Grad students have on- and off-campus housing options

While most on-campus housing is geared toward undergrads, Penn also offers options for its 10,000 graduate students.

According to Business Services spokeswoman Barbara Lea-Kruger, Sansom Place East and West, at 36th and Chestnut streets, primarily target grad students, currently housing 1,100 individuals, 65 percent of which are graduate and professional students.

She noted that Sansom Place proves convenient for grad students because of its proximity to campus, 24-hour security and recently renovated West building. Sansom Place East will be refurbished next summer.

“When deciding where to live, price and proximity to campus seem to be the most cited reasons for choosing a housing option,” said Maher Zamel, chairman of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly.

Zamel noted that approximately 6 percent of graduate students live in Sansom Place. He attributed this percentage to the limited availability of on-campus housing.

“Center City housing has been by far the most popular because of its proximity to campus,” Zamel wrote in an e-mail, adding that West Philadelphia is also popular because of affordability and proximity to campus.

Of the current graduate and professional student body, 36 percent live in Center City, 31 percent live in West Philadelphia and 16 percent reside in the greater Philadelphia area and New Jersey.

In order to help graduate students find housing that best suit their needs, GAPSA’s landlord survey provides potential tenants with information and ratings of various options around campus and Philadelphia.

Each year, GAPSA's survey is taken by current tenants. Residences are rated based on landlord-tenant relationship, residence quality or condition and landlord’s responsiveness in terms of repairs or maintenance.

Return to the Housing Guide home page

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.