of the Graduate Student Council's Housing Committee. Although this website is in it's infancy, we hope that it will provide you with some useful information and resources for finding housing in the DC metro area.

One of the major obstacles to having a great graduate student experience at the NIH, is the shortage of affordable housing near the NIH campus(es) in Montgomery County. We, the Graduate Student Council's Housing Committee, recently conducted a survey of NIH graduate students and found that the median amount that was spent on housing was between $700 and $800 per month (represents 54 responses to the survey). Well over half of those responding live with one or more roommates. The median commute time among these students was 20-30 minutes each way.

However, ten out of the 54 responders pay less than $500 / month for housing, and a handful live only a few minutes from campus. The goal of the GSC Housing Committee is to tap in to the collective experience of students and to pass that knowledge on to you. Accordingly, we list below all the information we have been able to gather and any useful recommendation and suggestions for current graduate students.

Please be advised that we cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy or value of these suggestions-they do not reflect the opinion of the NIH, the Graduate Partnerships Program, the Graduate Student Council, or the GSC Housing Committee. They are simply a compilation of suggestions and resources that have been voluntarily submitted to us by other students hoping to be helpful. You must individually judge the value of each suggestion and / or resource.

• Set aside ample time to search for housing.
• Look for the "non-commercial" rental properties.
• Look for the "non-advertised" housing complexes.
• Don't forget to factor in transportation.
• Consider buying vs. renting.
• Don't use the word "student" when applying at an apartment complex.
• Get an award letter (proof of income) that accounts for all applicable benefits.

If you have comments or suggestions about this webpage, please email Natasha Sefcovic, at sefcovic@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.