By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Although Oswego offers 13 residence buildings, living off-campus is also an option for non-first year students.
Living off-campus can provide greater autonomy, flexibility and, if one can find the right apartment or house, substantial savings.
The cost of room and board at SUNY Oswego is $15,753 per year, with first-year students guaranteed no increase in tuition or room and board for four years.
Assuming a food budget of $300 per month ($2,700 per school year), an apartment should cost less than $1,450 per month including utilities to save a student money.
Attracting students to off-campus housing has challenged landlords.
“What we have experienced in the last five years is that the market for student housing has required landlords to upgrade the housing in order to be able to attract students,” said William R Galloway, real estate agent, broker and owner of Century 21 Galloway Realty. “The students seem to like to live in or close to the downtown area or close enough to the college to be able to walk if possible. The students love to be able to walk to restaurants, bars and entertainment at night without having to drive. We are very lucky in Oswego to have such quality students in the rental market.”
Apartments on 5th Avenue (https://aptsonfifth.com) boasts “student apartments” on its website, with apartments starting at $1,000 for a one-bedroom apartment through $1,800 for a three-bedroom apartment. Apartments on 5th Avenue residences include heat and hot water; stainless steel appliances; hardwood floors; spacious closets; private, well-lit parking, on-site laundry, 24/7 on-call maintenance; pet-friendly ($50/month); and one year lease with security deposit, plus first month’s rent. A student sharing the apartment with roommates would save substantially over room and board on campus.
Premier Living Suites (www.plsuites.com) specializes in off-campus student rentals with 18 fully furnished student apartments, each with private bedrooms, at least one private bathroom, and kitchen and a washer and dryer per apartment. They offer one- through four-bedroom options and provide catered meals Monday and Friday evenings, continental breakfasts weekdays, fitness center, computer lab, study lounge, game room, movie theater, free Wi-Fi, free parking, shuttles to campus and on-site employment opportunities. Pets are not allowed. Leases start at $699 per month. Although sharing the space with other students lessens the privacy, the lease is very competitive for students on a budget.
Smart Student Housing Oswego (https://sshoswego.com) offers numerous furnished and unfurnished student rental options starting at $540 per person. Students have their own bedroom, but share the rest of the house, making this an ideal arrangement for siblings or close friends.
Each property offers unique features but they’re all in the community—a plus to students who want to feel a part of the Oswego community while still living close to campus.
It may sound odd, but buying a home could save a family money, if the market is right. Faye L. Beckwith, real estate agent and owner of Freedom Real Estate in Hannibal, said that when housing prices were lower, “we had a number of sales to students’ families who purchased houses rather than pay student houses costs for four years. After that time, we re-sold the flipped house.”
