Whether you are new to Boston or already a Hub resident, rental searching can be a challenge. Finding the RIGHT home with RIGHT amenties in the RIGHT location and for the RIGHT price is not an easy task. It gets even more dificult to find a place if you're an undergraduate student so we wanted to help you and your friends out by providing a list of the top 10 student-friendly apartment buildings.
Over the next 10 days we will release our list of the Top 10 buildings in Boston, Brookline and Cambridge for BU students culminating with our top choice for students. check back daily as some of the best properties are newly available to students!
We used the criterias below to rank our favorite buildings in Boston and Cambridge for students.
Criteria | 1 Point | 2 Points | 3 Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close to a university | More than 10 minute walk to a school | 5-10 minute walk to a school | Less than 5 minute walk to a school |
| Close to public transportation | More than .5 miles to T station | .25 to .5 miles to T station | Less than .25 miles to T station |
| Walk Score | Less than 90 points | 90 to 95 points | More than 95 points |
| % of students in building (More is better) | Fewer than 25% students | 25 – 50% students | More than 50% students |
| Energy Efficiency | No ranking | LEED certified | LEED Gold/Platinum |
| Building Amenities | Basic amenities such as concierge, gym, garage parking available | Added at least 1 of the following: Community Room, Movie Theater, Common outdoor space, Pool | Includes all amenities below |
| Unique Features of Building | No unique features | Has a unique feature but not truly special | Offers something unique AND special |
| Age of building | More than 10 years old | 5-10 years old | Fewer than 5 years old |
| Quality of apartment | Basic countertops and appliances | Updated or renovated kitchens and baths including granite countertops and ceramic tile. Laundry included in unit | High end finishes and laundry in unit |
| Size of apartments | 1 bed less than 600 sq ft2 bed less than 800 sq ft | 1 bed 600-800 sq ft2 bed 800 – 1000 sq ft | 1 bed more than 800 sq ft2 bed more than 1000 sq ft |