I'm trying to narrow down off-campus housing for Fall and would love some advice from current or previous students.

If your priorities were:

• Safe area
• Walking distance to UCR
• Quiet environment
• Preferably a studio or true 1-bedroom apartment

which apartment communities or neighborhoods would you recommend?

I've been looking at places around Big Springs Road and Canyon Crest but would appreciate any suggestions from people who know the area well.

Thanks!

I'm trying to narrow down off-campus housing for Fall and would love some advice from current or previous students.

If your priorities were:

• Safe area
• Walking distance to UCR
• Quiet environment
• Preferably a studio or true 1-bedroom apartment

which apartment communities or neighborhoods would you recommend?

I've been looking at places around Big Springs Road and Canyon Crest but would appreciate any suggestions from people who know the area well.

Thanks!

I am searching for an apartment near UCR.

Preferences:

• Studio or 1-bedroom only
• Quiet environment
• Near UCR
• Canyon Crest / Sycamore Canyon area preferred

I am not looking for a shared bedroom, room rental within a house, guest house, ADU, or other shared living arrangement.

If anyone knows of available apartments, upcoming vacancies, or smaller apartment communities that may not appear on the major apartment websites, I would appreciate any recommendations.

Thank you.

I’m a transfer student trying to decide between going to University of Texas at Austin or a UC, and honestly this feels like one of the biggest chess moves of my life.

My major is Political Science and I plan on law school later. I’ve been accepted to multiple UCs (Berkeley, UCLA, Irvine, Riverside, Davis, San Diego... all of them basically) and I have been accepted to UT Austin. I am OOS to all.

What I care about most:

• Strong academics and respected professors
• Good preparation for law school
• Opportunities (research, internships, networking)
• Safety around campus
• Housing quality / I will probably live off campus
• Serious students who actually care about education
• Ability to build relationships with professors to get my letters
• Overall campus culture and quality of life

Things making this hard:

UT Austin pros (from what I’ve seen):

• Strong academics
• Austin seems full of opportunities, government connections, internships, etc.
• Better housing value than many California schools
• Huge school spirit and active campus life (which I really don't care for)
• Strong humanities reputation

UC pros:

• The UC name carries a lot of prestige internationally
• Berkeley and UCLA especially have legendary reputations
• California has massive academic networks and opportunities
• Some UCs seem more research-heavy and globally recognized

But I also hear:

• Some UCs are overcrowded
• Housing can be brutal
• Big lecture halls make it harder to connect with faculty
• Some campuses feel stressful/competitive socially

Meanwhile UT seems more balanced in lifestyle and cost, but the conservative politics surrounding it scare me, like I don't know if their curriculum will be very right wing, but are UC's extremely left wing? I don’t know if I’d regret turning down the “UC prestige” factor later and if UTA has that type of prestige.

For people who actually attended either UT or a UC:

• What was your experience?
• Did you regret your choice?
• Which one felt better for personal growth and future opportunities?
• If you were choosing TODAY in 2026, what would you pick and why?

I’d especially love hearing from transfer students, humanities/history majors, pre-law students, or people who chose between Texas and California. (don't focus on location, like near the beach and things like that, I want to go to focus and be completely submerged in my studies)

Hi everyone,

I had a question about UCR housing and the SIR process.

If you selected a room/apartment during housing selection but did NOT pay the deposit or sign the contract within the deadline/time limit, does the reservation automatically cancel itself? Or are you still somehow committed to it?

Also, for the SIR, after June 1 does it become legally binding where you cannot back out anymore if you decide to attend another school instead? Or can you still withdraw later and just lose the deposit/fees?

I’m trying to understand how flexible everything is before fully committing. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I applied as a transfer student for Fall 2026 and was wondering if anyone has heard anything yet or knows when UT Austin usually releases transfer decisions.

Are decisions released all at once or in waves? Also, if you already got a transfer student decision, what was your timeline?

Thanks and good luck to everyone waiting.

I’m a transfer student trying to decide if it’s worth paying out-of-state tuition to attend UCLA for a Political Science BA, or if it would be smarter financially to attend a cheaper UC, establish residency because the system flagged me as non-resident even when I do live CA and attended transferring from a cc, or should I just wait and apply later for graduate school/possibly a PhD or law school.

I genuinely love UCLA academically, but the cost is making me panic. I come from a low-income background, and taking on massive debt scares me. Housing prices also worry me a lot.

For people who studied Political Science (or humanities in general):

• Was UCLA worth the debt?
• Did the prestige/helpful connections actually matter long term?
• If you could do it again, would you choose a cheaper school for undergrad and save money for grad/law school instead?
• How realistic is it to manage UCLA costs as an out-of-state transfer student?

I’d really appreciate honest advice from people who have actually been through this. I’ve literally been crying over this decision.