Off-Campus Housing & Apartments near San Diego State University (SDSU)

Welcome to off-campus living at San Diego State University. Whether you’re just starting at SDSU or you’re a current student moving off campus this year, you've come to the right place. ForRentUniversity.com® can help your off-campus housing search, with advice for students and parents, plus hundreds of listings of the best apartments near SDSU. But for most students, the living situation is only a small part of the puzzle. How's student life in San Diego? What are the best neighborhoods for SDSU students? Read on for the details in our SDSU off-campus guide.

SDSU is extremely invested in sports. The San Diego State Aztecs field six men's and 13 women's teams at the varsity level. San Diego State has produced several prominent NFL coaches and players, including Joe Gibbs, John Madden, and Sean Payton. The school also has kept an Aztec Hall of Fame, which chronicles its best players in all sports, since 1988. San Diego State also boasts the Aztec Aquaplex, which has a pool for competitive swimmers to use for practice and competition, as well as a pool for recreation. Outside of sports, San Diego State supports over 50 social fraternities and sororities and a huge number of student organizations. No matter what you're into, there's a group of students interested in the same thing. SDSU also runs a number of media services, such as KBPS radio and TV, KCR College Radio, and the Daily Aztec, a student-run news site. If you're interested in getting involved, SDSU will help you with that.

San Diego State University is located in the College Area neighborhood of the San Diego metro. San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and is well-known for its breathtaking downtown skyline, with its skyscrapers and bright nighttime lighting. It's also been listed among 10 cities with the best weather by the Farmers' Almanac. Of course, San Diego is also well known for its tourism industry, and the city is sometimes called the "Craft Beer Capital of America" for its widespread independent breweries. A big part of the College Area is the SDSU Transit Center, which connects SDSU to hot spots all over San Diego. The transit center is completely accessible to the public, with a simple fare system.

Staying Safe in San Diego

Students and their parents may worry about safety in a new place, whether this is the first time you've lived on your own or not. It can be daunting to start anew, having to make new friends, find the best places to eat, etc. Don't worry too much – San Diego has lower crime rates than the national average, as well as the California average. SDSU has its own security force, the San Diego State University Police Department. Officers are fully licensed by the state of California to patrol the campus the same as city police would. Campus police provide community crime bulletins so you can stay up-to-date on any issues that might concern you, and they run crime prevention programs. SDSU also maintains an emergency notification system through text and email that is capable of notifying students, faculty, and staff in case of an emergency. In addition, ForRentUniversity.com lets you sort apartments near SDSU for safety and privacy features, including a shuttle to campus, parking, and individual locking bedrooms.

Del Cerro

If you're looking for a beautiful, quiet neighborhood and price isn't an issue, you may want to look into Del Cerro. The combination of university students, families, and cultural activities makes it a great place to find an apartment, and its fairly small population of around 2,300 residents makes it feel neighborly and quiet. Lake Murray is only a short drive away, too, which makes for a great leisure trip.

Grantville

One of San Diego's oldest neighborhoods, Grantville was named in the 19th century after U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, so as to appeal to Civil War veterans. From there, it became a light industrial area, which led to good proximity to public transit. A huge pull of Grantville is Mission Trails Regional Park, which is one of the largest urban parks in the United States.

Rolando

Rolando is a great place for university students. It's close enough to SDSU to be bordered by College Avenue directly to the west. It's named after the rolling hills that make it so distinctive. It’s a great place to live if you need a little bit of natural beauty in your life. However, Rolando isn't all residential. From the lively Campus Plaza shopping area to the uniquely college-like Dirty Birds, this place has it all.