About Texas Tech
As far as Universities go, Texas Tech is unique.
For one, Texas Tech has some crazy traditions. Specifically, the Tortilla Toss. At every home football game, Red Raider fans kick-off the game by throwing tortillas onto the field. You can almost taste the team spirit. Or maybe that’s the tortillas.
With over 1,839 acres of land, it’s also one of the largest campuses in the United States. With twelve colleges and schools, and close to 40,000 students, all that space is put to good use.
Finding your way around an almost 1,900 acre campus may seem pretty daunting, but there are a bunch of resources available to students to help them get around campus including: printable maps, campus bus routes, and about 40,000 other students willing to point you in the right direction. Navigating to class, the University Library, the Robert H. Ewalt Recreation Center, and the dorms can be a breeze after a couple weeks on campus.
For first year Texas Tech students, living in the dorms is a huge right of passage - this is their first real taste of independence and freedom. With 13 different residence halls to choose from, Texas Tech offers a bunch of on-campus housing options. However, Texas Tech only houses about 24% of students - leaving a little over 29,000 students to look for apartments near Texas Tech.
Renting Texas Tech
When it comes to finding student apartments in Lubbock, students have a variety of rental options to choose from. But just because there is a lot of student housing in Lubbock to choose from, that doesn’t mean the search will be easy - it’s like trying to pick a place to go out to eat when you’re hungry when you don’t know what you’re in the mood for.
You can streamline your Texas Tech off-campus housing search by knowing in advance what type of lifestyle you prefer. That means that you need to know if you plan on living solo or with roommates, what amenities and features you’re looking for, what location you want to be in, what you can afford, and if you want a house or an apartment.
Keep in mind that finding a house is a bit trickier than finding an apartment - especially if you're interested in snagging a house in the Tech Terrace neighborhood. Tech Terrace is known as the best square mile in Lubbock due to the fact that it’s super close to campus, and has an eclectic neighborhood vibe. Tech Terrace houses are hot commodities and tend to go first.
If you’re searching for a student apartments in Lubbock, you’ll have a good deal more of rental options - especially if you’re willing to live a little further away from campus. But if you’re looking for a place with prime placement, don’t dawdle. It’s always a good idea to start your housing search planning early in the second semester.
Rent Prices in Lubbock
Lubbock is a large city with a small town feel. You may worry that living in the city would be expensive, but rent prices are actually pretty affordable. Rent prices will also vary based on if you choose to live in a house or an apartment, or if you choose to live on your own versus with a roommate or two.
While living alone can be great, there a far fewer studio and one bedroom apartments near Texas Tech. Studio and single bedroom places also tend to be a pricier living option for students. On average it costs about $560 to live in a studio, and $670 to live in a single bedroom. Not only will you be responsible for all of the rent, but you’ll also be responsible for all of your groceries and utilities.
By having one extra roommate, you can expect to save a little over $65 every month on rent. If you have two extra roommates, you can save a little over $129 a month.
Here's a breakdown of average rent per person, per bedroom:
| |
Studio
|
1 BR
|
2 BR
|
3 BR
|
4 BR
|
|
Per Month
|
$560
|
$670
|
$990
|
$1,293
|
$1,580
|
|
Per Person
|
$560
|
$670
|
$495
|
$431
|
$395
|
Texas Tech Jobs & Careers
This just in - scientists have recently discovered that most college students have a hard time affording their college education. Okay, scientists didn’t actually announce those groundbreaking findings. But, it really should be no surprise that college is expensive. Between the cost of housing, tuition, books, and everyday living expenses - it may feel like the costs could swallow you whole. But you always have the option of getting a part-time or full-time job.
There are a ton of different job opportunities available in Lubbock to choose from, and a variety of avenues to find them. Try job searching on LinkedIn or Glassdoor. But if you want to find something with a flexible schedule and has a short commute to campus, you can start you search on the Texas Tech Careers page. After you create an account, you can view and apply for different jobs through Texas Tech.
You can find common jobs like:
- A Library Aide
- Undergraduate Assistant
- Graduate Assistant
- Safety Patrol Officer
- And more!
Safety at Texas Tech
Living in a big city can be scary at times, but there are things you can do to help keep yourself safe. Here’s a few things you can do to keep yourself safe at Texas Tech:
- Let your friends or roommates know where you are - You can share your location with them or download a safety travel app like Noonlight.
