Whether you are coming to study at the University of Nevada, Reno, or TMCC, or you are looking for housing for your internship within the Reno area, the Reno International House offers several housing options for international students and recent immigrants.

Rooms for rent, apartments for rent, student housing facilities, on-campus residence halls (dorms), homestay families and other options for apartments near UNR have limited spaces.

Many local apartment complexes in Reno require full criminal background checks, long-time established credit report history, and several months of rent payment up-front. This makes it difficult for international students to find housing in Reno, which is a hot rental market. It is hard enough for local Americans to find a home for rent, let alone immigrants and international students.

Reno International House has several recommended housing options for new and upcoming internationals to the Reno-Sparks area. We have helped visiting scholars, international students coming for degree studies, exchange students, J-1 exchange workers, international students coming to work at Tesla, Panasonic, Apple and Amazon for their OPT and H1B work, as well as immigrants having a difficult time finding housing.

Our services are free for international students, and we have volunteers that can help you obtain household items and furniture to complete your apartment to feel like home.

Housing Choice

Community Houses and International Apartments

Live in community, or nearby other fellow international students. Furnished rooms and apartments for rent, ready to move-in, and with a community to call family. Most community house options include the utilities like power, water, trash removal, sewer and wifi internet and yardcare landscape services. This gives residents the benefit of having one set monthly price that includes everything. Ideal for single international students at UNR and TMCC. Also useful for visiting scholars. If you are planning to stay one school semester or longer, and are looking to make friends and live in community, or at least close-by other internationals, this option might work well for you.

In addition to community houses, The Reno International House manages a select handful of furnished apartments for families and older students, who desire more privacy than a community house, but want to have neighbors who are fellow internationals. If you are married or have children, or simply need your own private apartment, this option, although more costly

Community Houses Bedroom Classes

The photos and descriptions may or may not be of the exact room you are seeking, but represent a general design of the room style.

Economy Bedroom

Small bedrooms, typically in basements, or near noisy areas, with tight space

Standard Bedroom

Full size bedroom, with plenty of light, and built-in or dedicated clothing storage (typically greater than 9 feet x 10 feet size)

Deluxe Bedroom

Extra large bedrooms with added clothing and personal item storage, or designed for sharing, but can be rented as private/single. Sometimes has private bathroom.

Premium Bedroom

Always has a private bathroom, in desirable locations of the house. Typically extra large with plenty of space, light, views, and ideal layout.

Community Home Membership Terms and Prices

Rooms are typically single private bedrooms for one member only. All rooms come furnished with basic bed, desk, chair and clothing storage. Shared spaces are limited, and are usually in a delxue or premium bedroom.
Includes utilities. Homes include all major utilities like power, water, sewer, garbage removal, and wifi internet. It also includes periodic professional house cleaning. If a power bill is above the limit, the overage amount will be shared among the members of the house.
Quoted rates assume a 12-month minimum and fees must be paid online every month with credit card or checking account. Prices are higher for payments made in person. Discounts available for pre-paid multi-month. Requires final month prepaid.
Shorter-term and semester stays:  Please note for 1-year, 10-month and 5-month housing terms, there is no pro-rating or partial-month discounts available. Also there are shorter month-to-month memberships available, typically only after a term has started, with a higher monthly rate.
Exchange Worker (J-1 summer and winter): Are you an exchange worker through ICEO or other organizations? We have special rates and terms. Apply to Live with us and state your preferences, and we will provide the available options.

