Living On and Off Campus

Exploring Housing Options

On-Campus

R&DE Housing Assignments
482 Galvez Mall, Suite 110
Stanford, CA 94305
(650) 725-2810

studenthousing@stanford.edu

The central University’s Student Housing Office and Graduate Residence Office are the main contacts for on-campus housing. The information below provides a general overview and informal advice only. If you need more detailed information about housing or housing policies, please contact the Student Housing Office directly. Please visit the Stanford Student Housing website to learn more. Information regarding on-campus housing will be available in early March.

As an incoming law student, you are guaranteed placement in on-campus housing as long as you apply for housing in early May. Should you miss the May housing application deadline, the deadline for the wait list for campus housing typically takes place in July. Initial assignments from the wait list will be announced in late-July.  Please refer to the Stanford Student Housing website for complete deadline information.

On-campus graduate residences include: Munger (single students or couples with some priority to students in the Law School, Escondido Village (single students, couples, and families with children), Lyman (single students only), Rains Houses (single students only), and Schwab Center (single students only with priority to students in the Graduate School of Business). All campus residences are furnished and include draperies or window shades, but do not have linens or kitchen utensils. Some apartments have small storage spaces. You may request an unfurnished apartment, if you prefer, but the cost is the same. All apartments are heated by individually controlled heating units.

As law students will have some priority in the Munger Graduate Residence Hall, please make sure to read through the description of this living space.

Off-Campus

Rental housing is available near Stanford, but the University is located in a highly-desirable suburban area in the heart of Silicon Valley. Consequently, off-campus rental rates are relatively high compared to many other regions of the United States and even other parts of the Bay Area.

If you decide to live off campus, plan to arrive at Stanford at least two weeks early to take advantage of a wider range of housing choices.

You can check local rental listings, accessible only to Stanford students and affiliates, at the Student Housing’s Community Housing website. You will need your SUNet ID and password to enter the site.

Getting Around Campus and the Bay Area


Below you will find information about getting around campus and the Bay Area including information about alternative transportation, parking on campus, and links to the DMV to learn more about your driver’s license and car registration.

Alternative Transportation in the Bay Area

Biking on Campus

Many students without cars use bikes as their main source of transportation. Stanford University offers a program for bike commuters, which gives information about route planning, bicycle parking, security, bike shops in the area, and locker rentals. Visit the Bicycling at Stanford website for program information.

Marguerite Shuttle

Stanford University operates a free shuttle service that circles the campus, Caltrain station, and the Stanford Shopping Center.  For more details, visit the Marguerite website for schedules and route maps.

Carpooling

Carpool information is also available through the University’s Parking & Transportation Services.  For more details, visit the Parking and Transportation Services website.

Caltrain

Caltrain is a commuter rail service that runs along the Peninsula between Gilroy and San Francisco. Stanford’s free Marguerite Campus Shuttle meets trains at the California Avenue and Downtown Palo Alto stations between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays. Marguerite also provides late-night and weekend service to the Palo Alto station during the academic year.  For more details, visit the Caltrain website.

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)

The BART system serves the San Francisco Bay Area including the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Daly City, Richmond, Fremont, Hayward, Walnut Creek, Concord, Martinez, and Pittsburg/Baypoint. BART also serves South San Francisco, San Bruno, San Francisco International Airport and Millbrae, with connecting service to Oakland International Airport using the AirBART buses. Unfortunately, it does not extend as far south as Palo Alto; however, it does connect with Caltrain in Millbrae. For more details, visit the BART website.

Line U Stanford Express

AC Transit runs a weekday express shuttle bus service between the East Bay and the Stanford campus.  This service is free for Stanford faculty, staff, students, and hospital employees.  For all other riders, a fare of $4.20 each direction applies.  For more details, visit the Parking and Transportation Services website.

SamTrans

The bus system for San Mateo County is known as SamTrans. It offers routes from Palo Alto to all of San Mateo County (north of campus), including service to the San Francisco International Airport.  For more details, visit the SamTrans website.

