College Houses Cooperatives

I lived at College Houses from 2011 to 2016 and was lucky enough to serve on the board of directors my final year with College Houses. It was an incredible living experience. 10 years later, Most of my best friends are from friends I made at College Houses (including my wife). The Coop is student run and organized so its members have a direct say in how rent money is allocated, where they want to spend surplus, and be involved in the creation of rules to organize and run the Coop.

During my time at UT i lived at a Co-op for 3 years. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. Unforgettable experiences with lifelong friends. Highly recommend to any students interested in cooperative living.

I lived at one of the College Houses cooperatives (pearl street) from 2010-2014. It absolutely defined my college experience and to this day i've maintained a core group of pearl streeters as friends & acquaintances. This organization is fully student-run, so you are empowered to make budget decisions on spending the org's cash, running for officer positions that carry real weight, and voting on items that have immediate impact on your living standards each semester. Some of the low reviews of college houses ironically overlook these crucial aspects and it's fairly obvious that these were just parents who were trying to stick their kid into the cheapest housing that they could find.

College Houses has been more than just a place to live, but a life changing couple years for me as a student in Austin. It's the community I imagined a dorm would have, with the privacy of an apartment, but with incredible amenities like a basketball courtyard, giant kitchen to study, hangout, or do puzzles in, multiple movie/gamerooms, and the best view of downtown Austin that West Campus has to offer. Your friends are right next door too, which makes logistics for going out together and come home together very easy. The home-cooked meals are absolutely incredible, and dinners are tasty, and the whole house has the chance to get together to eat and chat. There usually a late night snack to satisfy any cravings as well. Plus, if you're into lifting there's a gym downstairs with two power racks. All in all, highly encourage anyone to take a look into College Houses (especially Halstead) if you're looking for housing.

If I could give College Houses a 10 out of 5 I would. I have lived here (Halstead) for almost three years and it has been a truly wonderful time for me. This organization is much different than normal apartments or homes (and for the better!). It fosters a sense of community that is unparalleled to any other place you could live and if you're willing to put in a little effort you can become a part of that community too. College houses has been more than just a place to live for me--it has been a home and has given me some of the best memories in my life. If you are looking for an affordable place to live that includes utilities and food, a place where you'll make life-long friendships, or a place where you'll make memories to last a lifetime, then College Houses is for you. All of the photos I have attached were taken at CH within the last semester (Spring 2019)

Only getting 2 stars and that's a gift. My son lived at Taos for a Spring semester and Pearl for the Summer session. He moves back to Pearl for the Fall semester and 2 days later is served an eviction notice! Lease confusion between me (the parent) and my son and the Pearl staff left him without a lease or a place to live. My son moves out in the middle of the night and lives from place to place dragging all his belongings until I can find him housing. To this day... the room my son had moved into (with a trans roommate who specifically asked for him as a roommate) has not had anybody move into it. My son was thrown out of a room not even leased. To add insult to injury, it is well known at Pearl street that people live there that are not students. They are getting cheapest rent in Austin, meals and are NOT STUDENTS. I feel for this reason College Houses should lose their tax-exempt status and be reported to the Attorney General for fraud. Thank goodness for the kind, helpful staff at Sparq apartments, I only had to have my son homeless for a long, stressful 10 days I was told by the director at College Houses I would receive my deposit back and that has not happened.

I lived in Pearl Street coop during my study abroad and had a great experience. The house was ran extremely well considering the large amount of people living in one space. The systems in place are very efficient and all students take responsibility to live cooperatively. I made friends for life in this coop and could not recommend living in a college houses coop any more!

I'm an exchange student from Germany and I currently live at the 21st street Co-Op. I've been living there for half a year and I will stay for one more semester, before I have to go back to Germany. I can definitely recommend living at one of the College Houses Co-Ops! Especially for us students, the Co-Ops are great - they're in walking distance to campus, they provide you with food (!), and they're full of other students who share your experience - so you'll find people who can give you advice on class projects, but you'll also always have someone who will go out to party with you, or take you to some creative student performance on campus! You'll probably find wonderful friends during your time at the Co-Op! Every single Co-Op has its own culture, its own way of doing things - from a more apartment-style life at Opsis, to a very community-oriented/ family-style life at Pearl or 21st Street. So, to find the one that's a good match for your personality, you might want to look into that before applying. The membership coordinators will always be there to answer questions, or give you a tour around. Just like with every other living situation, there might be things at the Co-Ops that you might have to come to terms with - especially if you choose/ are chosen by one of the bigger Co-Ops. For instance, it would probably be good if you enjoyed social contact, and living in a community. Labor (doing work that keeps everything going, like cooking, cleaning, building, maintaining) is an integral part of the Co-Ops, so be prepared to join in. Some places are noisier than others, some place more emphasis on community than cleaning, some Co-Ops might be better if you want to study at home a lot, at others, you will experience unusual, exciting events and parties. Some Co-Ops are a great place to be creative and every Co-Op will give you the opportunity to shape their culture. I would certainly move into my Co-Op again!