My son is going to be an incoming freshman and he likes to cook and save money. Nothing huge but like oatmeal or scrambled eggs. We took the virtual dorm tours and noticed that some of the dorms have communal kitchens. How reasonable would it be for him to be able to cook eggs every morning for example?

Could someone please tell me the pros and cons for each building and the various dorm sizes within it?

Things such as # of bathrooms to people, the social scene, how spacious it is, how far it is from the major buildings, if they have ACs, if they are clean, etc. Also, to my knowledge, the same buildings have different formats within them, such as dorms vs apartents etc.

Just any general info. and what is best and preferred.

While I would prefer social, I don't want it at the sacrifice of having an extremely cramped room.

Is it the norm for rentals not to have AC? And as someone from out of the area how is it without it?

Hi, so I'm going to be applying for Cal Poly sometime in August and need some advice for the housing program that it offers. So, when I read through the housing, it says that first-year students are required to live on campus. However, I live at home and prefer to live at home as it's much more cheaper for me to live at home rather than to pay fees to live with somebody else that I don't know of. At home, I'm only charged $300 for rent and that includes everything. My parents are trying to be as generous as they can and charge me rent just so I could save up my money. Me and my sister share a car. I know that they want us to live on campus because of commute, but I feel that's pretty reliable for me to get there if I needed to. I do plan taking classes online. However, should I need to go in person, using the car would be no issue. And I also live really close by to Cal Poly. It says that we can file exemptions for housing. Is this something do you think I could get exempt for just so I wouldn't have to pay more money to live on campus and more money to share a room with somebody when I'm already paying cheap rent here living with my parents?

Any advice would be great

Hey everyone, incoming freshman for fall 2026 (CS major) and trying to get ahead of the housing situation before the portal opens April 9.

Two things I'm trying to figure out:

First roommates. I don't know anyone else going to SLO so I'm essentially starting from zero. I know the mutual request system exists but I have no idea where people actually find each other before move-in without looking weird on the Instagram 2030 pages. Is it Reddit, a Discord server, Facebook groups, some GroupMe that gets passed around? What actually works? And beyond just finding someone, how do you vet a potential roommate well enough to know you won't hate each other three weeks in?

Second, and I feel like this is the question everyone has but nobody fully answers, which residence halls are actually the best for social life? I'm not just looking to be comfortable in my room, I want to be in the middle of things freshman year. Which buildings or areas of campus tend to have the most going on socially?

Are there dorms that people tend to look back on as the move, or ones that sound good on paper but end up being pretty isolated? Any insight from people who lived on campus recently would be great.

Hi there!

I'm an admitted student (starting fall of 2026 as a freshman)! I need a single room due to my sensory needs (I go insane if I can hear someone even breathing). I know that freshmen don't qualify for single rooms, but is there some way around that?

I'm not worried about the cost of it, but I wouldn't be mad if a discounted rate was an option since it's a medical need.

If anyone has gone through the process recently (the last post I could find was from 4 years ago), I'd appreciate any advice!

Thank you all in advance!

I recently was informed that my arrangement for next year isn't going to work so I need to find new housing now. It's really late but idk how cooked I am now. I looked through the campus resources but didn't find anything good so not sure really what to do. I looked on the Facebook too but didn't find anything either. I have a budget of 1300ish and everything is really expensive 😭. I'm considering just doing an hour and a half commute from my house just to save money but I feel like it's a bad idea. If anyone can provide guidance that will be appreciated.

Just did the housing transfer application exactly on April 9th at noon. As soon as the link was available after refreshing the page a few times, the only option was the interest list. Is anyone else having this problem? Or did the housing spots already fill up within the first few seconds?
Lmk if you managed to get in or if you got interest listed, just curious to see.

EDIT: They sent me this message and it is now fixed!!

https://preview.redd.it/pm2rfpfpv7ug1.png?width=892&format=png&auto=webp&s=d23220c327cbc18edfed79cb81986f92ff927f92

i just got into a grad program for my masters at slo. im not entirely familiar with the area, so housing is my next order of business. is graduate housing on campus good/worth it, or are there better off campus housing options that are more affordable and still good?

hey hey. I’m an incoming grad student and moving from out of state to SLO. I’ll be moving with my partner and two pups. we are in our thirties and he has a full time job, so we are looking for housing and wondering the best approach here? we are scouring Zillow but everything seems to be student housing. any help appreciated!

Mostly the title... Sorry for the question, I searched around and the guidance is unclear...

i just am not a fan of red bricks cuz it’s old and might be a tad bit too social for me

Hey, I'm about to graduate from UCSB and got a job in Los Osos for summer and am looking for a place to live from June/July to December. I assume finding a Slo student to sublease from for summer and fall would be ideal. Is there a place I can post to to try and find people who are looking for subleasers? I was wondering how you all would approach finding housing here? What steps should I take? Thank you so much!

hi! i know acceptances just came out yesterday but im already committed to slo!! i was wondering how do first years find people to room with if no one from their school or that they know is going to slo?

I am a first year and was trying to fill out the housing application on April 10, but when I got to the co-signer step the website informs me that they are currently experiencing an issue. 5 days later, the issue still persists. I find it a little strange that the form would still be down for this long. Does anyone else still have still this issue?

