Why I like College Houses Cooperatives

May 05, 2021

  Chase Eakins

Pretty good food, nice pool, great parties, even better family.

Best place to live in West Campus.

Apr 25, 2021

  Jeremy Padgett

Pearl Street

Living here was the most rewarding experience that I have ever had. This place is so much more that a home, it's a cooperative society, packed with friends and fun. If you desire more than a formal education from the university/college systems and are also looking for lessons in real life, you should apply to live here.

Apr 19, 2021

  Maddy Braat

Pearl street is a magical establishment. It’s a very safe space for students to experience communal living and what it means to have a truly Democratic society. There can be wild parties, and things can get dirty, but one of the core values is respect. So everything gets cleaned and people are afforded a safe space to party. It’s old, but there’s dedicated maintenance people to fix what needs fixin.

If you’re looking for a quiet house, it’s probably safer to choose another college houses or if coop, but pearl isn’t super loud every day or anything.

The pool is easily the best part. All your lunches and dinners are cooked for you by your housemates. You can make rules and host your own events. And the friends that you make are for life!!!

Highly recommend living here.

Dec 29, 2020

  Joshua Kahlenberg

I've lived here in Laurel for four years. Great place to practice democracy and meet new people! Within walking/biking/skating distance of classes at UT

Oct 09, 2020

  Taylor Vu

great place to live, had a family, a community there! many wonderful memories were made there

Jun 21, 2020

  Ivan Tadeu Ferreira Antunes Filho

Great place to live at during the summer if you are in Austin for a summer internship

Jun 02, 2020

  richard rossadillo

Always interesting to go back to visit one of the few places that does not change a lot in West Campus

Aug 08, 2026

  Ari Schifman

Lovely place! I have been a guest here like most College Houses residents, and the community and facilities are extremely welcoming. A fantastic place to live as a student.

Aug 08, 2026

  Ari Schifman

College Houses is an absolutely phenomenal organization and place to live. I think this is a really incredible structure and alternative to just paying larger companies who own so many of the buildings around campus. Here, everyone is working to make decisions and improve life in our residences. No one is going to increase your rent or mysteriously mess with your utilities - changes to the houses happen with your voice and with your participation. Co-op residents actually help each other - you know your neighbor, and you share with them the same way that they share with you.

No place to live is perfect, but this one is absolutely five stars. You can live in a dorm setup (with meals!!!!) or an apartment setup - it is especially perfect for international students getting set up here in Austin, or for students who are learning to live on their own for the first time - because you are never alone, but you are always independent. The residences are decorated with murals painted by current and former residents. Co-Opers have access to a gym, game rooms, kitchens, social rooms, and more. The co-ops are safe and secure so that only residents and their guests are able to enter. Officers and staff are incredibly responsive. I've learned so much about repairing and maintaining my own place, but I never feel like I can't ask for help from others when I'm still learning. I don't party much myself, and I live in Opsis where we don't tend to host parties, but I've seen a great balance of fun and academics among my neighbors at the other houses (and respect for us Opsisians when we get curmudgeonly about noise issues).

More than anything, whenever I've encountered an issue with where I lived (which I always do, no matter where I lived), I've felt like I had the power to solve it and improve the experience for everyone I live with. I can't recommend College Houses enough!!

Aug 08, 2026

  Ari Schifman

I absolutely love living here. The Co-op structure has its ups and downs, but it is far and away my favorite way to live while attending school. There is plenty of space and resources right next to campus, and there is an amazing community to welcome you as well. I adore Opsis.

Aug 08, 2026

  Cobalt

Cannot recommend it enough. I've lived here for a year, and it is a ready-made community and so much more. Spacious bedrooms, private bathrooms, shared access to community housekeeping and maintenance resources, easy walking distance to campus, and so much more independence than anywhere else I've lived. The College Houses Company overall has some hiccups that come from running a company cooperatively, but the staff are all incredible, and the residents across all the houses truly, deeply care about creating a great housing environment for everyone. Plus, it's so much more affordable and convenient than larger, corporate housing near campus.

Aug 07, 2026

  Todd Litinas

Lived here 2014-2016, and I'm real grateful for the experience. Built a worldwide community I still see on the regular and made friends for life. So glad I lived here 😁

Aug 06, 2026

  Bill Watts

Pearl street is the best. You could write something like “The food is good” or “I like having a pool” because both are true, but neither could sufficiently sum up how awesome it is to live with 100 people you get along with. What could be better for a UT or ACC student than a built in community?

Aug 05, 2026

  Peri Newman

Everyone I've ever met who lived at pearl street was cool as hell. Highly recommend

Aug 05, 2026

  Sabrina Abdulla

Living here during college in 2007-8 was one of the best decisions of my life. You cannot find community like this anymore!!

Aug 05, 2026

  Manny Zed

Lived there several years back, and i can say with 100% certainty that when my kids grow up and if decide to go to Texas I would send them here. This isn't just a place to sleep and eat. It is a community where people from around the world come together. People may say that it is "dirty" but these are the same people that have not been exposed to experiences outside their own. The world would be a better place if we all experienced a wonderful place as Pearl.

Aug 05, 2026

  François Braun

Living at Pearl for an entire year as a foreign student at UT was a life changing experience. I met countless amazing people, from all over the world and most of whom I still stay in touch with and see often.
If your priority is a spotless place to live this is likely not the ideal solution for you, but if you're looking for a unique community of people doing their very best to live together and for a sense of belonging (all while having lots of fun), you should move to Pearl!

I was pursuing a graduate degree while living at Pearl and while some social events can be loud at times (and extremely fun), I was still perfectly able to study and do well, so did many other people living here.

I loved living at Pearl, I love the people I met there and still hang out with today, and loving there has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Aug 05, 2026

  Samuel Walton

Made the best friends of my life and have never partied harder. Also, it was nice to have a pool.

Aug 05, 2026

  Kelly McComas

excellent place to live if connecting with fun, genuine people is a priority for your college experience!!

Aug 05, 2026

  Robert Gaither

I lived at Pearl St. for 3 years while going to school, back around 2013. At the outset, co-op life may seem a little rough around the edges to some (particularly if you tour the grounds when there's not enough students around to keep it clean!), but it was absolutely the most safe, magical, and transformative environment I can imagine anyone having as a new student leaving home.

Everyone is welcome at Pearl, and everyone (from every walk of life) is AT Pearl. If you are interested in a one-note echo chamber where everyone has the same ideas and values as you, DON'T come to Pearl. If you are seeking an environment where everyone, regardless of what they believe, comes together to live, grow, have fun, and genuinely care for one another as fellow humans.. Pearl Street is the absolute best place on earth.