Where to Live

Four students eating and drinking outside of a building

Where to Live as a Grad Student at CWRU

Do you want some tips for grad students? Here, are various advice graduate students have. 

Because this is the viewpoint of different graduate students, we recognize that  graduate and professional programs are diverse. While we recognize that for some the best location is far from Cleveland, this section is to support those who will be regularly coming to campus in Cleveland and wants to live closer to campus. 


The four numbers on the map are four areas where a lot of students choose to live. 

  • If you want to stay close to campus, stay south of Mayfield Road.
  • Cleveland Heights, University Heights, and Shaker are all great areas, but for convenience, look for places west of South Taylor Road.
  • North of Shaker Boulevard is another good option. Shaker Boulevard will take you to Shaker Heights, which is a really nice community, but apartments might be slightly pricier than Cleveland Heights. Anything south of Shaker takes you further away from Case and places that students tend to frequent for restaurants and bars, such as Coventry.
  • If you want to live west of the university, live downtown near either East Fourth Street (theater district), West Sixth Street (warehouse district), or in Tremont/Ohio City. Note: It is further away so transportation would be a factor, look into public transportation and seeing if the RTA runs close to where you want to live.

There are a lot of great neighborhoods close to campus, which are outlined below.

Little Italy

Little Italy is located right next to Case's campus. There are many small houses for rent or smaller buildings that have been divided into one- to two-bedroom apartments. One perk is that it is within walking distance to campus. It also is filled with many really good restaurants, little bakeries and shops. Most of the apartments are older, so make sure to ask about the age of appliances. The upkeep might not be the greatest but the price reflects it.

Parking is a slight issue and probably not free, but you can buy an on-street parking permit.  

Quotes from students about Little Italy: 
From April 2022, "Little Italy apartment prices range from: 700 - 1,000; Luxury 1,300 +++" 

Cedar/Fairmont Area

Cedar Road and Fairmont Boulevard are two main roads that are within walking distance from campus. The two roads intersect just southeast of Case and many students (especially professional students) live in this area. If you are not bringing a car, this is the place to live because there is a grocery store right here as well. There is also a Starbucks, Bruegger's Bagel Bakery, some smaller restaurants and a few bars.

This area also is popular for people that plan on living by themselves at least their first year. There are multiple apartment buildings with one- and two-bedroom units. Three-bedroom apartments may be harder to find, but there are some houses or duplexes for rent nearby. Rent for a one-bedroom is slightly higher than in Little Italy, but the places generally have more updated décor and appliances. 

Parking is extra per month: Expect to pay approximately $40 for a garage spot and less for an open city lot. Usually rent includes heat and/or water though, which is a perk in Cleveland since gas bills can get high if you choose to live in a house where insulation might not be so great.

Coventry

Coventry Road is a street that runs perpendicular to Cedar Road. There are many apartments located off Coventry Road, either on Euclid Heights Boulevard, Mayfield Road or smaller streets in between. Coventry is a great area that students frequent quite often. The strip between Euclid Heights and Mayfield Road is full of bars, restaurants and little shops. You could walk there from Case, but you probably would rather bike or drive. (The walk might take you close to 30 minutes.)

Most of these apartment buildings are one- to two-bedroom units, but there are also some three-bedroom units available. Some of the buildings are very nicely kept and might be slightly expensive. 

Parking here for an apartment is similar to Cedar/Fairmont. You can buy a garage space for more money, or spend less to park outside or on the street. Coventry also has some small duplexes in which the bottom and top rent separately. If you are living alone, many of these also have efficiency apartments on the third floor. Heat is most likely not free. But if you live on the third floor, the gas bills aren't as bad as the bigger units on the first and second floor.

Coventry is a great place to live if you like to go out a lot, meet for Happy Hour or if you don't mind biking or driving to campus. Plus, if you head down Coventry Road going south, you end up at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, which is great for biking, running or just relaxing in the somewhat rare Cleveland sun.

Cedar/Lee

Cedar Road and Lee Road are two roads that intersect in an area that is populated with restaurants, shops and bars. John Carroll University is a nearby small Jesuit private college. Many John Carroll students live in the Cedar/Lee area and frequent the bars and restaurants. The young crowd also draws many students from Case.

Biking to school is possible if you don't mind a 20- to 30-minute ride. Living in Cedar/Lee would be difficult, however, if you do not have access to a car at all. If you head east on Cedar Road toward the intersection of Warrensville-Center Road, you will see a shopping center with a Target, TJ Maxx, Whole Food Market and other stores. About two miles further east, you will see Legacy Village and Beachwood Place. This area also provides easy access to I-271. I'm not sure how much it costs to rent apartments in this area, but they should be comparable and maybe even slightly less than Coventry and Cedar/Fairmont.

Another fun place to live is downtown! Most students that live here live in the Warehouse District

(see the West 6th Street / West 9th Street area on the map at right). East 4th Street is also close and more of an up-and-coming section of downtown.

Both the Warehouse District and E. 4th street are popular living areas for for young professionals. Because it is still growing, apartments are reasonably cheap. 

More Tips

  • From a graduate student, "If you can visit to have a look around, do so. It's helpful to have a short list of places/neighborhoods you can afford to live in, but keep your eye open for places that weren't listed on the mainstream websites. Most of those places will have websites with virtual tours and are pretty easy to set up tours with on the same day. And always look up reviews about the property and property manager. Sometimes, the place itself it great, but the manager is difficult to deal with." 
  • From a graduate student, points to consider: "
    1) Comparison between house/apartments offered by private landlord and professional property management company.
    2) What are the additional costs in addition to rental cost?
    3) Points to pay special attention before signing a leasing contract." 

Tip #1: How to Live on a Grad Student's Salary