ANSWER
Oak Creek is the strongest off-campus pick if you want one of Stanford’s closest subsidized apartment options, while Stanford Villa and Waverley Street are better if you’re prioritizing Menlo Park locations with short bike access to campus.
YOUR NEXT DECISION
Compare what matters near Stanford
- Rank the off-campus choices in the Stanford lottery application if you want subsidized housing.
- Use the property pages for the current details before choosing a complex.
- Remember that all off-campus subsidized contracts are full-year options and are not automatically renewable.
HELP WITH YOUR NEXT STEP
Ready to compare actual homes?
Mercedes can help compare properties near Stanford against your budget, timing and housing goals.
Compare homes with MercedesOak Creek for the closest campus-feel option
Oak Creek is one of Stanford’s off-campus subsidized apartments in Palo Alto, and Stanford’s 2026–27 fact chart lists it at 1.7 miles from Stanford Main Quad with a 7-minute bike ride. Stanford says these units are furnished and include utilities and internet, but pets are not allowed and subleasing is not permitted.
- Best fit: someone who wants the shortest cited bike commute among the listed complexes.
- Tradeoff: full-year contracts apply, and students cannot automatically renew their assignment.
- Next check: confirm current assignment rules in the off-campus subsidized housing pages before ranking it on the lottery application.
Stanford Villa or Waverley Street for Menlo Park access
Stanford Villa Apartments in Menlo Park are listed at 2.6 miles from Stanford Main Quad with an 11-minute bike ride, and Waverley Street Apartments are listed at 2.8 miles with a 19-minute bike ride. These are also part of Stanford’s off-campus subsidized housing program, so the same furnished-units, utilities-included, no-pets, and no-sublicensing rules apply.
- Best fit: someone who wants a Menlo Park location within Stanford’s subsidized housing set.
- Tradeoff: they are not the closest options in the program, and assignment depends on overall applicant demand.
- Next check: review the property-specific details and the current lottery application before ranking choices.
How to choose
If your top priority is the shortest verified commute, choose Oak Creek. If you want a Menlo Park address within Stanford’s subsidized off-campus program, compare Stanford Villa and Waverley Street.
- Stanford’s Community Housing office provides the off-campus listing service for Stanford affiliates.
- Incoming affiliates without Stanford email addresses need a temporary username and password for rental listings.
- Graduate students can also use Stanford’s on-campus graduate housing sublease database for short-term options, but autumn-term sublets are limited to enrolled matriculated graduate students.
Sources
KEEP EXPLORING
More Stanford resources when you need them
Ask a follow-up about Stanford
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.