Before beginning your time at Duke, it’s important to find housing. Duke offers limited on-campus options for graduate and professionals students, so many professionals must look off-campus. In addition to the resources listed below, International House provides a number of fact sheets related to housing, as does the Office of Postdoctoral Services.
Housing Resources
- Near Duke: Housing site managed by The Chronicle
- DukeList: Craigslist-like platform with sections for housing, furniture, and other home items. Requires NetID to access.
- Housing & Bus Route Map: Indicates apartment complexes in proximity to Duke/Durham bus routes
- Apartment Pricing near East/Central Campus
- Apartment Pricing near West Campus
- Raleigh-Durham Craigslist
Recommendations from Current Duke Professionals
We asked Duke Graduate and Postgraduate students about their off-campus housing experiences in Durham. Here are the top comments and recommendations:
“The city is not super walkable or accessible by public transit or biking so you will probably need a car unless you’re directly in a downtown/popular area, though those are expensive.”
“Very expensive to rent in safer neighborhoods. If you want live off campus and drive, Duke charges a lot of money for parking every month.”
“Biking infrastructure can be minimal/inconsistent.”
“The housing price in Durham is getting super high, specially for the houses nearby the Duke! No special Duke concessions for students or Postdocs for renting nearby apartments.”
“Trinity Commons at Erwin”
“Renting a room from a private landlord!”
“Gated apartments or community within 10min drive from campus”
“The complexes in the “LaSalle Loop” area above West campus would all be contenders for their ease of access to campus. However, given that robberies tend to happen often at The Belmont Apartments, and that walking along those roads late at night tend to be dangerous / not well-lit / not well-serviced by the Duke bus routes, I’d hesitate on living in that area if you don’t have a car.”
“Heights at LaSlle 2B2B, but it is not affordable anymore.”
“9th street area is excellent for access to grocery, restaurants, and campus.”
“Private apartments in Old West Durham”
Parking & Transportation
Duke provides parking facilities, buses and shuttles, and various alternative transportation options that serve the university and health system campuses. On campus parking prices varies depending on location and student status. More information on parking and transportation through Duke can be found on the Services & Administration site. Many students that live close to campus opt to bike. Registering your bike with the university will earn you two free weekday parking passes per month.
Durham is also in driving distance to Raleigh-Durham International Airport and also hosts an Amtrak station.
Parking
- Annual Parking Permit Information: Typically the most expensive parking option, but provides guaranteed parking for the calendar year. Garages available to students/postdocs are dependent on program. Most graduate and professional students are eligible to park only in the Science Drive Garage.
- Occasional Parking Permits: Single-day or multi-day passes are available for those who don’t need to frequently drive to campus
- After-Hours Permits: Students and postdocs can obtain a free permit that provides access to almost all garages and lots after 5pm on weekdays and all day on weekends.
- Hourly Garage/Lot Fees
- Visitor Parking
Note: On days when there are athletic events (most notably during basketball season), parking access can be restricted even for annual permit holders.
Buses & Public Transit
- Duke Transit: Routes connect West and East Campus in addition to the Duke Medical Center campus and nearby residential areas. Live monitoring of Duke buses and up-to-date schedules can be found via TransLoc. Accessibility van transit for those with permanent or temporary physical disabilities can also be requested.
- GoPass: Graduate students and postdocs are eligible for a free public transit pass that allows unlimited rides on the GoDurham, GoRaleigh, and GoTriangle public transit systems. Popular destinations along these routes can be found here.
Note: Current professionals have said that the public transit in Durham is not incredibly reliable, meaning that having a car or using alternative transportation may still be necessary.
Other Transportation Options
- Duke Carpool/Vanpool and Share the Ride NC
- Duke Vans: Duke offers free, on-demand van transportation on weekday evenings. Rides can be scheduled via Ridecell.
- Bicycling: Information on biking maps, registration, on-campus repair stations, and other Durham community cycling resources.
- Scooters
- Lyft Rides
- Enterprise CarShare: Rental car options available to Duke students
- Remote Work Options
