Starting Your Search

 

Ralphie's List

Ralphie's List is run by CU’s office of Off-Campus Housing & Neighborhood Relations. We are your only university-affiliated resource for finding housing!

To access the Ralphie’s List rental database, CU affiliates (including students, faculty, and staff) will login using their CU-issued IdentiKey and password. 

If you have difficulty logging into Ralphie’s List, contact our office at och@colorado.edu or visit us in the University Memorial Center, Room 313.

Need a roommate?

Ralphie's List has a roommate search. Create a personal profile and search for roommates based on lifestyle preferences, housing preferences, field of study and other profile features. Unlike Craigslist, the site is only for CU students, faculty and staff.

Studying abroad? Need to sublet?

Students can advertise their sublets to CU students, faculty and staff for free. Advertise your summer sublet or find another student to split your lease with while you are studying abroad.

Things to consider

Budget Commute Graduate student commuting options Neighborhood Safety Affordable housing Rental averages
Budget

When considering your budget, you'll need to think beyond rent. Some apartments may include utilities in the rent, but many do not, and may have extra fees for other amenities. Be sure to consider all of the following when determining your budget: 

  • Rent
  • Utilities - may or may not be included in your lease. Be sure to ask potential landlords.
  • Other fees - this can include things like pet fees, security deposits and fees for shared amenities.
  • Parking - there may be parking included as your rent or you might need to pay a fee for it. Alternatively, street parking may be your best option.
  • Transportation - park & ride and other bus services may be available to you.

Think about what kind of commute you want to have to campus. You may be able to save money on rent if you are open to a longer commute, but don't forget to factor in other potential costs like car payments and maintenance, gas, tolls and parking passes. All students receive an RTD CollegePass that gives them access to all local and regional bus services, that you can use to commute in and around Boulder as well as the surrounding towns. 

There are many options available for students looking to live outside of Boulder and commute to campus. The best areas to commute from based on proximity to campus are Louisville, Superior, Westminster, Broomfield and Lafayette. These towns are located near Highway 36, close to public transit and only a 15-30 minute commute to campus. Living outside of Boulder can be desirable for students because it is often less expensive, offers greater amenities and provides short-term leasing options. The following residences are similarly priced to the units offered by Graduate & Family Housing (GFH).

In Broomfield:

Canyon Reserve Apartments | 30 minutes to campus

Caliber at Flatirons | 18-minute drive to campus

8000 Uptown |  22-minute drive to campus

PARK40 | 28 minute drive to campus

Fusian 355 | 20 minutes from campus

Arista Uptown | 23 minutes from campus

Cortland Flatirons – 19 minutes from campus

Heights at Interlocken | 20 minutes from campus

Other Listing Links for Broomfield:

Westminster:

Bell Bradburn | 30-minute drive to campus

The Brodie Apartments | 30-minute drive to campus

Marq Promenade| 20 minutes from campus

Other Listing Links for Westminister:

Louisville/ Superior:

Copper Ridge | 18 minutes to campus

Grandview at Flatirons |15 minutes from campus

Centre Court | 20 minute drive to campus

Sunnyside Place | 22-minute drive

Other Listing Links for Louisville/Superior:

Lafayette:

Other Listing Links for Lafayette:

Future areas students may be interested in:

  • Flatiron Market Place redevelopment in Broomfield
  • Developing downtown Westminster
  • Additional resources for finding housing outside Boulder:
  • Apartments.com can filter search for “student living”
  • Housing Helpers
  • Zillow

Property Managers:

Each area of Boulder offers different housing options with different amenities. Here are a few examples:

  • Conveniences (grocery stores/restaurants)
  • Types of housing available (houses, condos, townhouses or apartments)
  • Who lives in that neighborhood (mostly students, grads, families)

There is a lot to consider when determining how safe an apartment is: neighborhood, building/apartment security, ensuring your apartment has necessary safety precautions in place, like smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. Check out these campus safety tips from the CU Police Deaprtment. You can also look up crime statistics through Boulder County website.

While the term “affordable” can mean different things to different people, we can assist in narrowing down options that are likely to offer rent that is on the lower end of the market or tips on how to reduce rent (like living with roommates or sharing bedrooms). You can also look at the City of Boulder's resources.

2020 Rental averages

Does not include utilities or other fees

YearRoom/Unit TypeRental Avg.
2020Studio$1,256.80
20201 Bedroom$1,111.00
20202 Bedroom$1,843.00
20203 Bedroom$2,825.00
20204 Bedroom$3,887.00

Attend a Housing Fair

Stop by one of our housing fairs to meet with landlords, property owners, vendors and other community organizations. This is also a great chance to explore and learn about different neighborhoods. 

Off-Campus Housing & Neighborhood Relations hosts fairs throughout the year.

Check out these upcoming fairs: