On behalf of the Graduate and Professional Student Services department at Duke, we are thrilled to welcome you to Duke to the City of Durham. While you are a student at Duke, you'll also be living in this wonderful small city many of us call home.There are great places to eat around town, beautiful parks, and a rich history of social justice organizing. We hope you'll feel as at home in Durham as you do at Duke for your time here.
Housing and Residence Life (HRL) will offer a limited amount of on-campus housing for Graduate and Professional Students during the 2022-2023 academic year at 301 Swift apartments. For more information, please visit the Graduate & Professional Student Housing page
Check out NearDuke.Com: This is a comprehensive listing of houses and apartments close to Duke’s campus. You can sort by price, number of bedrooms, etc.
DukeList: find local homeowners renting an entire house or apartment or a room, sublets from other students
Use a check list to plan your budget and make sure you’re considering different factors like rent, utilities, and transportation costs.
The average rent in Durham is around $1,500 -$1,900 per month. Learn more from local market data here.
Providers
Duke Energy-Electricity
Dominion–Natural Gas
City of Durham-Water
Spectrum, Frontier, Google Fiber–Internet
Learn how to save on utilities and lower your carbon footprint
Don’t have a furnished place? Find furniture to rent or local stores that sell used furniture for a good cause.
By bus
Duke: Duke has a free bus system for all members of the Duke community. If you aren’t bringing a car to Durham, we strongly recommend living on a Duke bus line. This map shows apartment complexes that are on a Duke bus line or a Durham bus line that goes to Duke.
Durham: Duke students are eligible for a free bus pass for the regional bus system.
By car
Apply for a student parking pass to park on campus here.
Some apartment complexes require you to purchase a parking pass. Additionally, some neighborhoods require a neighborhood parking pass to park on the street. Check with your property management for parking information.
Duke offers many carpooling options to reduce the cost of parking on/driving to campus.
By bike
Duke offers incentives for bike commuters, including two free parking passes per month, and has a number of resources for cyclists on the Parking & Transportation website.
Durham ordinances you need to know (infographic for each)
Durham’s noise ordinance covers “unreasonably loud” or “disturbing” noise and specifically prohibits amplified music after 11pm.
Durham’s noise ordinance results in criminal consequences: you can be cited or arrested for a violation.
The noise ordinance applies any time of day or night but becomes stricter after 11pm.
First time violations will receive a warning
Duke students will then either receive a criminal citation or be referred to the Durham County Misdemeanor Diversion Program.
Trash:
Keep your yard clean! The City of Durham requires residents to keep trash out of their yard.
You can be issued a notice of violation and/or a fine and are required to clean up the trash within 10 days.
Take your bins in! The City of Durham requires residents to take their trash cans in between pick up days, i.e. you cannot just leave your trash/recycling bins at the curb all of the time.
Look up what day your trash and recycling get picked up
Learn what you can and can’t recycle in Durham
How to properly dispose of bulky items (Furniture, old appliances, lawn equipment, rugs, etc)
Outdoor furniture
No couches on the porch or in your yard: You are not allowed to have indoor furniture outdoors, whether it’s on your porch, in your yard, or in your driveway.
You can be issued a notice of violation and/or a fine and are required to remove the furniture within 10 days.
Like most cities, Durham is not immune from crime. Take the time to understand your neighborhood and learn ways to keep yourself safe.
Know your rights and responsibilities as a tenant
Durham history/culture: Durham is your home while you’re at Duke. Take the time to learn it’s history.