CSU Housing Options Expand; Prices Increase – The Cauldron
Cleveland State University recently purchased The Edge on Euclid and The Langston, two apartment complexes adjacent to campus.
The apartment buildings currently serve as two of the most popular off campus housing options for students. As of Spring 2023, renters also include non-CSU students, such as students from Tri-C, Case Western, and other community members. As of Fall 2023, these renters will be unable to renew their lease and required to move out.
According to a email from the CSU Department of Residence Life and Housing, “The Edge on Euclid and The Langston were recently acquired by Cleveland State University and beginning Fall 2023, will be fully integrated communities within the CSU Department of Residence Life & Housing.” The apartments will be part of “on campus upper-division residential communities for the 2023-2024 academic year.”
Some residential community policies will differ for The Edge on Euclid and The Langston because they are upper-division housing, according to the CSU Department of Residence Life and Housing. Students will be required to follow all university and department policies, with exceptions such as not being required to check in guests and not being required to attend floor meetings.
The aforementioned joint email explains, “Our intention for The Edge on Euclid and The Langston is to maintain an independent living experience while adding the additional benefits of living on campus.” Additional benefits are explained as centralized billing (allowing financial aid, loans, and scholarships to pay for housing directly) and fast responses to maintenance requests, roommate issues, and housing contract questions. Benefits are also explained as better connections to the CSU community and resources contributing to overall student success, more housing options, safety and security resources through campus departments, and other live-in resources.
This expansion of on campus housing is part of CSU’s Campus Master Plan. As of November 17, 2022, the plan lists the existing residential bed count to be at 2,206. Proposed renovations are expected to add 465 beds, and proposed new residential beds are listed at 1,780. The total bed count is approximated to be 4,451 with 325 square feet per bed for the renovated and new beds.
The Edge opened in 2017 and offers 250 units with 564 total bed spaces. The Lanston opened in 2012 and offers 370 units. Floor plans range from one to four bedroom units at both apartment complexes. These 620 units presumably make up the majority of the proposed new residential beds.
Through The Edge on Euclid, The Department of Residence Life and Housing informed eligible students on October 24, 2022 via email that “Beginning on December 7, 2022, current CSU students will be able to sign a housing contract and secure a spot in any of our on-campus upper-division residential communities for the 2023-2024 academic year.” On December 6, 2022, students were informed that the opening of the housing contracts would be delayed until December 15, 2022. On December 15, 2022, the opening was again delayed until December 19, 2022. The housing contract is currently open, but housing deposits cannot be paid until January 20.
The opening of the housing contract was part of CSU’s Continued Occupancy program which is available for students currently living at The Edge on Euclid and The Langston. Continued Occupancy will allow students to choose to live in their same bed spaces and transition to living on campus. A student wishing to live in a different bed space will be required to move out on July 31, 2023 and move back in on the fall move in date. More information and a bed space renewal timeline are provided on the CSU Department of Residence Life and Housing Website.
For students who still wish to live off campus, but still in close proximity to campus, the transition from apartments to on campus housing severely limits already scarce off campus housing options. Furthermore, costs to live at The Edge on Euclid and The Langston will rise when they are officially offered as student housing in Fall 2023.
According to The Edge on Euclid website, current rent is as follows:
| Unit Type | Annual (12 Months) | Per Month |
| 1BD-1BA | $17,220 | $1435 |
| 2BD-2BA | $10,428-$10,788 | $869-$899 |
| 4BD-4BA | $9,228-$9,588 | $769-$799 |
Residents at The Edge on Euclid are currently required to pay electricity each month. The Edge on Langston uses SimpleBills so residents can pay for electricity. SimpleBills lists the average cost of electricity at $141.15 for one month in a four person unit. Rounding up, the average is $36 per person for a month of electricity.
Looking at only rent and utilities, a student can live in a four person unit at The Edge on Euclid for $9,660 for 12 months.
The CSU Housing annual contracts include winter break (8/24/23 through 5/18/2024), and amounts listed are per person.
CSU The Edge Rates for 2023-2024 Cohort:
| Unit Type | Annual | Semester |
| Studio | $14,100 | $7,050 |
| 1BD-1BA | $17,680 | $8,840 |
| 2BD-2BA | $11,000 | $5,500 |
| 4BD-4BA | $10,500 | $5,250 |
Rent and utilities will increase from a total of $9,660 for 12 months, to $10,500 for about 9 months once CSU transitions The Edge to on campus housing.
Students living at The Edge when it becomes on campus housing will also be required to purchase a meal plan. A condensed meal plan (Weekly 5 + $500 dining dollars each semester) will be available to students living at The Edge on Euclid and The Langston “to reflect the independent living environment while ensuring students have access to sustenance throughout the year while locations and restaurants are open” according to the Department of Residence Life and Housing Website. The options for residential meal plans are listed below.
| Residential Meal Plans for 2023-2024 | Annual | Semester |
| Green & White Unlimited Meal Swipes + $400 Dining Dollars Each Semester | $4,760 | $2,380 |
| Weekly 14 + $150 Dining Dollars Each Semester | $3,710 | $1,855 |
| Weekly 5 + $500 Dining Dollars Each Semester | $2,300 | $1,150 |
Spending $250 on groceries each month costs a student $3,000 per year, including breaks and the summer. With a full kitchen at The Edge on Euclid, groceries are a popular option for students.
If a student purchased the Weekly 5 or Weekly 14 meal plans described above, they would still be responsible for buying additional groceries each week, especially during winter and spring breaks (when on campus dining options on campus are traditionally closed). Even with the unlimited meal plan, the student would still need to pay for groceries during summer months.
Although students had previously saved money by purchasing only groceries instead of meal plans, this will no longer be an option.
As a student residing at The Edge, I had access to more information about payments required for living at The Edge On Euclid than about The Langston. Still, according to The Langston Website, current rent is as follows:
| Unit Type | Annual (12 Months) | Per Month |
| 2BD-1BA | $10,260 | $855 |
| 3BD-1BA | $10,380 | $865 |
When it becomes on campus housing, CSU lists the following rates for the 2023-2024 Cohort. According to The Langston Website, some units at the Langston have 2 beds and 1 bathroom, but the CSU Department of Residence Life and Housing currently does not list rates for these units. The information on the CSU Department of Residence Life and Housing Website is as follows:
| Unit Type | Annual | Semester |
| Studio | $12,770 | $6,385 |
| 1BD-1BA | $14,800 | $7,400 |
| 2BD-2BA | $11,000 | $5,500 |
| 3BD-3BA | $10,750 | $5,375 |
| 4BD-4BA | $10,500 | $5,250 |
On the CSU Department of Residence Life and Housing Website, the cost increased is explained as follows:
“The rates now include utilities so residents will no longer be billed for any utilities within the communities. The rates have also increased to align the housing rates with the Euclid Commons unit type rates and to provide avenues for continuous engagement and improvements within the communities.”
More information is available on the CSU Department of Residence Life and Housing Website. As of publication, all further inquiries are being directed to the CSU Department of Residence Life and Housing at [email protected].