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

The VTA connects the Palo Alto train station (and the free Marguerite shuttle service) to Santa Clara County (south of campus). VTA also provides light rail service in the South Bay.  For VTA information, visit the VTA website.

San Francisco MUNI

MUNI provides bus and metro train service in San Francisco. For more details, visit the MUNI website.

Other Alternative Transportation Options

Public transportation is available through a variety of systems described in detail, with links to other sites, through transit.511.org.  In addition, you may visit the Parking and Transportation Services website for more information about alternative transportation options and how to “strive at Stanford” without a car.

Parking on Campus

Stanford Transportation

Please note that Stanford Transportation no longer has a retail counter. You can continue to reach them by email or phone

Mailing Address:
Stanford Transportation
415 Broadway
Redwood City, CA 94063-8877

Business Hours
7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Monday–Friday.
Closed on university holidays and one half-day in December (to be announced)

General Inquiries
650.723.9362
transportation@stanford.edu

In the event you do bring a car to Stanford, you must purchase a parking permit in order to park on campus. Students with partners or spouses who live in on-campus residences are allowed to purchase permits for two vehicles.

Various types of parking permits are available for different lengths of time, e.g., 9 months or a full year. For those who live on campus, you will need to buy a permit for the appropriate residential area. For those who live off campus and will commute to SLS, “A” permits, which are typically closer to campus buildings, and “C” permits are available for purchase.   The closest parking lot to Stanford Law School is Parking Structure 6 which offers “A” and “C” permit parking spaces.

Temporary permits are also available for purchase at the Parking and Transportation office.  Please be aware that you will need a parking permit to park in Parking Structure 6 during Orientation as “A” and “C” permit parking is enforced M-F from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cash Refund for Commuters/Clean Air Credit

If you use alternative transportation options and do not purchase a parking sticker, you may be eligible for a cash payment as part of Stanford University’s policy to reduce driving and parking on-campus. You may obtain more information by going to the Parking and Transportation Services website.

Driver’s License and Car Registration

DMV

300 Brester Avenue
Redwood City
(800) 777-0133

For full details regarding driver’s license and car registration requirements, please visit the DMV website.

To avoid a long wait, please be sure to schedule an online appointment prior to your visit to the DMV.

Living On and Off campus 1

Living in Palo Alto

Stanford Law School, located in the city of Palo Alto at the heart of Silicon Valley, is 45 minutes from San Francisco, 30 minutes from the beach, and 3½ hours from the snow. More than 100 years old, Palo Alto is home to approximately 66,000 residents. On weekdays, due to daily commuters, the population increases to nearly 140,000. Palo Alto encompasses an area of approximately 26 square miles, of which one-third is open space. Known as the “Birthplace of the Silicon Valley,” Palo Alto was also the first U.S. city to have an Internet home page in 1994. Palo Alto has over 300 local restaurants and offers access to outdoor hiking and a myriad of cultural activities.

  • The city of Palo Alto is more than 100 years old, and is named after a majestic 1,000 year old coastal redwood tree along San Francisquito Creek, where early Spanish explorers settled.
  • The city encompasses an area of approximately 26 square miles, of which one-third is open space.
  • First city to open a public children’s library (1940).
  • First U.S. city to have an Internet home page (1994).
  • Palo Alto is strategically located and easily accessible to major surface routes, including Interstate 280, Highway 101, Highway 84 – the Dumbarton Bridge and Highway 92 – the Hayward-San Mateo Bridge.
  • Population: 66,000 residents (approximately)
  • Movie theaters within 15 miles: 26 (approximately)
  • Restaurants within 15 miles: 4,511 (approximately)
  • Restaurants within downtown Palo Alto: 80 (approximately)
  • Public golf courses within 30 miles: 61 (approximately)
  • Libraries within 15 miles: 69 (approximately)
  • Museums within 30 miles: 13 (approximately)
  • Palo Alto city-owned parks: 34 (approximately)
  • Annual precipitation 15.7 inches
  • High temperature in July 78.80°F
  • Low temperature in January 40.40°F

To learn more about local resources in Palo Alto, visit the Graduate Life Office website.