Housing Options for English Center Students

Where do you want to live?  What kind of living experience do you want?

Our location in Oakland's Jack London Square is close to many modes of public transportation, including bus, BART (the Bay Area's subway system), the Oakland-San Francisco Ferry, and even AMTRAK (long distance train service). This means that you can choose to live near the English Center or you can live in San Francisco or Berkeley and still get to and from classes quickly and easily.

Homestay: Educational Services International

A family homestay may be the most convenient living arrangement, because the homes are close to public transportation and your breakfast and dinner are included. You will have the experience of living and learning with an American host. Plus, you will practice your English in the most meaningful way - real life. You can experience American culture, not just learn about it. Many students maintain contact with their host family long after they have returned home. The English Center works with Educational Services International, an organization with 13 years of experience arranging cross cultural living experiences. There is a one-time placement fee of $200, and the cost per week is $250. You can pay the placement fee with your application to the English Center and pay the weekly fee at the time of registration in Oakland. To apply for a homestay, click here.

San Francisco Residence Hotels

Our Center is just 30 minutes by boat from the Ferry Building in San Francisco. This means that you could live in San Francisco and enjoy a relaxing "commute" to and from school on San Francisco Bay. Some residential hotels in San Francisco are popular with students visiting from all over the world.

The Monroe Residence Club

The Kenmore Residence Club

A Private or Shared Apartment

There are several resources to help you find a private apartment. The most popular is an Internet listing service called craigslist.org. You can click to www.craigslist.org and then click on apts/housing, or rooms/shared, or sublets/temporary. In the Keywords box, type "near Lake Merritt" or "Alameda" and enter your minimum and maximum price range for rent, and how many bedrooms you want. If you do not find many choices with the keywords "near Lake Merritt" or "Alameda," try typing in keywords "Oakland," "Berkeley," or "San Francisco."