Undergraduate students at CIM are required to live on campus for their first two years of collegiate study. Upperclassmen and graduate students can rent out apartments and houses within University Circle or in nearby neighborhoods. Although it's the student’s responsibility to secure suitable housing off-campus, the CIM Student Affairs team is here to assist with the search.

On-Campus Housing

CIM’s state-of-the-art student housing complex is located at 1609 Hazel Drive, just steps from CIM’s main building in University Circle. The five-story facility includes 22 acoustically isolated practice rooms on the main floor, residence space for first- and second-year CIM undergraduates as well as limited rental units targeted at upper-class and graduate students at CIM on the second and third floors. In general, first-year students live in four-person suites with double bedrooms, and second years live in four-person suites with single bedrooms.

Amenities include:

  • Deluxe, fully furnished units with all the comforts of home, including in-suite bathrooms, Wi-Fi, laundry and full kitchens
  • An acoustical-minded construction approach, which reduces sound transfer suite to suite
  • 19 individual and 3 chamber music-sized practice rooms available around the clock
  • Secure, controlled access
  • Exercise studios
  • Spacious, relaxing lounges and a classroom 
  • Individually controlled heating and cooling

For those planning to live in CIM's student housing complex, you must complete CIM's Housing Contract. You can also read or download our packing list to help prepare you for the move.

Off-Campus Housing

Please be advised: CIM is not affiliated with or endorsing any apartment complex, community, business, or entity. CIM encourages students to further research the resources below before signing lease agreements or making purchases of any kind. 

Suggested Neighborhoods

Most upperclassmen and graduate students choose to live off campus in apartments or rental houses located in University Circle (Hessler Road, East 115th, or Uptown apartments) or in neighborhoods bordering campus (Little Italy, Coventry and Cleveland Heights), which are an easy commute by bicycle or on foot. You'll have access to a public transportation pass to help you commute and get around the city.

Key Resources

Finding Housing Off-Campus:

Leasing Tip:

Do you know what to look for in a lease, and the kinds of questions you need to ask a prospective landlord? Learn all you need to know about the basics, including security deposits, inspections, and overall maintenance and security. The Center for Online Education provides a Student Guide to College Housing regarding important facts to keep in mind as you look at off-campus housing options.

FAQs

Who has access to the practice rooms in CIM’s student housing complex?

CIM residents of 1609 will have 24-hour access to the 22 top-end Wenger practice rooms (19 individual rooms and 3 chamber-sized rooms). CIM students living off campus will also have access to the practice rooms with some time limitations. Building access is structured so that practice rooms and CIM floors are available only to CIM students and CIM residents. 

Who will occupy the other two residential floors of CIM’s student housing complex?

NewBrook Partners, the real estate development company working on the project, has leased the other two residential floors to our partner and neighbor, Case Western Reserve University, for the next 3-5 years. CWRU students will have access only to their floors; they will not have access to the practice rooms or the CIM floors.

Am I eligible to live off campus?

Undergraduates must live in CIM housing for the first two years of collegiate studies. If the Cleveland area is your permanent home, you are automatically released in the second year if you elect to commute from your home address. Transfer students may be eligible to live off campus depending on their transfer level; most transfer students will be required to live on campus for at least one year. Graduate students live off-campus. 

The new student housing complex provides us the exciting opportunity to offer housing to a limited number of students who are not required to live on campus. These spaces will be filled by lottery. Information about entering the lottery will be shared with all students and posted here once available.

Will living off campus affect my financial aid?

For an undergraduate student, living off campus will change the budget used to calculate your financial aid package. If you are receiving any grant money in your package, living off campus could affect the amount you receive. Check with the Office of Financial Aid prior to requesting a release. Financial aid for graduate students living off campus should not be affected.