A room in a shared house near campus usually runs about $900 to $1,300 a month, and a one-bedroom apartment is roughly $1,700 to $2,300. That's cheaper than most of Brooklyn and Manhattan, but prices vary a lot by block and building.

Most commute from home. CSI has referenced a first-year residency policy with an opt-out for students living with family, so check with residence life about whether it applies to you.

Most live at home with family on Staten Island or in Brooklyn and commute. Students who rent on their own tend to pick Willowbrook, Bulls Head, and the North Shore neighborhoods.

It helps a lot. There's no subway near campus, so you're relying on buses, and the campus has plenty of parking. You can get by without one if you live on a direct bus line.

Start in May or June for a fall move-in. The market is slower than in the rest of the city, but good cheap units near campus still go fast.

Leases are usually 12 months and can start any month. Deposits are capped at one month's rent, application fees at $20, and under the FARE Act you don't pay the broker fee when the landlord hired the broker.

Willowbrook and the surrounding neighborhoods are mostly quiet and residential. Like anywhere, check the specific block, look at the street at night, and ask current students what they think.

It depends on the unit. Basement apartments and rooms in houses often include some or all utilities, while apartments usually leave electricity and sometimes gas to you, so ask before you sign.

Ask in CSI student groups and social media pages, and check listings for rooms in shared houses. Since there's no one move-in date here, sublets pop up throughout the year.

CSI is one of the few CUNY colleges with its own residence halls, and it sits on a big suburban-style campus. Off campus, you're renting in the most car-friendly borough, which changes where it makes sense to live.