Housing Comparison Charts

Residential Options at CSUMB

Cal State Monterey Bay offers a variety of housing options, typically based on class year.

First-Year Housing

First-year students live in one of eight residence halls in the heart of campus. Each building offers communal spaces, including kitchens, lounges and study areas.

First- and Second-Year Housing: Residence Halls vs. Suites

Second-Year (Sophomore) Housing

Second-year students, including transfer students, can choose to live in one of our suite communities in North Quad.

First- and Second-Year Housing: Residence Halls vs. Suites

Junior, Senior and Graduate Housing

Upper-level and graduate students can live in our East Campus and Promontory apartments.

Apartment Comparison

Students With Families

CSUMB offers housing for students with families at our East Campus.

East Campus Apartments

Housing Comparison Charts

Explore and compare details, configurations, room types, amenities and other options for each type of housing.

Housing Options by Student Type

What options are available to you? Here’s an at-a-glance look at who can live where.

	First-Year	Sophomore	Junior	Senior	Graduate Student	Family
Residence Halls	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Pinnacle/ Vineyard Suites	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Strawberry Apartments	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Promontory Apartments	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅	❌
East Campus Apartments	if eligible for family housing	if eligible for family housing	✅	✅	✅	✅

First- and Second-Year Housing: Residence Halls vs. Suites

First-year students typically live in residence halls, while sophomores and transfer students can choose to move into suites. Here’s a comparison between those two options.

	Residence Halls	North Quad (Pinnacle and Vineyard Suites)
Building Type	3 Story	4 Story
Room Occupancy	2 or 3	1 or 2 per bedroom
Furnished	Yes	Yes
Elevator	No	Yes
Gender Inclusive	Yes (Lavender Living Community)	Yes (Lavender Living Community)
Theme Communities	Yes	Yes (only Lavender Living)
Walking Time to Main Campus Quad	1 minute	5 minutes
Kitchenette	No	1 Per Suite
Shared Kitchen	1 Per Building	1 Per Building
Bathroom	1 Per Room	1 Per Suite
Laundry	Shared Facility	Shared Facility
Cable TV	Yes	Yes
Internet/Wifi	Yes	Yes
Meal Plan Required	Yes	Yes
Pets Allowed	Fish Only (10 gal. tank) and Emotional Support Animal	Fish Only (10 gal. tank) and Emotional Support Animal

Apartment Comparison

Cal State Monterey Bay offers three apartment-style housing options. Here’s a look at how they compare.

	North Quad (Strawberry Apartments)	Promontory Apartments	East Campus Apartments
Bedroom Styles Available	2BR/1 Bath OR 4BR/2 Bath	4BR/4 Bath	2BR/1 Bath
Furnished	Yes	Yes	Furnished and Unfurnished
Elevator	Yes	Yes	No
Time to Main Campus Quad	5-min. walk	5-min. walk	3-mile drive; 8-15 min. bus ride; 15-min. bike ride
Kitchen	Yes	Yes	Yes
Laundry	Shared Facility	In-Unit	Hook-ups and Shared Facility
Cable TV	Yes	Yes	Yes
Internet/Wifi	Yes	Yes	Yes
Meal Plan Required	No	No	No
Pets Allowed	Fish Only (10 gal. tank)	Fish Only (10 gal. tank)	Yes, see pet policy

East Campus: Family vs. Individual Apartments

The East Campus Apartments offer units for families, as well as two-bedroom apartments for individual students.

	Family Apartment	Unfurnished Individual	Furnished Individual
Building Type	Upstairs and Downstairs Units	Upstairs and Downstairs Units	Upstairs and Downstairs Units
Unit Style	2BR/1 Bath	2BR/1 Bath	2BR/1 Bath
Room Occupancy	Family	1 Single Room and 1 Double Room	1 Single Room and 1 Double Room
Furnished	No	No	Yes
Kitchen	1 Per Apartment	1 Per Apartment	1 Per Apartment
Laundry	Hook-up and shared facilities	Hook-up and shared facilities	Hook-up and shared facilities
Pets Available	Yes, see pet policy	Yes, see pet policy	Only fish in 10 gal. tank
Meal Plan Required	No	No	No
Available to first-year or sophomore students	If they are married, have a domestic partner, or have dependents	No	No
Available to juniors, seniors or graduate students	If they are married, have a domestic partner, or have dependents	Yes	Yes