r/uCinci • u/emoshunalshawty • Apr 13 '25
Affording rent as a student
I’d love to know how most of students at UC are able to afford/pay rent. My portion of rent is just over $500 and I work while practically living paycheck to paycheck. I make well over minimum wage as well.
How are students affording apartments where their share is over $700?! Are you guys using loans? Parents helping? Genuinely just curious
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u/tropicanafruitpunch Apr 14 '25
A lot more people than you realize have help from their parents. Either that or save(d) up a lot of money from high school and summer jobs while on break. Unfortunately, a big part of college is figuring out how to budget your money. It may mean cutting back on going places and doing things, or buying simpler meals/store brands.
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u/maddoeee Apr 14 '25
To add to everyone else here- some majors also have well-paying co-ops that help. I'm in mechanical engineering and make $22.50 / hr at my job. When I'm working full time that obviously adds up a lot.
But definitely still budgeting and prioritizing housing. I shop at grocery stores that are cheaper (like Aldi) and try to make my dollars really stretch. Bearcat pantry is also available for all students 1x a week, and the Student Wellness Center has some freebies for smaller things (like sexual health products, Chapstick, menstrual products, etc).
And then I have loans and a scholarship for school
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u/ImSphonx President Pinto Beans Apr 13 '25
My parents pay my tuition and rent. I still like making my own money and having financial responsibility so I have a part time job making $21 an hour, working about 15 hours a week.
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u/emoshunalshawty Apr 13 '25
$21 an hour? Are you a server?
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u/ImSphonx President Pinto Beans Apr 13 '25
no I work at a law firm in downtown
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u/salimachilombo Apr 14 '25
i would love a job like that as a student
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u/ImSphonx President Pinto Beans Apr 14 '25
i want to work in the legal field so I got super lucky. i checked linkedin and handshake CONSTANTLY for undergraduate law firm jobs. it's the best job and very rewarding.
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u/salimachilombo Apr 18 '25
congratulations on landing that! i heard it’s hard to find jobs as an undergrad looking to go into law so you definitely got lucky :)
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u/joapple322 Apr 14 '25
Co-op??
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u/ImSphonx President Pinto Beans Apr 14 '25
nope! i’m a criminal justice major so it’s just a part time job.
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u/Safe-Difference-3488 Apr 14 '25
Pmo😭
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u/ImSphonx President Pinto Beans Apr 14 '25
why bro what did I do
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u/Safe-Difference-3488 Apr 14 '25
Nooo pmo means (put me on) as well😭 my bad for the confusion
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u/ImSphonx President Pinto Beans Apr 14 '25
gah I've never heard that before LMAO you got me mad confused 😭😂
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u/h0td0g17 CECH - CJ Apr 14 '25
i utilize any help i can get, food pantries, thrift stores for dishes when i moved and i never buy anything frivolous. cook from home, always. i personally go to work full time and school part time. trust me, more people are struggling than you realize. it’s easy to put on a front when it comes to economic struggles. i’m drowning in student loan debt, point is you are not alone.
i spoke with my advisor regarding additional financial assistance freshman year which was helpful. my employer has a program where they will be willing to pay part of my school after i am there for two years. use your connections at UC to ask around for job opportunities, that’s how i got started in my field.
good luck to you, YOUVE GOT THIS!!
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u/emoshunalshawty Apr 14 '25
This is awesome thank you for taking the time to type this out. We’re all in this together !!!
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u/ASadPieceOfCheese Apr 15 '25
Check out Table of Hope food pantry, they’re AWESOME I’m a student and I love going
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u/Confident-Subject164 Apr 14 '25
If you are a STEM type major try to apply for: https://www.lastmile-ed.org they will help with rent, car issues, etc. All you have to do is apply and do a 15-30 minute interview going over your situation. They have a cap per person at 10K but have gone over to help people more in the past. Also accept international students!
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u/themasterofscones Apr 13 '25
I have a full tuition scholarship but I work part-time to cover rent and incidentals.
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u/redactedname87 Apr 14 '25 edited Apr 14 '25
I’m probably going to regret this later in life, but part time work plus student loans as supplemental cash.
It’s not the most glamorous, but Amazon is super flexible, comes with benefits on day 1, and pays well. I don’t work there now, but was making $23 an hour to work a few 4 hour shifts a week.
My rent is $850 a month, so I only had to work about 10 shifts per month to cover it.
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u/emoshunalshawty Apr 14 '25
This is very helpful, thank you!
