Springfield is one of the cheaper markets in Massachusetts. Expect roughly $1,000 to $1,500 a month for a one-bedroom, and about $600 to $900 per person when you split a house or larger apartment with roommates.

Yes. The college requires undergrads to live in its residence halls through junior year, and first-years are guaranteed housing. Ask Residence Life about the exemption process if you'll commute from a parent's home.

Most undergrads live on campus for three years. Seniors and grad students who rent tend to stay close, around the pond and Alden Street area, or in nearby neighborhoods like Sixteen Acres and East Forest Park.

If you live off campus, probably. Springfield is spread out and PVTA buses don't reach everywhere often. If you live on campus or right next to it, you can get by without one.

Start in winter or early spring for a summer or fall move-in. The market isn't as frantic as Boston's, but the closest houses to campus go early.

Most are 12 months. Massachusetts limits up-front costs to first month, last month, a security deposit up to one month's rent, and a lock-change fee, and you generally won't pay a broker fee the landlord arranged.

It varies block to block, like any city. Visit at night, talk to current tenants, check the lighting and locks, and ask upperclassmen which streets they like.

Sometimes heat or water is included, but often you pay electric, gas, and internet yourself. Older houses can have high winter heating bills, so ask the landlord for typical monthly costs.

Yes. Seniors and grad students often pass houses down to friends, and summer sublets pop up when students leave for internships or clinical placements. Ask around your program and team first.

The three-year live-on requirement. Unlike many schools, you won't really be in the off-campus market until senior year, so your first real apartment search usually happens junior spring.