ANSWER
CSUMB is a highly residential campus with more than 4,000 students living on campus, and it offers residence halls plus apartment-style housing for upper-level students. If you’re planning to live there, the big things to know are eligibility, meal-plan rules, and that housing processes like room changes and move-out follow specific timelines.
YOUR NEXT DECISION
Turn the answer into your next step
- Decide whether you want residence-hall living or apartment-style housing.
- Check whether your status fits East Campus eligibility if you need family or upper-level housing.
- Confirm meal-plan rules for your specific housing area before you commit.
- Review the housing application, license agreement, cancellation, and check-out pages before you apply.

HELP WITH YOUR NEXT STEP
Ready to compare actual homes?
Lori can help compare properties near CSUMB against your budget, timing and housing goals.
Compare homes with LoriWhat housing looks like at CSUMB
CSUMB describes itself as one of the most residential schools in the CSU system, with students living across 25+ residential buildings and communities on the main and east campuses. Housing includes first-year residence halls and apartments for upper-level students, and the newest student housing is Gavilan Hall.
- Living on campus is tied to convenience, campus community, and access to classes, clubs, and activities.
- On-campus residents also get access to dining commons plus cafes and quick-serve eateries.
- CSUMB says East Campus is about two miles from main campus and is a student residential community on East Campus.
Who can live where
East Campus Apartments give preference to CSUMB students with families, graduate students, and rising juniors and seniors. To live there, students must be matriculated CSUMB degree-seekers and enrolled full-time each semester: 12 units for undergraduates and at least 6 graduate-level units.
- East Campus Apartments are two-bedroom, one-bath units.
- Residents may commute by car, Monterey-Salinas Transit buses, or bicycle.
- The neighborhood includes a playground, athletic fields, hiking trails, jogging routes, and bike paths.
Meal-plan rules and housing process
Meal-plan requirements depend on where you live. All first-year students and students in the Residence Halls must have an Otter 7-Day, Otter 5-Day, or Otter 225 Residential Meal Plan, and all North Quad Suites residents must have a residential meal plan. Students in apartments are not required to have a meal plan.
- CSUMB says room-change requests are reviewed and do not guarantee a room change.
- Approved changes may take a few days to appear in the student account after confirmation.
- Student Housing and Residential Life says it works to process requests within seven business days of submission.
How to move forward
CSUMB directs students to apply for housing through Student Housing and Residential Life and review eligibility requirements and deadlines before submitting an application. For current process details, the university points students to its housing application, license-agreement, cancellation, and check-out pages.
- Housing office hours are weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- RAs/CAs are on duty from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. on weekdays and 24 hours a day on weekends and during university breaks.
- The housing office says it can help with move-in details, packing tips, mail information, safety resources, and community standards.
Sources
KEEP EXPLORING
More CSUMB resources when you need them
Ask a follow-up about CSUMB
Ask a question to get the answer first. CH2 opens a tool or broader page directly only when you ask to use or view it.