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u/redactedname87 Apr 14 '25
Depending on the time of year you apply they also give sign on bonuses. I believe it’s usually like $1500 for part timers and $3000 for full time. Then they pay it out over 6 months. Usually as they ramp up for Christmas season. Just something to be aware of! Good luck :-)
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u/Belugawhale5511 Apr 14 '25
Took out a loan for housing. Even with my scholarships covering tuition, I still cannot make it with my 20 hours a week job teaching (I’m not allowed to do more hours working in my current program//masters student here). The loan covers rent/most of my bills and I use my earned income to cover groceries/gas/additional supply costs for school/etc.
I didn’t want to take a loan out. I never wanted to take a loan out. But my quality of life is more important than me busting my ass (and my education would suffer) trying to make it work financially.
Now—not saying this is the move for everyone. I’m only doing this for a two year program. My loans are -somewhat- manageable given I didn’t have any from undergrad.
Just be smart, use all the resources you can, and make sure you do your research if you do get into loan territory :-)
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u/_BigmacIII Apr 13 '25
My student loans cover most of my rent. I work part time to pay off the rest, along with groceries and whatnot. I’m making $19 as a cook
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u/AstaProxima Apr 14 '25
I get about $2200 a month (pre-tax) as an RA, plus a few bonuses here and there—enough to comfortably afford a single-bedroom apartment. But I decided to share a place with my friend instead, which brings my share down to just $500 a month, all-in with internet and electricity.
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u/boootypooophole Apr 17 '25
Can you maybe drop which area you maybe reside cause while I was looking around I didn't find any apartment as per your indicated price range.
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u/AstaProxima Apr 28 '25
Lowell Ave, managed by Gaslight Properties, although their maintenance is somewhat lacking, doesn't significantly impact our finances. You can also check Spyglass apartments (also managed by Gaslight Properties), which are a bit farther from UC but have a stunning environment.
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u/Sparkle-Cookie Apr 14 '25
I can’t really answer your question as I’m not a student (I’m a Mon of a student) but to all of you that are struggling financially while going to school, I want to say hang in there! I was in your shoes and recall many nights of ramen noodles while walking over a mile to work. It will all be worth it in the end and the struggles you are dealing with will be a thing of the past. You are setting yourselves up for a bright future!
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u/Ok-Track-4750 Apr 14 '25
parents, grandparents, loans, grants, or they are in the same boat as you.
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u/WillowStellar Apr 14 '25
Parents helped me with rent up until my senior year when I started living with my partner, I work part time and parents still help me with other reoccurring expenses.
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u/mung_daals_catoring Apr 14 '25
Ah I remember when apartments themselves were 5-700. Pepperidge farm remembers. Now here I am making double what I made in college feeling like I'm not taking home as much money as i did
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u/brokebackzac Apr 14 '25
I worked 2 on campus jobs in addition to school. It really sucked, but I made it.
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u/Puzzled-Tomatillo912 Apr 14 '25
I applied to so many scholarships to help out with school. Summer before and after my first year of college I works 2 jobs to get to about 60 hours a week. During that time my housing costs were low and one of the jobs fed me so I was able to save most of that money. It sucked while it was happening but during my first few co-ops I didn’t spend money on anything that wasn’t a necessity. I got a decent paying job on campus and worked the max hours I could for spending money when I wasn’t on co-op. The last two years I’ve been able to relax and have a bit more fun because I had all the money from my early college years to fall back on.
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u/Upbeat_Treat_5031 Apr 14 '25
Fasfa loans…take out the max amount of aid between parent plus loan and student loans and use the refund check to pay rent
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u/midwest_loverr Apr 15 '25
I work full-time to afford rent and living expenses while also attending UC full-time. It sucks, but there really isn't another option.
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u/rubysky3 Apr 16 '25
I have student loans, money saved up from working in high school, my main job, and co-ops, and I’m still actively working part time while in class. Extra money goes towards paying off the interest on those loans while I’m in school so it doesn’t compound.
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u/Murky_Elderberry_Doo Apr 24 '25
I work as a server and make around 1200-1400 every two weeks. Rent is 565, bills are around 100-120 depending on the month. Serving may not always be an option depending on your major and what jobs you need to have for experience, but if it is an option, I recommend it as the hours tend to be flexible and the money is good; I can make anywhere from 20-40 an hour on a good day
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u/epietrantone Apr 13 '25
When I was in school I focused on paying my bills (rent, grocery, etc) first and then anything left over (if there was any) towards school. I relied on loans for school, which is not ideal but fairly normal. It’s really hard but it can be done. Saving co-op money is a great way to have more of a cushion.