• Our university has various departments other than Science and Engineering blocks. There are some departments like music and arts for the respective students. They also have their respective clubs and each of the clubs has its own organisations to operate and conduct the events. For every semester, they conduct various events like welcoming events and fundraising events and also some volunteer organisations come and provide their services, which encourages students during their college times.
• We have a very vast library and have access to all the reference books that are required for our academics and many published articles, which helps students to do their project works and research. As a graduate student in the Electrical Engineering department, I got an opportunity to explore the courses like Digital Design and SystemVerilog-based Verification and also Logic Verification with Unified Verification Methodology (UVM), which is very much helpful for someone like me who is looking for opportunities in Digital Electronics.
• The faculty are very well experienced and also use all their experience in making the students understand the complexities in VLSI design. The labs are also equipped with the most updated and real-life tools from Synopsys and Cadence.
• Our university also encourages the students to excel their skills in co-curricular activities like basketball and Soccer. Unfortunately, I'm not that interested in any sports, so I did not participate in any tournaments but I have been to many events and tournaments at the Spartan Stadium and the Indoor stadium at our college.
• Apart from these activities, we have the Indian Student Organisation and also the International Student Organisation, which conduct the events and also some religious activities for students who are interested in their religious beliefs and who want to celebrate their festivals and could not go back to their families in their home countries.

• The process of searching for off-campus accommodation is very easy here. Sometimes during the welcome week, the housing communities will come to educate students about the situations here and they also provide visits to their communities, which are very near and comfortable for students to stay in.
• There are many communities around the university that are available for students who are coming from other countries.

• We only have one campus. We have a lot of in-house facilities like library, sports, a student wellness centre and there are a lot of fest which will go around on campus and there are a lot of event and there is an Indian Student organization where we celebrate festivals like Holi, diwali, Garba and more.

• I just live in front of the campus and there are various websites and portals where students get to see open apartment spaces and SJSU also helps students find Off Campus Housing and make the process easy for the students. 101 San Fernando, Colonade, The Grad and 360 Residencies Apartments are the closest ones to the campus and a large Indian Student community stays there.

• There is only one campus situated in the downtown area.
• There is a Martin Luther King library, gym and swimming pool that is very large. In addition, there is a building that has a lab; the computers are equipped with NVIDIA GPUs, which you can use to run your heavy models or do assignments.
• There are always some events going on on campus, be it a job fair or a cultural event. Indian students have an ISO group. They celebrate Diwali, Dandiya and Holi every year. You can go and participate in the event.
   

• Type of Accommodation: Off-Campus
  • I chose off-campus accommodation because it was more affordable and flexible compared to university-managed halls.
  • Most Indian students also preferred private accommodations near the university for cost savings and better amenities.
  • How I Found My Accommodation
  • Online Platforms – Websites like Rightmove, Zoopla, and SpareRoom helped in finding available rooms.
  • Student Housing Groups – I joined Facebook, Telegram, and WhatsApp groups where students shared rental listings.
  • Real Estate Agents – Local letting agents like UniHomes and Sheffield Student Property were also helpful.
• Rent & Facilities
  • Monthly Rent: £350 – £450 (excluding bills) or £450 – £550 (with bills included).
• Facilities Included:
  • Fully furnished rooms (bed, wardrobe, desk, chair).
  • High-speed WiFi and all essential utilities (water, gas, electricity).
  • Shared kitchen & living area (for those in-house shares).
  • Laundry facilities (in most apartments).
  • Challenges in Finding Accommodation
  • High Demand & Limited Availability – Affordable student-friendly apartments filled up quickly.
  • Upfront Costs – Most landlords require a deposit (one month’s rent) and advance payment.
  • Guarantor Requirement – Some landlords asked for a UK-based guarantor (not always feasible for international students).
  • Distance vs. Rent Trade-off – Finding a place close to campus at a low price was challenging.
• Recommendations for Future Students
  • Start Searching Early – Begin at least 2–3 months before arrival to get good deals.
  • Use Student Groups & Networks – Join Telegram & WhatsApp groups where seniors post vacant rooms.
  • Consider All-Inclusive Rent – Paying a slightly higher rent with bills included avoids hidden costs.
  • Check for Hidden Charges – Ask about contract length, maintenance fees, and deposit refunds.
  • Book Temporary Stay First – Stay in a hotel, Airbnb, or university short-term housing while searching for permanent accommodation.
  • Distance from University & Where Most Indian Students Stay
  • My Accommodation Distance: 10–15 minutes walk from the university (near the City Centre).
• Popular Areas for Indian Students:
  • City Centre & Bramall Lane – Close to university, affordable rent (~£400–£500).
  • Ecclesall Road – Good for shared housing, near shops & restaurants (~£350–£450).
  • London Road & Abbeydale Road – Budget-friendly, has many Indian restaurants & grocery stores.

