University Park Apartment Locator: Rentals Around SMU, on the School Calendar
Free help from your University Park apartment locator: we checked 12 places this week, from $1,185 a month after free rent. University Park is a small city wrapped around the SMU campus, and the campus calendar runs its rental market. Buildings along Hillcrest and Daniel sit within walking distance of classes and often lease by the bedroom. Beyond them, it's garage apartments, duplexes and condos leased by their owners. Many August move-ins get signed between February and April, so a summer search starts late.
- Typical 1 bedroom
- $2,116/mo
- Places with homes available
- 12
- With a special
- 42%
- Our help costs you
- $0
After free rent, before fees. Checked . See this week's deals
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TREC #562021
Spirit Real Estate Group
University Park apartments by size this week
We checked 12 places in and near University Park on November 6, 2026. Prices count any firm free rent, spread over the lease, and are before fees. Pick your size to see the best deals.
This week in University Park
Price by building age, after free rent
On a 1 bedroom here, middle age buildings run about $257 a month less than newer ones. If price matters most, start with them.
On a 2 bedroom here, middle age buildings run about $1,177 a month less than newer ones. If price matters most, start with them.
On a 3 bedroom here, middle age buildings run about $2,172 a month less than newer ones. If price matters most, start with them.
42%
of places here have a move-in special
Firm free rent offers here give about 4 weeks.
−$150
typical 3 bedroom since November 1
Prices here are easing. A good week to look.
Renting a house or an apartment in University Park?
A 3 bedroom house here runs about $1,927 a month more than a 3 bedroom apartment after free rent.
With a house you usually get a yard, more room and no shared walls. You often pay water, trash and yard care yourself, and deposits can run higher.
With an apartment you pay community fees each month for things like parking, trash and amenities. Free rent usually needs a lease of 12 months or more, and the staff on site handles repairs.
House rents: Rentometer, Oct 2026, houses rented in University Park, TX in the past 12 months. Apartment prices: our check of 12 communities this week, after free rent and before fees.
Our picks in University Park
Places we like right now, in each kind of building. Tell us your budget, and we'll send the names and floor plans.
Newer buildings
Built or redone since 2015
1 / 81 Bedroom from $2,204/moOur takeAsk for a home on the west side; the upper floors there get the best skyline views, and the interiors are sharp.Get the name →
1 / 61 Bedroom from $1,822/mo1 month free on select apartment homesOur takeUnits here are roomy and well laid out, and the front office goes the extra mile when something comes up.Get the name →
1 / 81 Bedroom from $1,866/moOur takeAsk to see the closets; homes here run bright and roomy, with more storage than most in the area.Get the name →
Find your best deal in University Park
Pick what you want. We compare each deal with buildings like it here: same size, about the same age.
Circles show the general area, not the building. Numbers match the deals below.
1 / 8Top deal on this list
$524 below similar studios here
1 month free on a 12‑month lease
$1,185
/mo net effective
Studio · 444 sq ft · $1,293 listed · You save about $1,290
Class B · Built 1999 · 3.5+ stars on Google
Up $45 since November 1 · 1 home available this week
Get the name and floor plan
1 / 8$537 below similar 1 bedrooms here
1 bed · 646 sq ft · $2.58 per sq ft
Class A · Built 2021 · 3.5+ stars on Google
Down $100 since November 1 · 33 homes available this week
Up to 1 month free on some homes
$1,667/moGet the name- 1 / 8★ Our pick
$1,415 below similar 2 bedrooms here
2 bed · 1,264 sq ft · $1.77 per sq ft
Class A · Built 2017 · 4+ stars on Google
6 homes available this week
No special needed
$2,235/moGet the name 
1 / 8$76 below similar 3 bedrooms here
3 bed · 1,609 sq ft · $2.24 per sq ft
Class B · Built 2001 · 4+ stars on Google
15 homes available this week
6 weeks free on some homes
$3,598/moGet the name
Prices are rent only. Monthly fees and the deposit are extra. Ask for your list, and we'll send the names and floor plans.
Nothing here matches all of that this week. Tell us what you want and we'll look for buildings that fit.
Why our prices are lower than what the community quotes
When a community gives free rent, we spread it over the whole lease and show what you pay a month on average. The community quotes the full rent, and many take the free rent off your first months. You pay the same total either way. Our way lets you compare one deal with another. Fees and the deposit are extra.
Why our prices are lower than what the community quotes
When a community gives free rent, we spread it over the whole lease and show what you pay a month on average. The community quotes the full rent, and many take the free rent off your first months. You pay the same total either way. Our way lets you compare one deal with another. Fees and the deposit are extra.
