Off-Campus Housing & Apartments near The University of Alabama (Bama)

Welcome to off-campus living at The University of Alabama. If you’re a sophomore or higher and thinking about moving off-campus this year, you have plenty of options around UA. ForRentUniversity.com® can help your search with off-campus living advice for students and parents, plus listings of the best apartments near the University of Alabama. If this is your first year living off campus, you probably have questions: How’s student life in Tuscaloosa? What are the best neighborhoods for Bama students? Read on for the details in our University of Alabama off-campus guide.

The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa is the state system’s flagship campus with about 38,000 students. Note that “The” is officially part of the name. Other campuses in the system are UA Birmingham and UA Huntsville. The Tuscaloosa campus, of course, is home to the Crimson Tide and some of NCAA’s fiercest sports teams. Here are a few other facts about attending The University of Alabama: - Alabama’s school colors are crimson and white, but at Crimson Tide football games, a large number of students don houndstooth-patterned attire. That’s meant to pay homage to Coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant, who often wore a houndstooth hat on the sidelines. - Fraternities and sororities are BIG at the University of Alabama. About a third of UA students belong to one of more than 60 Greek organizations, and Alabama has the largest fraternity and sorority membership in the nation.

What’s it like for a student living in Tuscaloosa?

The University of Alabama plays a significant role in daily life in Tuscaloosa because it has such a huge impact on the local economy and culture. In many ways, the city is like an extension of the campus. Tuscaloosa has a vibrant arts scene and eclectic nightlife. The city and region also host numerous festivals and events such as Volksfest and the Kentuck Festival of the Arts, to name a few. Students also can enjoy the paddleboarding, canoeing, or tubing on the Black Warrior River. Or, if a road trip is in order, Birmingham is just 60 miles away. As for town and gown relations, the University of Alabama does have a reputation for having a rowdy student population, made even rowdier on football game days. (Bryant-Denny Stadium seats 101,821 people, after all.) Partying can cause some tension between the school and the city’s permanent residents. When choosing an off-campus apartment, consider whether you want to be close to – or far from – the bars on The Strip. For more advice, UA Student Affairs offers a handy guide to “Being a Student-Citizen of Tuscaloosa.”

Staying Safe in Tuscaloosa

Like many college towns, Tuscaloosa can have a high incidence of property crimes such as burglary and theft. The university’s Safer Living Guide offers valuable tips regarding personal safety, preventing theft, and off-campus living.

Getting Around Tuscaloosa and UA

Crimson Ride is the University of Alabama’s shuttle service. Besides serving the campus, Crimson Ride also runs routes to several off-campus apartment complexes. Other off-campus apartment communities run private shuttles. The Tuscaloosa Transit Authority runs city buses, including a University Shuttle Route to the east and west of campus. Other routes serve neighborhoods south of campus, including 15th Street.

For older students moving off campus, you’ll find that most student-focused apartment complexes fan out from the UA campus in an area roughly bordered by the Black Warrior River to the north, Interstate 359 to the west, Interstate 20-59 to the south, and McFarland Boulevard to the east.

University Boulevard and Downtown

This is by far the most popular neighborhood for University of Alabama students. The area sits just west of the UA campus bordered by Jack Warner Parkway and the Black Warrior River to the north, Lurleen B. Wallace Boulevard to the west, and Paul W. Bryant Drive to the south. As you might expect, you’ll find student-friendly apartment complexes throughout this area. University Boulevard, near Bryant-Denny Stadium and several fraternity houses, is known as The Strip and is full of student-friendly bars, fast-casual restaurants, and the Druid City Music Hall. Within three blocks here you’ll find two spots that have made best-college-bars-in-the-country lists – Gallettes and The Houndstooth. For when you get tired of eating out and need groceries, there’s a Publix Super Market at University Town Center right off The Strip. As you head west along University Boulevard into downtown, the scene calms down with more sit-down restaurants, cafes, and shops. Crimson Ride and Tuscaloosa Transit run off-campus shuttles along University Avenue out to Government Plaza downtown. Along the Black Warrior River here, you can take a break from studying with a stroll along the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk or a concert at Tuscaloosa Amphitheater.

South of Paul W. Bryant Drive

This is a great area if you want to live off campus but still be able to hear every call at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The area is roughly bordered by Paul W. Bryant Drive to the north, Queen City Avenue to the west, 15th Street to the south, and McFarland Boulevard to the east. The area is bisected by Hackberry Lane and several University of Alabama athletics facilities for baseball, swimming, track, and basketball. The University of Alabama School of Law also is here, so this is a great neighborhood for law students. Living here you can be within walking or biking distance of the UA campus but also close to shopping, grocery stores, and University Mall along McFarland Boulevard.

South of 15th Street

You will be farther from campus, but you will still find some large student-friendly apartment complexes here with features like swimming pools, beach volleyball courts, and shuttles to campus. Living here also puts you close to University Mall and Midtown Village for shopping.

East of McFarland Boulevard

You won’t find as much in the way of shopping or restaurants here, but you’ll still be surprisingly close to the University of Alabama campus. Several student-friendly apartment complexes can be found along Jack Warner Parkway and Helen Keller Boulevard here. And you’re just a few minutes away from the heart of the UA campus along Campus Drive. In fact, Tuscaloosa Transit’s University Shuttle Route runs along Hellen Keller and Campus Drive. This area also is close to the on-campus University Medical Center.