Maxim's Review of Columbia Residential Housing

When I got admitted to SIPA as an early action applicant more than a year and a half ago, I was overjoyed. Immediately upon that, I started looking for convenient housing options and was quick to come across Columbia Residential, where I would ultimately live for the entirety of my SIPA studies. In this blog post, I would like to share my experiences living in Columbia Residential housing. Let’s get into it!

What is Columbia Residential?

Columbia Residential administers housing for Columbia’s graduate students, faculty, staff and postdocs. It offers furnished and unfurnished housing options in close vicinity of Columbia, and manages all necessary maintenance and operations in the buildings. Several of its buildings are located right in front of SIPA’s International Affairs Building (IAB) on 118th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, with most of the other ones being within 15 minutes of walking distance.

How Much Does it Cost?

The prices of Columbia Residential’s student accommodations depend greatly on the type and the size of the unit as well as the flat, but in my opinion, they have a very competitive price, and an amazing price-for-value ratio. The most common type of accommodation is an apartment share, where you would usually share an apartment with one or two more tenants. The tenants have their own bedrooms, and share a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. I chose this accommodation type because I view it as a nice hybrid between privacy and affordability. The monthly rent range of Columbia Residential apartment shares this year has been between $1,139 and $2,651. If you prefer more privacy, you could also aim at other accommodation options such as studios, but the price would rise accordingly.

What are the benefits?

Honestly, there are so many pros to living in Columbia Residential housing. First of all, you get to live really close to the campus (see the map!), which makes it very convenient when you need to dash home for a moment, or just save time otherwise spent on commuting. Secondly, the quality of the apartments is actually pretty high compared to housing options often offered by many universities. Some of the Manhattan apartments have been with us for a while, but Columbia Residential makes sure that they are well maintained, and designates permanent staff to take care of every respective building. Thirdly, no exhausting paperwork or the need of a guarantor are needed at Columbia Residential. You also pay your rent through the student portal, which makes it a little more convenient. Lastly, you get to do house parties! There are so many SIPA students living in Columbia Residential just a few minutes away from each other that you could very easily join house parties of your friends and classmates happening nearby. In fact, my flatmate and I are both SIPA students, which is not hard to notice by our fellow residents!

Would you recommend it?

Yes! In my eyes, Columbia Residential could be a lovely place to live for incoming seeples and especially international students who are coming to the U.S. for the first time. It is a convenient and friendly option with prices that often go way below the prices of comparable housing in the area. However, it is important to bear in mind that accommodation availability at Columbia Residential is limited, which means that not everybody is successful in applying for its housing. However, if you succeed, there is a good chance that you will be able to renew your contract for your second year at SIPA.

How can I apply?

The application process is a bit more complex and is described in detail here. From my experience, SIPA students are usually eligible for Columbia Residential housing, but must receive a school housing approval. So far, SIPA has been giving housing approvals on a first-come basis.  You must submit your enrollment deposit, confirming your place in the upcoming class, to begin the process of applying for housing. After submitting your enrollment deposit to SIPA, the process of acquiring a UNI, which is required to apply for Columbia Residential housing around March, could take a few weeks. This means that applicants who apply for the Early Action deadline and get admitted could do this step months ahead, and therefore, have an upper hand in securing housing with Columbia Residential. What a reason to apply for the Early Action deadline!

But no worries, even if you do not manage to book housing with Columbia Residential, there are plenty of other housing options available, one of the popular ones being I-House.

I hope this advice helps!