See all the numbers: prices by size, newer vs. older, week by week
Prices by size
"Middle half" is the range half the places here start in. A price under it beats about 3 in 4 places.
| Size | Typical | Cheapest | Middle half | Per sq ft | Since November 1 | Places open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,709 | $1,185 | $1,511 to $1,921 | $2.78 | down $12 | 4 |
| 1 bed | $2,116 | $1,667 | $1,815 to $2,439 | $2.74 | up $5 | 12 |
| 2 bed | $2,743 | $1,695 | $2,171 to $3,844 | $2.29 | down $103 | 12 |
| 3 bed | $3,674 | $2,907 | $3,080 to $4,747 | $2.29 | down $150 | 6 |
| 4 bed | n/a | $5,487 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1 |
Newer vs. older buildings
Newer means built or redone since 2015. Middle means mostly 1995 to 2014. Older means built before 1995. Prices are for a 1 bedroom. How we sort them
| Buildings | Typical 1 bed | With a special | Usual weeks free | Per sq ft | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newer (Class A) | $2,186 | 25% | n/a | $2.80 | 8 |
| Middle (Class B) | $1,929 | 75% | 4 weeks | $1.92 | 4 |
Prices week by week
The typical price from each weekly check since Oct 28. A line heading down means prices here are easing.
Each place's price is its lowest listed available apartment of that size, after any firm free rent and before fees. We leave out income restricted, tax credit, 55+ and student housing. Prices can change any day, so get the final price in writing from the building before you apply.
Areas we cover inside University Park
Snider PlazaA walkable shopping strip at Hillcrest and Daniel, just north of SMU.
Older duplexes and garage apartments sit on the nearby streets, and many of them lease for the school year.
Hillcrest corridorHillcrest runs along SMU's east side, lined with duplexes and small apartment buildings a walk from campus.
US-75 and Mockingbird Station are a short drive east.
Daniel AvenueDaniel runs east and west through University Park near SMU and Snider Plaza.
Older houses and duplexes line it, and you can walk to campus.
SMU campus perimeterThe streets around SMU, between Hillcrest, Mockingbird and Airline Road.
Duplexes, garage apartments and small buildings rent by the bedroom, and leases often start in August.
Southwestern BoulevardSouthwestern Boulevard is a residential street running east and west in University Park, north of the SMU campus.
Older houses and some duplexes line it, and Snider Plaza is close enough to walk.
Lovers Lane corridorLovers Lane runs along University Park's north edge, with shopping and older homes.
It links to Inwood Village on the west and US-75 on the east.
University Park Apartments Lease on the SMU Calendar
- Your search timed to the right month, since many August homes are spoken for by April
- Leases by the bedroom read closely, including whether rent runs all 12 months, summer included
- Co-signer income rules looked up at each property before anyone applies
- Parking off the street asked about, since the city runs its own permit zones near campus
Getting Around University Park
University Park is its own city, with Dallas on three sides and Highland Park on the south. Preston Road runs along its west side, Mockingbird Lane follows the southern edge, and Lovers Lane links Preston to Central Expressway farther north.
SMU/Mockingbird Station, on the Red, Blue and Orange lines, sits at the southeast corner, and the Katy Trail starts there too. Most homes are a drive from the station rather than a walk, and for Fort Worth you'd ride into Downtown and catch the TRE at Union Station.
Parking is easier than Downtown or Deep Ellum, but the city has its own permit zones on streets near campus, enforced by its own police. We ask whether a unit includes a space off the street before you sign.
Two kinds of rentals, and not many of either
Rentals here split two ways. Apartment buildings and condos along Hillcrest and Daniel sell themselves on a short walk to class. Many lease each bedroom separately, so every roommate signs a lease for their own room. Those leases usually run a full 12 months, summer included, which catches people expecting a nine month term.
Everything else is garage apartments behind houses, duplexes and condos leased by owners, scattered across the residential streets. Both groups stay in demand with few openings. Want a high-rise or a building with more services? Turtle Creek and Uptown lease all year.
Near campus, many buildings approve with a co-signer when your own income is short. That person usually needs to earn several times the monthly rent. Homeowners leasing garage apartments and duplexes make their own calls.
Day to day in University Park
University Park is quiet blocks around SMU, with a small park every few streets and big shopping a short drive away. Game days and the school year set its rhythm more than rush hour.
