According to the East Lansing Housing Market Analysis from March of 2026, over half of renters were paying more than $1,000 a month. Furthermore, the median cost of rent increased from $856 to $1,122 between 2009 and 2023. The most expensive of these housing options are the ones closest to campus. You could live right on Grand River Avenue for the low, low price of an entire month’s worth of your wages! 

On the other hand, you could rent an apartment that costs half as much but requires a 10 minute drive to campus, which presents its own problems since gas prices have been on an upward trend in the last year. 

Even if you do drive to campus, you have to be lucky to find an available parking spot, which might end up costing you more out of pocket. For example, with current parking rates, you might spend $4 every day for two classes. That racks up a $20 parking bill each week. If you have to do that 15 weeks a semester, you’re looking at a total of $300.  

Sure, you could buy a parking pass, but the cheapest one is for Lot 89 for $107, which sells out every year. Lot 89 is right on Mount Hope Road, which means you must take a second mode of transportation to get from there to the center of campus. It’s like a bad coupon deal. You might save a little under $200, but you pay with your precious time instead.

Others might argue that you can invest in a bike since registration with MSU Parking Services is free, but what is one meant to do in the winter when sidewalks are icy and the windchill is below zero? 

Sure, you could take a bus. In fact, taking the bus should have been the obvious solution to my too-long bike ride. What most people don’t know is that these buses are not always on time. Packed to the brim like sardines, the buses are bogged down by an extra influx of commuters due to the cold weather, often causing them to rumble past.

I’ve watched my former roommates trudge back to our apartment in misery after the bus had completely skipped our stop. Not only had they wasted time they didn’t have and would be late to class, they also had to resort to driving with the hope they would be able to claim a parking spot. 

This year, I live far closer to campus; comparatively speaking, I’m paying a little over $100 more dollars for rent this year without utilities or wifi included. Sure, I might have saved myself a grueling 40 minute bike ride and the humiliation of walking into class looking like a damp lobster, but I’ve traded that for a sad-looking bank account instead.

The current state of East Lansing housing and parking is simply unsustainable. Something must change. Steps must be taken to ease the financial burden on students. The choice shouldn’t lie between accessibility or affordability. 

We should be seeing an increase in student parking lots, not further cuts. Perhaps the revenue that Parking & Code Enforcement collects can contribute to creating more student parking structures. What’s more is bus drivers should be paid sufficiently so buses can run more efficiently and frequently. Public transportation must be funded and supported. 

At the end of the day, while rent control is currently prohibited under Michigan law, I believe the struggles students face today should be a wake up call for the greater East Lansing area to fight harder for a repeal.

Students shouldn’t have to choose between two losing options. We shouldn’t have to sacrifice accessibility for affordability, and we shouldn’t be resigned to paying a kidney to afford an apartment near campus.