America's Best Big Cities for College Students

Going to school in a legitimate urban center is a completely different experience than go in a college Ithiel Town . Whereas college - town bar sell you $ 5 John Barleycorn pitchers , in most grown cities you ’ll be lucky to see a prevention with $ 5 water . In college township you may plunge yourself in the collegial experience ; in metropolis you may immerse yourself in culture grownup worked on for more than a semester . In college town rents are reasonable . In some metropolis they ’re more than your parents ' mortgage . You get the melodic theme .

That ’s not to say one is any better than the other , but if you are one who resolve to matriculate in a major subway system , some metropolis extend decidedly better experiences than others . So we took a look at the major US city , range them in five category , and found the 15 best for college .

Methods

Having term - paper flashback with that subheading ? Good . We took a look at five dissimilar categories and assigned each metropolis a grad from " A " to " F , " with pluses and minuses factored in . The grades were base on staffers ' firsthand knowledge plus operose data point from the experts .

conveyance : Determined by how easy a metropolis was to hold out in without a car , based onSmartAsset.com ’s resume of public transportation and WalkScore.com ’s ranking ofwalkabilityAffordability : Based on modal price of a one - bedchamber apartmentScene : Based on the price of going out in each urban center , its relative options for college scholarly person , and broadly on WalletHub ’s ranking of themost fun cities in America . Since we all know " funnest " is n’t a word . succeeding prospects : Based onGlassdoor.comandWalletHubrankings of best cities for jobs . If you ’re actually trying to endure in the city where you went to school . Culture : Based on routine of ethnical attractions in a city ( museums , ballet , theatrical performances , etc . ) andBusiness Insider’sranking of best city for civilisation

And as a tiebreaker , we looked at how many median days of sunniness each city has . Because what college kid would n’t rather spend their time studying in the temperateness ?

Pittsburgh

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15. Louisville, Kentucky

Transportation : C+Affordability : AScene : BFuture prospects : ACulture : CGPA:3.06Though your educational choice in Luh - vuhl wo n’t extend much past a schooling with venues name after fast - nutrient joints , it ’s still a helluva a place to go to school . Yes , it ’s Kentucky , so if you were looking to study classical ballet or modern art this might not be your Valhalla . Though itishome to the Actors Theatre ’s Humana Festival of New American Plays . It ’s also themost hippie town in Kentucky , so when you long for incense and sept medicine , Bardstown Rd look . It ’s not the easiest city to get around , but if you may blast out for an Uber the scene at 4th Street Live ! is tailor - made for college kids , assuming you ’re 21 . And there ’s no reason not to have said Uber - menu in a city where a one - chamber apartment cost you $ 741 . Best of all , Louisville has some real hazard for you to make a career , grade the 18th - skillful metropolis for job by Glassdoor .

14. Boston, Massachusetts

Transportation : AAffordability : FScene : AFuture expectation : B+Culture : AGPA : 3.06Boasting 54 college and universities – with emphasis on the " jactitation " – bully Boston is doing something right . Sure , it ’s expensive ( a one - bedroom average $ 2,800 ) but it ’s the top - stag city in the nation for public shipping , and many schoolhouse are nestled in very walkable smaller towns . During the shoal year the city ’s nightlife is overrun with college students , which 20 - to-30 - somethings might keen , but it get it the best big city for college nightlife in America . It ’s arrest all the finish of its northeastern rival in New York and DC , and was rated the fourthly - good metropolis for jobs by Glassdoor .

13. Las Vegas, Nevada

transportation system : C+Affordability : AScene : AFuture prospects : CCulture : CGPA : 3.06When you tell your parents , " I ’m going to college in Las Vegas , " what they ’ll believably hear is , " I ’m going to spend all that money you save on Ni slot and pai gow , and may resort to stripping if things do n’t ferment out . " But believe it or not , Sin City is a pretty seemly place to go to college , even if you ca n’t name anyone other than Larry Johnson who pass to UNLV . It ’s distastefully cheap to survive here , not just because of the abundance of $ 8.95 AYCE prize costa buffet , but also because the average economic rent for a one - chamber is $ 785 a month . Which means you ’ll have great deal of money leave over to enjoy thebest party metropolis in America , the urban center ranked No . 1 most - fun by WalletHub . And if you come to Vegas to stay healthy , the area ’s border by hiking , biking , and skiing in the wintertime . It ’s still Vegas , so high culture is gon na be bad to find . But if your idea of " culture " involve French - Canadian acrobats and Britney Spears , you ’ve found Paris in more ways than one .