- Trains, trails and the drive out
- Small parks on almost every walk
- Snider Plaza, Lovers Lane and Mockingbird
- Groceries and big stores
- Game days and campus museums
- What we tell renters near SMU
Trains, trails and the drive out
Weekday mornings, plan on about 18 minutes to Downtown and 16 to the Medical District, by our count, plus 30 to Legacy West and 33 to DFW Airport. The Katy Trail starts at Mockingbird Station and heads 3.5 miles south past Uptown to the arena, so you can ride to brunch without a car.
Katy Trail
Start at the Mockingbird end and ride south to Uptown for brunch; it's quietest early on weekdays.
- Bike to Uptown
- Morning runs
Small parks on almost every walk
The city keeps a park within a few blocks of most homes. Caruth Park has a pond and sports fields. Curtis Park has the city pool, the Holmes Aquatic Center. Goar Park on University Boulevard has a gazebo and a fountain.
Caruth Park
A pond and open fields for an evening walk or a game of catch on a cool day.
- Evening walks
- Pickup games
Curtis Park
Home of the city pool; buy a pass early in the season if you'll swim laps all summer.
- Lap swimming
- Summer days
Snider Plaza, Lovers Lane and Mockingbird
Snider Plaza is the walkable strip, with small shops and casual places to eat. Lovers Lane along the north edge adds more dinner choices, and Inwood Village sits where it meets Inwood Road. At Mockingbird Station, by the train, the Angelika Film Center shows independent films with restaurants around it.
Snider Plaza
Walk over for coffee or a casual lunch; parking gets tight around noon on weekends.
- Coffee runs
- Casual lunch
- Small shops
Mockingbird Station
Dinner and an indie film by the train, an easy night out with no parking hunt.
- Indie films
- Dinner by the train
Groceries and big stores
The first Central Market in Dallas, at Greenville Avenue and Lovers Lane, is a short drive east for a big grocery run. NorthPark Center, at Northwest Highway and US-75, is the big mall just north. Highland Park Village, just south across the town line, is the older open air shopping center with high end stores.
Highland Park Village
An old Spanish style center for a slow browse; weekday mornings beat the weekend crowd.
- Window shopping
- Weekend browsing
NorthPark Center
Everything under one roof for a big shopping day, a few minutes north on Central Expressway.
- Big shopping days
- Holiday gifts
Game days and campus museums
Fall Saturdays mean SMU football at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, and the tailgate on the Boulevard, the lawn in front of Dallas Hall, fills hours before kickoff. The Meadows Museum on campus has one of the largest collections of Spanish art outside Spain. The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is on the SMU campus too. Each July 4, the Park Cities parade ends at Goar Park on University Boulevard.
Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Fall Saturdays start on the Boulevard; walk over if you live close and skip the game day lots.
- College football
- Game day tailgates
Meadows Museum
Go on a weekday afternoon, when the galleries are calm.
- Quiet afternoons
- Spanish art
Dallas Hall
The domed hall at the head of the Boulevard, the center of every SMU game day.
- Game day tailgates
- Campus walks
What we tell renters near SMU
On home game Saturdays, the Boulevard closes to cars and game parking fills SMU Boulevard and Hillcrest, so run errands in the morning if you live close. On July 4, Preston Road between Beverly Drive and University Boulevard is packed for the parade, so keep a move off that morning.
University Park questions
When should I start looking for an August move-in near SMU?
By February if you can. Many August leases get signed between February and April, and by June the buildings near campus have little left.
What does leasing by the bedroom mean?
Each roommate signs a lease for their own room instead of one lease for the whole unit. That changes who owes what, how approval works and whose income counts, so we ask how a building leases before you line up roommates.
Do I need a co-signer?
Often, if your own income is short. That person usually needs to earn several times the monthly rent, and some buildings near campus ask for one either way. We look up each property's rule before you apply.
Is there anything for rent away from the campus buildings?
Yes, but not much: garage apartments, duplexes and condos leased by owners on the streets from Southwestern Boulevard south to Mockingbird. It takes longer to find one than a unit in Knox-Henderson or Uptown. Around SMU, a typical one bedroom runs $2,116 this week, and the cheapest open one comes to $1,667 after specials.
Is there an apartment locator for University Park?
Yes. We cover University Park, from the buildings on Hillcrest and Daniel to the garage apartments on the side streets. Tell us your move month early, since the timing here decides how much you'll get to pick from.
Looking in University Park?
Give us your move month and your roommate count, and we'll start the University Park search on the right calendar. More reading: approval and co-signers, the real monthly cost and the weekly rent report.
Free to renters · No credit pull · Brokered by Spirit Real Estate Group, TREC #562021