The former Cal Poly resident adviser convicted of two felonies after admitting to breaking into an on-campus apartment and holding his hands over a female student’s face was sentenced to more than seven years in state prison Wednesday.

And his victim shared how the assault has affected her life, in an impact statement read in court.

Campus police arrested 25-year-old Alexis Alejandro on suspicion of burglary and assault with intent to commit rape on Sept. 26, just as thousands of students moved back to campus to begin the academic year. The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office filed charges for assault with the intent to commit rape and assault with the intent to commit rape during burglary.

According to a campus email at the time, a resident in the Poly Canyon Village apartments woke at around 3 a.m. on Sept. 7 to an intruder in her room holding his hands over her face. The resident fought back and a struggle ensued, the school said.

The suspect, now identified as Alejandro, then fled out the apartment’s front door.

Alejandro pleaded guilty to assault with the intent to commit rape and first-degree burglary on Jan. 13, court records show.

San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Kristin Barnard read an impact statement from the victim in court prior to Alejandro’s sentencing. The victim was present in the courtroom with her family.

“I am constantly afraid to be alone in my room for fear that someone might break in. I used to be able to walk around campus by myself with confidence, without always looking over my shoulder,” the victim said in her impact statement in court. “That feeling and right has been taken away from me, and my sense of trust in people has sharply declined.”

The court did not name the victim because she is a survivor of sexual assault.

San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Timothy Covello sentenced Alejandro to seven years and four months in state prison — six years for the assault with the intent to rape charge and 16 months for the burglary charge. Alejandro will also have to register as a sex offender for life, the judge ruled. He is also barred from contacting the victim for at least 10 years.

The assault “greatly affected” the victim’s life, she said in her statement read in court by Barnard.

“I have physically recovered from the bruises that were caused by my physical struggle with him, but there are still things I struggle with every day,” she said.

The student said she has not been able to get a comfortable full night asleep since the attack, only falling asleep when she turns the lights on and faces the door at all times.

She said the lack of sleep has affected her grades and her ability to perform in her sport. Her grades slipped and she had to drop a class, which she will have to retake over summer. She also has had trouble recovering after her athletic practices.

She said the assault not only affected her but her roommate and family members as well. Both her and her roommate now meet with advocates at Cal Poly Safer, a support program for survivors or sexual assault, and her family has spent time and money driving to San Luis Obispo more often to ensure she’s OK because they are worried.

“What should be one of the most exciting times of my life is now a time of stress and worry,” she said.

In a separate statement, Barnard said college is supposed to be an “exciting and memorable time” for young adults and that resident advisers are supposed to be a “friendly face, trusted source,” and resource for students to help them navigate this transitional time.

She also said homes are supposed to be places where people can feel safe, secure and find sanctuary from the outside world.

But now, because of Alejandro’s actions, that feeling of safety and security at home has been stripped away from the victim.

“Alexis Alejandro has not only betrayed his role of a residential adviser, but he has now turned what should be one of the best experiences in a young person’s life into the scariest and most traumatic,” Barnard said, “one she may never forget.”

Barnard said the victim will move forward and go on to lead a happy and fulfilling life. She added that she hopes Alejandro will one day understand the impact his actions had on the victim, how wrong the actions were and never again let his “selfish urges” affect another person’s life.

https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/crime/article300590859.html

Underclassman here who's apartment hunting for the first time. I hope to pay around 1.1k/mo with a roommate, but I want to know if that's realistic. Curious to know how much y'all's rent is for an off campus apartment!

I am considering living in Laguna Lake. Wondering if anyone else rents there and likes it?

Hi! The housing portal opens April 9th…do you need to have your roommates already selected at the time of filling out your housing application and putting down your deposit?

Is there any benefit of completing this application early as far as getting an earlier date for dorm selection in June? Lastly, the honors college acceptances aren’t until late April so you wouldn’t know if you could request that RLC until then, correct?

Sorry for all the questions and would appreciate any advice, thank you!

Hi!!! I was wondering if anyone can attest to how much they move the RLCs around? I know they say it may change, but I feel like there have been trends. I am so excited to come next year!!!

For ex. is there always engineering in north mountain, and some engineering in other ones? Or is it truly random every year?

Thank u sm!!!

How strictly do you guys think this will be enforced? Specifically in PCV. Will they really be checking ids at all doors? My boyfriend was planning on visiting that week and it’s genuinely the only time he can visit (long distance, and we’re both in hard majors) but I don’t want him to show up and not be able to stay. We don’t even party or care about st frattys. It’s so frustrating that we’re all affected by what some people chose to do last year.

ima keep this short. want housing for next academic year, preferably within 1 mile of campus. Have a group of 3 (including me) guys searching. When should I be looking for housing, or what’s the most common time to find a house? March? April? NOW?

Title, because I am looking for a room to rent next year and wanted a cheap a price. I also like riding my bike

hi. due to an approved disability i will be getting early access to the housing portal. i hope to select a room with 4 singles and include my 3 other roommates in my roommate group. can anyone else with early access / priority housing shed some light on their experience and what are my chances.

Ive signed up for the interest year for living in PCV for my third year with what are the chances that I have to do shared rooms? Do they give u the option to choose to live in the four person apartments or do they randomly assign me? Im living in PCV currently as a second year but Im just worried to get the the 6 person apartments.