A major objective of The Philadelphia Center is to help you develop your self-reliance by living independently and learning to thrive in a wonderful and challenging new environment.

Your first task in Philly will be finding a place to live. While staying at a respected hotel a block from The Center, you’ll tour the city with faculty and staff to explore the nearby neighborhoods.

We absolutely guarantee that each student participating in our program will obtain housing in the City of Philadelphia.

You will be guided through your apartment search with the help of our Housing Coordinator, Faculty, and Staff. You'll be provided with a comprehensive list of housing leads, surveys from previous semester's students, as well as listings of apartments currently available throughout the city. Most students live in houses or apartments managed by landlords and realtors with whom we have established relationships. We encourage students to arrive in Philadelphia with an idea of their monthly budget allowance, an open mind, and a willingness to explore the city!

Having your own place will require you to sign a lease; pay rent and arrange for utilities; shop for groceries and prepare meals; and learn, in general, how to negotiate an array of responsibilities. One of our alumni remembers the semester's housing process and living arrangement as "the most important thing I ever did.”

House-hunting will give you a sense of the city and help you learn how to get where you’re going in Philadelphia. Of course, until you’ve mastered the maps and mass transit, Center staff and faculty are there to help you.

In your search for housing, as in all aspects of our program, we like to be thought of as your home base: to support you in your decisions, but not to direct them. Students say they find this approach "empowering.”

Philly Neighborhoods