12. Seattle, Washington

transportation system : A - Affordability :D - Scene : BFuture prospects : ACulture : AGPA : 3.08The idea of tailgating on a gravy holder with a clear view of Mount Rainier is reason enough to sell anyone on college in Seattle . Soggy weather apart , you wo n’t find a metropolis on the West Coast better suited for bookman . The Link train just opened a plosive at Husky Stadium , and while it wo n’t take you much of anywhere other than Downtown , the Metro bus system is a large part of why Seattle was deemed the sixth - best for public transit . The city was rated tip in finish , with a philharmonic , ballet , creation - family art museum , and the most one-year regional dramaturgy operation of any urban center outside of New York . And if you want to work here after graduation , Amazon is hire roughly 27 million people over the next decade , so you ’ve got plenty of pick . The downside ? It ’s expensive AF , a once - low-cost city now mentioned in the same breathing space as Chicago and Miami for price of subsist ( one - chamber average out $ 1,710 ) . But separate a five - bedroom house with 12 other masses in the U District and you ’ll probably be OK .

11. Tampa Bay area, Florida

transportation system : DAffordability : AScene : AFuture prospects : A - Culture : C+GPA : 3.08If you applied to a schooling called " the University of South Florida " you might adopt it to be somewhere in Miami or Ft . Lauderdale . Then you ’d bury this is Florida , where even the hoi polloi name the university seem to have failed eighth - mark geography . But worry not ! USF is actually in a much better city for college students , as the Tampa - St. Pete domain has all the great atmospheric condition of Miami , at less than half the price . It ’s sprawly and tough to get around , but you ’ll be able to afford a car with one - bedrooms in Tampa average $ 1,000 per month , $ 920 in St. Pete . Tampa was ranked the 11th - most - fun metropolis in America , and the scene is mostly post - collegiate , especially around one ofAmerica ’s aphrodisiacal neighborhoodsin SoHo . St. Pete has develop a night life scene of its own , with three breweries Downtown and a springy - euphony venue ( Jannus Live ) literally set in the middle of a block of bars . And though the words " Tampa " and " high polish " are typically only used together by strip nightspot aficionados , St. Petersburg has the nation ’s leading Salvador Dali museum . There are , of course , the beaches ( Eckerd College has its own ) , where you’re able to study for finals and work on your tan at the same time . And if you get sand in your brake shoe you may credibly stick around for a while . Tampa was grass the 22nd - best city for jobs by WalletHub .

10. Nashville, Tennessee

Transportation : C+Affordability : B+Scene : AFuture aspect : C+Culture : A - GPA : 3.12America ’s best metropolis to expend the weekendis also a enough billet to spend the four near old age of your life . Never mind the nice weather and the fact that half the country seems to be move there – the Music City still stays relatively affordable with one - bedrooms average $ 1,290 . Sure , the picture here can break away touristy , and occasionally skew hokey , but the prices are n’t near what they are in other tourist mecca like Miami and Vegas , and the shot is far more welcoming if you happen to be in college . Vanderbilt ’s donnish rep does n’t hold back the near - campus bars , which would fit with SEC sibling in Knoxville or Tuscaloosa . Surprisingly the metropolis was rated just behind Washington , DC for walkability , meaning no railway car here is not a social expiry conviction . The jobs berth is n’t smashing ( rank 57th by WalletHub ) but is still more bright than recurrent post - grad destinations like DC and Chicago .

