there is a huge demand for housing in this popular area, and it is difficult to get an affordable place. Adams Morgan is on the Red Line Metro, so to commute to school, you would have to take the Metro to Dupont Circle (or walk approximately 1.2 miles/1.9 km) and take the Georgetown GUTS bus from there to campus (approximately 15 minutes).

• Burleith – This neighborhood is just north of Georgetown University and is entirely residential. The housing here is a little bit cheaper than that of the immediate Georgetown area, and you can walk to campus (approximately .3 miles/.5 km).

• Cleveland Park/Woodley Park – This neighborhood is about a mile north of the furthest shuttle stop on Wisconsin Avenue that has mostly individual houses. Generally expensive area.

• Dupont Circle – This is a very popular area with a direct bus line and GUTS bus to the university. Many restaurants and cafes are located in this area. Rent here is higher than in Glover Park and Burleith.

• Foxhall and Foxhall Village – Within walking distance of the university (approximately .8 miles/1.3 km), one can find shared houses in these areas with a wide range of prices.

• Georgetown (West) – This is the neighborhood that meets the front gates of the university. Renting here is very expensive, because of high demand and a first-class reputation.

• Palisades – You can walk to the university from some parts of the Palisades, and it’s a more affordable area in which to rent.

• Rosslyn – Rosslyn is a neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia located directly across the Potomac River from Georgetown. Because of its proximity to DC, it is generally more expensive than other parts of Arlington. Most of Rosslyn is within walking distance to Key Bridge, so walking or riding a bike to campus is an option. A GUTS shuttle also picks up at the Rosslyn Metro.

• Arlington, Virginia – Much of Arlington is Metro-accessible, and you can find a place to fit any budget. Some factors that affect rent include the age of the building and the distance to the Metro. The Rosslyn Metro serves both Orange Line and Blue Line trains, so it’s easy to take the Metro to Rosslyn and the GUTS shuttle across Key Bridge to campus. GUTS also provides a bus called the Arlington Loop, so if you find a place in Arlington that is a bit far from the Metro, it’s still possible that you won’t need the Metro to get to campus.

• Silver Spring, Maryland – Silver Spring is a nice city that just recently underwent renovation downtown. This makes the rent rates more expensive, but you can also find affordable housing there that is Metro-accessible. Silver Spring is on the Red Line, so to get to campus, you would take the Metro to Dupont Circle, and then the GUTS shuttle to Georgetown.

Knowing which neighborhoods meet your preferences best will help you use search engines at various websites that can help you find housing.