Apartments
 
How to Find an Apartment
Things to Consider When Looking for an Apartment
Tips on Renting an Apartment

Many international students choose to live in local apartment complexes or houses.  This gives you an opportunity to live on your own and choose your roommates (people you may share the apartment with).  While many apartments and houses near the campus can be fairly expensive, you may find that living with other students or families can help reduce costs.

When choosing an apartment, we suggest that you first look at it and learn about the policies and costs before signing a lease. Below is a brief description of apartment types and approximate costs in the area.

Studio: A studio apartment is one large room with a small kitchenette and bathroom.  Monthly rent can range from $800-$1200.  Efficiencies are studios with a limited kitchen.

One-bedroom apartment: One-bedroom apartments have a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.  One-bedroom apartments can often be shared by two people. Monthly rent can range from $1100-$1700. 

Two-bedroom apartment:  Two-bedroom apartments have two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.  Two-bedroom apartments can be shared by two to four people and the monthly rent can from $1200-$2000.

Room in a house:  There are often houses available for rent or with individual rooms for rent.  Students who choose to rent a room in a house will have access to the bathroom, kitchen, yard, and other parts of the house.  Monthly rent for one bedroom in a house is $550-$700 and monthly rent for an entire house varies greatly depending on the size of the house and its location.

How to Find an Apartment
If you are looking for an apartment or shared housing, we would like to suggest a few options:

  • Visit the International Student Office in Room 5922 for a list of suggested apartment complexes in the area. Contact the manager at each complex to confirm availability, or you can take a bus and visit the apartment complex to speak with the manager in person. 
  • A list of local apartments will be available during the New Student Orientation. Orientation is also a good time to meet other students who are looking to share housing.
  • Consult housing Web sites, local newspapers and magazines.  Some of the most commonly used resources are listed below.  A few of these, such as Foothill Rental Housing Board, Craigslist, and Metroactive (among others) also have an option to search for rooms in shared apartments or houses.

Online Resources

Newspapers

Magazines
You can pick up these free magazines at Safeway, Albertsons, and other local grocery stores and newsstands:

  • For Rent Magazine
  • Rental Guide Magazine

Things to Consider When Looking for an Apartment

  • Is the apartment close to the bus stop? You can find out if an apartment is close to a bus stop online. Type in the address of the apartment, Foothill's address (12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022), and the time you want to arrive at Foothill. The Web site will tell you the bus route(s) to take, the total travel time, and the cost per trip.
  • Is the apartment near the college? Apartments that are close to Foothill College are often more expensive than apartments further away. The following cities are listed from the closest to Foothill to the farthest away: Los Altos, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Cupertino, and San Jose.

Apartments in San Jose
Students who have or plan to own a car can look for apartments in the San Jose area. If you plan to rely on bus transportation, we do not recommend looking for an apartment in San Jose, since it can take up to two hours to travel by bus to Foothill College.

Tips on Renting an Apartment
Consult this handout for helpful information about signing a lease or a rental agreement, move-in and move-out procedures and more.

International Links
Announcements
 
119 FHDA international students accepted to UC Berkeley and 167 to UCLA for Fall 2011; 67 international students accepted to USC and 344 to UC Davis for Fall 2012!

International student featured in International Educator magazine article on 2+2 transfer success

Received Export Achievement Award from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce in 2012

Foothill is now an
iTEP Test Center.
Instead of TOEFL/IELTS,
Take iTEP for admission.
 
Foothill ranked number one community college for transfer in California.