• My university has only one campus. There is library, recreational center, wellness center in the university. There are a lot of festivals happening here and there and many of the Indian festivals are celebrated here.
• There are many clubs including a few of Indian clubs which regularly held events for the students. There are also a lot of student organizations that help students throughout the semester which is also a big help.

• I opted for off-campus housing. I asked around a few seniors for housing recommendations and then looked for availabilities on the property’s official website.
• The challenge was new rented apartment options were posted at night time in India so we were sometimes awake till 3 in order to book an apartment.
• There was a lot of competition there as well. Our apartment is for 3909 for 2b2b which is quite high but apartments are super pricey during fall intake in compared to spring intake.
• My apartment is around 20 minutes by bus on a busy day and 30 minutes by walk from the university.

• I am personally not involved in many of the clubs and other events. I seldom find these interesting but I can see that there are always some or other types of events going on.
• Most of the master's students don't generally focus on these as most of the undergrads are in the clubs. There is a great library that students have access to until midnight so that's a great place to be.

• We have our friends who used to stay here and suggested some apartments but in general, its easier to search on the net or Facebook groups that post about accommodations.
• They also have dorms to stay in on campus and there are also buildings near campus. Challenges are finding better roommates and good accommodation where everyone is helpful.

• We have only one campus here; here in the SJSU we have all the facilities, including the gym, swimming pool, and ground for different activities like basketball, volleyball, pickleball, etc.
• There are lots of clubs that organise Indian activities like celebrations of Diwali, Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Holi.
• I have been joined in 2 major clubs: one is an Indian student organisation, and the other is Spartan Analytics.

• I have found my accommodations online on the site, according to the community; we were never here before so we didnt have any contacts but the online process is very convenient so we didn't face any difficulty. The rent here is 600 and the utilities are around $50 per person. It includes the in-house laundry and all the basic things that we need. We didn't get any challenges while finding the accommodations.
• My accommodation is 1.2 miles from the campus but the buses are so frequent that we can reach home in just 20 minutes.
• And I would suggest going for Avalon on the Alameda 1300 for your accommodation if you find the price very low.

Myrtle events take place here throughout the semester. Starting from Weeks of Welcome to different club events, there is no day we don't have an event.

One can get accommodation on campus as well as off-campus. Generally, international students find it costly to live on campus. However, there is good community off campus at well.

SJSU has some well formed clubs and groups and host events regularly . SJSU has all the facilities like gym, cafes, pool. auditorium, libraries, free wifi etc required for the students to reach their goals.

I am living in off campus accomodation with 7 sharing and it comes around 600-650 USD/month including rent, utilities etc. And it is right in front of the college

Campus life is nice, multi cultural, and with option for different extra curricular activities.

Living with family for most of the time, then moved to shared living with family friend.

A feasible option is to rent an apartment that costs around 3000$/month.

I chose this university because of its location. San Jose State University is located in California and there are many companies here.