New Students
Off Campus Housing at Penn State
Popular Choices:
Nittany Gardens
Nittany gardens is one of the best locations for grad students to reside in State College. Given the proximity to campus and supermarkets and quality of housing it is one of the most preferred places, especially by Indian grad students.
Well connected to the campus and other parts of State College by bus routes, makes it only more convenient to get to anywhere you wish to within no much time. Nittany Gardens has a number of tennis courts for the tennis fans, there’s a full-fledged athletics track and a basketball court.
Pros:
Close proximity to campus (about 15-20 mins walk) and grocery stores (5 min walk).
Has a lot of greenery, and gets quite beautiful in the peak of summers as well as winters.
Good quality of housing
Serenity (there are very few undergrads here, so the voice levels stay to the minimum)
Free Parking for all residents
Cons:
Not much of a party-friendly place. No bus pass provided by the apartment admin. (Has to be purchased for a monthly fee of $50)
Rates:
Ranges from 600 approx (for 2bhk) to900 (for 3bhk-very spacious). This excludes heating, electricity. Internet/cable is included.
Parkway Plaza
If apartment living is what you would like to have, or if you want to pay off just one month’s rent to include all utilities then Parkway Plaza Apartments is what you might want to look at. Parkway Plaza offers quality housing at very inexpensive deals. With a swimming pool, fitness center, laundry facilities on each floor, these apartments are well sought after properties.
Parkway Plaza Apartments offers a variety of floor plans within easy walking distance to University Park and the downtown State College area. It is about 10-15 mins walk from the campus, has a shopping mart called Weiss and Pizza hut at a 2 minute walking distance.
Features include:
Free Electricity, Trash, and Water & Sewage.
Free High Speed Internet In Every Room.
Free Extended Basic Cable.
Free CATA Bus service to and from campus.
Outdoor Pool with Gas Grills.
Complete Fitness Center.
Ashley and Bassett Furniture Packages.
Convenient To Shopping and Restaurants.
On-Site Laundry Facilities.
Activities Room.
All Utilities Included are included in the rent (except phone).
Pros:
Close proximity to campus and grocery stores
All utilities are included in the rent, meaning unlimited usage!
Rooms are spacious
Kitchen fitted with all appliances
Cons:
Not suitable for individuals who do not like the idea of living in apartments
Quite un courteous administration
Contact details:
Parkway Plaza, 1000 Plaza Drive, State College, PA-16801
Ph: 814-238-3432, Fax: 814-238-7487
Hrs: Weekdays: 9-5pm, Saturdays: 12-3pm, Sundays Closed
More information: www.parkwayplaza.com
Vairo Village
Located in a picturesque backdrop, Vairo Village is a calm & peaceful locality that is perfect for people who want to break out from the usual brick and mortar buildings with elevators and exit stairways.
Vairo Village also happens to be another desi grad students’ hub. It has a newly opened gym, a Laundromat, Pool Table, Basketball and Tennis courts and a swimming pool.
Pros:
Very High bus frequency
In expensive housing
Close proximity to some of the best grocery stores
Pretty much party-all-night place
Cons:
The buildings are not cement structure. Nothing really happens though.
Slightly distant from campus, 5 or 10 minutes max by bus, can’t be walked though, unless you are an enthusiast.
Address / Contact:
10 Vairo Boulevard
State College, 16803
Phone: (866) 703-1388
Email: leasing-vairovillage@rentberger.com
White Course Apartments
This on-campus housing is provided for three categories of students - singles, married couples with no children and married couples with children. The singles stay in a 4 bedroom apartment and share one kitchen and two toilets between them. The married students with no children have the option to stay in a one bedroom apartment.
Those married students who have kids have the option of staying in two or three bedroom townhouses.Facilities: A free bus service connects the housing complex to the school and runs every 15 minutes during weekdays and every half an hour on weekends. The lively downtown with grocery shops, restaurants and banks is 15 minutes by walk. However, for major grocery purchases one has to visit Walmart located about 10 kilometres and can be reached by a bus ride costing $1.25 per trip.
Pros:
Rent inclusive of parking, heating, electricity, water, sewage.
Unfurnished apartment includes a refrigerator, dish washer, washing machine, clothes drier, microwave and a gas oven.
Free high speed internet connection
Complementary newspapers provided daily for the use residents at White Course Cleaning equipment available for personal use
Cons
Expensive