Room Styles and Rate in the URN and Community Houses:

Economy Bedrooms

Pricing varies

Typically smaller bedrooms, bedrooms on basement floors, or less desirable locations
Standard Bedrooms

$700-750/month

Standard bedroom size, typically with built-in closet, and on main or top floors
Deluxe Bedrooms

$750-$825/month

Oversize or large rooms with extra space for storage, and usually good convenient location. Sometimes has private bathroom
Premium Bedrooms

$825-$900/month

Bedrooms with private bathroom and sometimes private entrance.
Most Community house housing memberships require last month rent prepaid, plus full month refundable one-time security deposit, one-time $100 member set-up fee. and one-time $50 cleaning fee (except homestay family and short-term options)

Homestay Families

We know of several local families that have rooms for rent in their home. Located in suburban houses, usually further from the university campus. Usually a family or retired couple or single empty-nester older adult lives on-site. The benefit is to experience life with a local American family or resident. The support and guidance you will receive living with a local resident is valuable.

Guidance on local customs, some transportation, traditional food, and not being alone. Often, these local host families have other international students living with them, giving you added benefit of friendships and community, just like in a community house. These local families have a room for rent, that can be short-term, with 1-5 months of housing. This is ideal for younger international students looking for a temporary home to stay until they find long-term housing in the city, or exchange students wanting American family experience. Rent is paid directly to the home host. Some families offer some meals and food, and some do not. Most all, offer a furnished room with bed and desk, along with most utilities paid. Typically $650-$800 a month, includes furniture and utilities and wifi internet. Food and transportation, the students need to arrange, yet it comes with access to a home kitchen. Some families have weekly meals together. On the application form, mark your interest in a homestay family.

Local families: If you would like to host an international student in your home, click here for more details

Area Partner Apartments

The Reno International House also can refer international students and immigrants to apartment complexes, property managers, and rental housing communities that are “international friendly” . . . meaning they have and continue to rent to international students and recent immigrants, or have a positive referral and reputation within our international community. These are usually apartment communities that allow residents who do not have well established credit report histories, or citizenship status, to still obtain housing usually with the requirement of a higher security deposit. Many of these apartment communities favor internationals, as they increase the diversity of their community, as well as benefit from the loyalty and maturity that internationals bring to their rental mix.

Sometimes, it helps to have a “reference” or “voucher”, meaning, another organization or housing provider endorses a person to be rentworthy. When an apartment community that we work sees that you are referred by the Reno International House, they can know and trust that you as a prospective resident have a positive recommendation from an organization that they know well.

​We have a full list of area apartments on our Student Housing Resources page.

Prices and Styles of Area Partner Apartments

Apartments of international students and immigrants in Reno usually have 4 tiers of sizes:

Efficiency Apartments
Efficiency units are usually small, and have many elements that are shared, like a communal kitchen or laundry area. The difference between an efficiency apartment and a rentable bedroom is that an efficiency has its own private entrance directly into the room, making it more of an apartment rather than a bedroom feel. Some have small kitchenettes, and nearly all have their own private bathroom. Many local apartment complexes that advertise studio apartments, are actually efficiency units. These include older apartment communities called student housing. Semi-private, but usually a shared kitchen. Efficiency apartments are usually in older historic buildings, and are rare to find, as they are not popular for current developers and managers to build and manage, due to the small size and difficulties in managing shared spaces. Rental rates for efficiency apartments in Reno usually start at $800 a month.

Studio Apartments
Studio apartments are typically more “complete” than efficiency apartments, in that they have their own private kitchen. But the whole living area, like an efficiency unit, functions as the bedroom itself. Studio apartment rents for international students typically start around $900 a month.

1-bedroom Apartments
This is the going “standard” of entry-level apartment units in Reno. It is a fully functional apartment home, with its own private bathroom, private kitchen, separate entrance (you do not have to walk through shared living area to enter the unit), and often private laundry. The bedroom is separated from a living room area; making if feel more like a private home. Ideal for couples. 1-bedroom apartment rents for international students typically start around $1,200 a month and up.

2+ Bedroom Apartments
Larger apartments, with multiple bedrooms, ideal either for families with children or grandparents, or for multiple international students who want to go in to share an apartment together. 2-bedroom apartment units start their rents around $1,300 a month and up.
The above quoted prices are not exact, and are approximate, and do not usually include utilities.