Temporary housing
When you arrive in Columbia, you may need temporary accommodations until you can move into your residence hall, apartment or house. MU does not provide temporary accommodations; you are responsible for arranging this for yourself. Options include:
- Staying with current students or scholars: Sometimes international student organizations can assist with temporary housing. Please contact the organizations directly for more information.
- Hotels: An online search is the best way to find hotels in the Columbia area. If you are not staying near campus, you will need to make arrangements for transportation. Columbia offers limited public transportation, so check to see if the hotel where you want to stay is on a bus route.
- Subleasing: Some members of the university community rent out their homes for short periods of time. Check with Off-Campus Student Services for current listings.
Short-term housing
Short-term scholars and students who will be in Columbia for less than a year can review the Off-Campus Student Services list of short-term lease options.
Long-term housing
On campus
All on-campus housing is managed by MU Residential Life. On-campus housing options include residence halls and university student apartments — spaces fill up quickly, so apply early! Information about living on campus should have been mailed to you after you applied to MU, and is available on the Residential Life website. If you plan to live on campus, you must submit a housing application along with a deposit to hold your room.
Off campus
For information about off-campus housing, see the Off-Campus Student Services website. It offers great resources about searching for an apartment, renters’ rights and responsibilities, rental insurance, utilities and more. You should be sure to do your research and read your lease carefully before signing it.
In addition to looking at apartments near campus, know that several apartment complexes further away do provide free shuttle services to and from MU, are on MU’s free Tiger Line shuttle route or are on the city bus route. Wherever you choose to live, it is highly recommended that you find an apartment before arriving in Columbia, as apartment space fills up very quickly.