9. Madison, Wisconsin

exile : B+Affordability : AScene : AFuture prospects : BCulture : C - GPA : 3.2Madison is known to most Americans as habitation to the University of Wisconsin , so it ’s not a vast surprise it ’s also one of the good cities to go to college . The fit here is undeniably perfect for a college student , and because the campus is among the central features of the metropolis , it ’s simple to make due without a elevator car . Another welfare to its built-in college - township feel : rip ’s garish , at $ 1,149 for a one - chamber flat . Not precisely a bargain , but with the price of eat and drinking here so low , it ’s still an " A " for affordability . As the state uppercase , it also rat extremely for job potential , and has more culture than you ’d find in a typical college town . But the Florence of the Midwest it is not , so for highbrow thrill you may have to design retentive weekenders to Chicago .

8. Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Transportation : BAffordability : AScene : BFuture candidate : ACulture : CGPA : 3.2Really the biggest downside with going to school anywhere in the Research Triangle is having to share a metropolis with Duke buff . If you could get past that , the intact area has pleasant weather , three metropolis with distinct college ginmill scenes , and heavy job prospects . The region ’s rare in that three major university – UNC , NC State , and Duke – all divvy up a metro area of just over a million mass . Durham and Chapel Hill are completely manageable without a car , and Raleigh rank in about the middle of the , hem , bundle in terms of walkability . Rent is college townsfolk - like , with one - bedchamber apartments averaging $ 1,050 . But the undecomposed part about going to school here is that it ’s consistently rated among the top cities for growth : numeral eight for job by Glassdoor and phone number 23 by WalletHub . It ’s not exactly the cultural mecca of the South , but it ’s getting there . And as the universe here booms , liveliness in RDU can only get better .

7. St. Louis, Missouri

transit : C+Affordability : AScene : AFuture prospects : B - polish : A - GPA : 3.22St . Louis , you are overlooked no more . Those honor hold especially true if you ’re a college pupil . The biggest knock on the place is how overspread out it is : the train wo n’t take you much of anywhere other than the airport , and you ’ll need a cable car to getsomewhereevery hebdomad . However , the upside is that there are big neighborhoods everywhere . type in point : Washington University , which is a good 15 - 20 second from Downtown , but is edge by the Delmar Loop and Clayton , so you wo n’t need a car if you need to go out . Rent here is screwball inexpensive for a city that offer up so much , with one - bedroom averaging $ 1,000 . And you require acculturation ? St. Louis has its own symphony orchestra and not one , but TWO ballet companies in Saint Louis Ballet and the Missouri Ballet Theatre .

6. Atlanta, Georgia

transit : C+Affordability : B - Scene : AFuture prospects : B+Culture : AGPA : 3.26The MARTA is n’t exactly your average Georgia Tech student ’s transportation method of choice , and living in the ATL means you ’re going to need a cable car . But that ’s about the biggest fault of college life here , as it ’s a comparatively affordable city where a college bookman can let his own one - bedchamber for a reasonable $ 1,380 a month . The nightlife and restaurants are world - class , and a night out in Buckhead will make your friends at Big body politic U jealous of your pick . Atlanta is the cultural centre of the South , which might go like being the oldest baby in the nursery , but this urban center is one of the most vivacious and diverse on the planet . Your post - grad prospects are n’t bad , either : Atlanta was ranked twenty-fourth in America for jobs on Glassdoor.com .

5. Houston, Texas

Transportation : B+Affordability : A - prospect : B - succeeding prospect : BCulture : A - GPA : 3.26We’vesaid it onceand we ’ll say it again : Houston as a city just does things right . It has the only public transportation arrangement in the Southern United States even rated by SmartAsset ( # 23 ) , and has a staggering 19 museum in its famous Museum District , most notably the Houston Museum of Fine Arts . It ’s got pro sports , green blank , fantastic food , and practiced of all is affordable on a college budget . Rent here runs just $ 1,130 a calendar month for one - bedrooms . And while the oil colour crash has made jobs harder to come by than a few age ago , it ’s still grade 25th - good by WalletHub . An added bonus : when the stress of finals gets to be too much , there ’s even a place where you could go pay $ 25 tosmash video and fax machines with a sledge .

4. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

deportation : B+Affordability : A - fit : boron - Future prospects : BCulture : A - GPA : 3.34Believe it or not , there are even corking matter about going to school day in Pittsburgh than being capable to slam Iron Cities to your nitty-gritty ’s content . Da ' Burgh is one of the most underrated cultural cities in America , even if you do n’t apprise the cultural progress that is putting Gallic fries on a sandwich . It ’s got one of the highest densities of museums and university per head in America , and boasts the famed Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre , the National Aviary , and Andy Warhol ’s greatest works at the Warhol Museum . Pittsburgh also has the most bars and restaurants per head of any US urban center , make it a playfulness - ranking of 14th . crapulence prices wo n’t make your eyes pop when you toss off out , and neither will rip with one - bedrooms averaging $ 1,090 a month . It ’s the 19th - adept metropolis in America for jobs , and with fair real estate prices , if you’re able to handle the cold you’re able to make a middling nice life history for yourself here after commencement ceremony .

3. Chicago, Illinois

Transportation : AAffordability : CScene : A - Future prospect : BCulture : AGPA : 3.34The only member of the big three to check our honor whorl is Chicago , mostly because it ’s the only one that did n’t whole fail cost - of - living . Make no mistake , Chicago is still one of the most expensive cities in America , but Chicagoans do fuck to bluster about how much more they get for their money than New Yorkers . The city has the fourthly - ranked public transit system , again make life accomplishable without a motorcar or a cab . Chicago is also teeming with culture , with perhaps the most diverse accumulation of architecture of any metropolis in the body politic , a man - class ballet , arguably the nation ’s good theater scene outside of Manhattan , and some of the best comic on the planet performing nightly . We wo n’t even start in on the food . And despite the bitter - moth-eaten winters , going to school here can be a great time , as long as you know how to dress the part .

2. Providence, Rhode Island

exile : BAffordability : AScene : AFuture prospects : CCulture : A - GPA : 3.34Providence might just be America ’s large college town . With four big schools swarm its core , a trip here in the crepuscle feels more like being in State College than it does being 50 miles from Boston . business district is full of brewery , modest bars , and funky little eating place that do n’t have a big - metropolis feel , despite the tall building and bustling streets . Going out costs literally half of what it would in nearby Boston , and rent are gleefully cheap at $ 934 a month . The acculturation here is various , with one of America ’s most authentic Italian enclaves in Federal Hill and history on display at museums and historical homes along the Providence River . But much like other college towns , it ’s a Neverland you might finally have to forget , as WalletHub rates Providence right between Newark and Modesto for jobs . Still , if you want to pass four eld have merriment in a college metropolis , and desire a stark warm - up for real , grown - up life-time , you ’ll find nowhere in America quite like Providence .

1. Austin, Texas

Transportation : A - Affordability : A - Scene : AFuture scene : ACulture : CGPA : 3.68The lone " A " student who will no doubt be perplex a swirly on the way to his next class is Austin , America ’s perpetual darling and the city of choice for expensive liberal metropolis denizen who wish to say material like , " I need to get out of here … maybe Austin ! " Yes , traffic is a nightmare , but because the city was once small , and boasted little more than UT and the Capitol Building , getting from campus to anywhere you ’d require to go is actually passably comfortable sans auto . Despite the uncomfortable ontogeny , it ’s still an low-cost city with one - sleeping room average out $ 1,180 a month . The scenery here is fantastic , and even if you do n’t want to partake your college bars with a thousand unmarried man / bachelorette party on east 5th St , the city ’s got plenty of bouncy - music venues that you ’ll need to annul only during SXSW . You want jobs ? Austin ’s got more than any low-cost city , ranking sixth on Glassdoor ’s list and being the only urban center ranking that highly with split under $ 1,500 / calendar month . And while it might not be the brouhaha of gamy polish that some older cities are , remember it ’s new to this whole " grownup city " thing . In a few eld it might be even more of a nerd .

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