Tulane Off-Campus Housing: Who Can Live Off Campus

Tulane off-campus housing starts later than at most schools: students admitted since Fall 2023 live on campus for their first three years, so renting in Uptown New Orleans is mostly a senior-year decision. This guide covers the rule, the lease timing, the cost and the streets, and a private Uptown New Orleans tour can walk the blocks where students rent.

Where do Tulane students live after freshman year?

Tulane students live on campus after freshman year, through their third year, under the university's residency requirement. "Students admitted as first time first year students (not transfer students) for the Fall 2023 semester or later are required to live on campus for their first three years at Tulane" (Tulane Housing and Residence Life, page updated December 2025). Spring starters live on for two and a half years.

Before the rule, students lived on campus for two years and off campus for two. The third-year requirement was announced in February 2024 and first applied to third-years in Fall 2025, as The Tulane Hullabaloo reported.

Where that leaves each year:

First and second years: residence halls on campus. Fogelman and Bayou Halls, built where Irby and Paterson stood, added room for the extra class.
Third years: still on campus. The housing office expects many to choose Aron Residences and Décou-Labat Residences.
Fraternity members: recognized chapter housing is allowed with approval from Fraternity and Sorority Programs, and some chapter facilities are approved for second-year students.
Sorority members: in the words of Eliana, our Tulane Campus Lead, "we have houses, but you can't live in them."
Fourth years and up: free to live off campus.

In Fall 2025, 57% of undergraduates lived in college housing and 43% lived off campus or commuted (Tulane Common Data Set 2025-26, item F1).

When can Tulane students sign an off-campus lease?

Tulane students can sign an off-campus lease for their fourth year, not before. The housing office is blunt about it: "Any student in their first three years should NOT sign a lease that would commit you to living in an off-campus residence," unless they are in one of its listed study abroad programs (residency requirements, as of October 2026).

The on-campus calendar runs early in the year, and it sets the pace for the off-campus decision. For 2026-27, Tulane opened housing applications for returning students on January 28, 2026, and returning students picked rooms from March 10 to 19, 2026 (housing important dates, revised September 2026). So a rising senior choosing between a room on campus and an apartment off campus faces that choice by March.

For a family, the practical rule is simple: don't put down a deposit on an apartment until your student is entering their fourth year or holds an approved exemption. Signing a lease early doesn't release a student from the residency requirement.

How much does housing at Tulane cost?

Housing at Tulane cost $19,630 for food and housing together in 2025-26, on top of $67,592 in tuition and $4,406 in required fees, according to the university's Common Data Set, item G1. Those are the published on-campus figures for a full-time undergraduate.

What changes the number:

The dining plan is not optional. "All students living on campus must have a dining plan," so the food half of that figure comes with the room.
Chapter housing. A fraternity house sets its own rent and dues; the Greek life office lists fraternity dues of $1,000 to $2,500 a semester, covered in the Tulane Greek life guide for parents.
Senior year off campus. Rent in Uptown varies by street, building and roommates. We don't publish a range until a current student confirms one.

Check the year you are planning for: the Common Data Set figures are for 2025-26, and the university updates its costs every year.

Where do Tulane seniors rent, and how far is it from campus?

Tulane seniors rent in the Uptown blocks around campus, and Eliana's first answer is Broadway. She says Broadway is "a lot of off-campus houses," and near it, "that's a lot of just frats." Broadway starts about 6 minutes on foot from Gibson Hall, on the uptown edge of campus.

A Tulane department page written for graduate students gives the wider map (Tulane political science, graduate housing):

Zip codes: 70118, 70125 and 70115 are closest to campus.
Unofficial boundaries for the apartment hunt: S. Carrollton Avenue, Fontainebleau Drive, Jefferson Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street.
Quieter streets within three blocks of campus: Pine, Lowerline, Calhoun, Palmer and State.

Walking times from Gibson Hall, by OpenStreetMap foot routes:

Broadway at St. Charles Avenue: about 6 minutes
Maple Street, at 7601 Maple: about 14 minutes
Freret Street at Jefferson Avenue: about 19 minutes

The St. Charles streetcar runs along the front of campus "24 hours a day, 7 days a week," according to New Orleans & Company, which helps for addresses farther up or down the avenue.

Can a Tulane student get an exemption from the three-year rule?

Yes, a Tulane student can request an exemption from the three-year rule in a few named cases, and approval is not guaranteed. The housing office lists them (residency requirements, as of October 2026):

living with a parent or legal guardian at their permanent home within 50 miles of the uptown campus
turning 22 or older by the first day of fall classes
being legally married before June 30 ahead of the academic year
being the legal guardian of a minor
a qualifying disability, through the Goldman Center for Student Accessibility

The deadlines are June 1 for new students and February 24 for continuing students. Separately, transfer and exchange students, students in a Tulane study abroad program in the fall of their third year, and graduate students are outside the rule. In the office's words, "Submitting this request does not guarantee Residency Exemption."

To see the residence halls, Broadway and the streets seniors rent on in one walk, a private tour is $150 for your family, 60 to 90 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Do Tulane students have to live on campus for three years?

Yes, Tulane students admitted as first-time first-years for Fall 2023 or later must live on campus for their first three years. Spring starters live on for two and a half years. Fourth-years, approved fraternity chapter housing, a Tulane study abroad program, and granted exemptions are the ways off campus, per Tulane Housing and Residence Life.

Can Tulane sophomores live in a fraternity house?

Yes, some Tulane sophomores live in fraternity houses: the Greek life office says some chapter facilities "have also been approved to house second-year students," with authorization from Fraternity and Sorority Programs. Sorority houses are different. Eliana, a current student, says of the sororities, "we have houses, but you can't live in them."

When do Tulane students pick rooms for next year?

Tulane students pick rooms for the next year in March. For 2026-27, housing applications opened for returning students on January 28, 2026, and returning students' room selection ran from March 10 to 19, 2026, according to Housing and Residence Life. Incoming first-years apply separately, from March 2 to May 8.

How many Tulane students live off campus?

About 43% of Tulane undergraduates lived off campus or commuted in Fall 2025, and 57% lived in college housing, according to the Common Data Set for 2025-26. Among first-years, 97% lived on campus. The three-year rule applied to third-years for the first time that fall.

Sources, read October 2026: Tulane residency requirements · Tulane housing important dates · Tulane Common Data Set · Tulane political science, graduate housing