- Make sure to check you email at least once a day for any emergency alerts from TechAlert.
- If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis or coping with a traumatic experience, you can call The Crisis HelpLine to talk to a licensed professional. The helpline number is: (806) 742-5555
If you ever need help, the Texas Tech Police can be found at 413 Flint Avenue, and can be reached at (806) 742-3931
Parking
For students currently enrolled at Texas Tech, you may purchase a parking ePermit, which provides on-campus parking. You can manage your parking permits, contact information, and citations through your My Parking Account. For TTU students who live on-campus, you can purchase permits to park in lots z1-z7 on a first come-first, first-served basis.
Students who live off-campus, or students who are waiting for a residence hall lot space to open up can purchase a commuter e-permit. There are six different types commuter e-permit options with different rules and regulations, so make sure to read the fine print before purchasing a permit.
Keep in mind that the good lots will fill up fast, and finding a spot to park isn’t easy. If you don’t get a e-permit or get a lot parking space, you’ll most likely find yourself navigating meter parking on streets around campus, so be aware of your time—parking tickets add up fast!
How to get around Lubbock
If you don’t have your own vehicle, or if you do and don’t feel like driving all over town searching for a parking spot, Lubbock has a bunch of different ways to get around town. Not to mention, Lubbock is laid out on a standard grid - so navigating the city shouldn’t be difficult.
- CitBus buses runs throughout Lubbock, and there are several bus stops within the TTU campus. TTU students can travel for free on any on-campus route by showing their Texas Tech University id. If traveling by bus sounds a bit confusing- try downloading the DoubleMap app. After downloading the app, search "Citibus (Lubbock)" for Lubbock route information.
- Biking is another popular option to travel as it’s an eco-friendly way to get around the city. If you don’t have your own bike, or didn’t bring it with you, you can go to the TTU Rec Center a bike rental. All Citbus buses come equipped with bike racks - so if you get too tired to bike everywhere or the weather gets too bad, you can stop.
- Ride sharing can be a bit pricey if you do it all the time - but it’s definitely a convenient way to get around. Lubbock has both Lyft and Uber.
To save money - download both apps and compare the route costs before scheduling a ride.
Things to do at Texas Tech
Look, we all know that being a college student can be super stressful. Between papers, exams, endless late night study sessions, and balancing a social life, you may just want to crawl in a hole and be antisocial.
But, college can also be one of the best experiences of your life, and we’re not talking about the parties. Sure, partying can be fun, but it won’t be memorable. To make the most out of your short four (maybe five) years, get out and experience everything you can.
Texas Tech has a bunch of different things to do on and around campus on your free time like:
- Visit The Student Recreation center and go swimming, rock climbing, work up a sweat in a new fitness class, or join an intramural team.
- Go to an art exhibit, music event, or performance at the Texas Tech University Theatre.
- Support your school by going to a home football game at the Jones AT&T Stadium. Don’t forget to bring flour tortillas to throw on the field!
- Join a club or an organization - TTU has over 500 groups and student organizations to choose from, so you’ll be sure to find the right fit.
Things To Do In Lubbock
Spending time getting involved on campus is a great way to keep busy, and make the most of your time at college. But sometimes you need to get away from the craziness of school, and head to the city for a day to reset yourself. On days, or nights, when you’re looking to get off-campus and enjoy the city, there is a bunch of options to do in Lubbock.
If your friends keep telling you that you’re not you when you’re hungry, maybe you should start your time in the city with some food. Seriously, hanger is a real thing and it’s no laughing matter. Some of the best restaurants to check out in Lubbock are: Cast Iron Grill, One Guy Pizza, and Italian Garden.
After you’ve eaten your way into a mild food coma, there are a ton of options for things you can do around town. You could try hitting up one of the many museums in Lubbock. Not only will you feel more cultured for spending an hour or two in a museum, but you’ll also be walking off some of the calories you just ingested. Lubbock is known for The Silent Wings Museum, Bayer Museum of Agriculture, and The Science Spectrum Museum.
After the museum, you may want to find something that’s a bit more exciting. Depending on the day, or night, you want to have, there are tons of options of things to do in Lubbock like:
- You could jam out to one of your favorite bands at The Moonlight Musicals Amphitheatre or The Cactus Theater.
- Spend a day at Buffalo Springs Lake with some friends and soak up the sun.
- If you’re of age, you could spend the evening learning about and sampling different wines from Pheasant Ridge Winery.
