UCI Dorms Ranked

"It depends on what house you are in at AV, but overall it isn't the best experience. It's basically a dorm-style for the sophomore, junior, and seniors with a kitchen and living room. I had a good roommate that basically did his own thing. I would say that you are sharing a kitchen with roughly 18 people and if they are not clean it can be pretty difficult to live in AV. I will say the pros are that the location is really nice and that it is only a 9 month lease rather than ACC or off-campus."

"DO NOT CHOOSE PLAZA VERDE AT ALL COSTS They built the apartment very cheap as a quick cash grab and the rent is very overpriced for what you get. The service is also really bad. They do not care about customer satisfaction. They give you an app called Roomsync to request who you want for roommates but often times you don't get the people you want to be roommates with. You also have a high chance of not getting the floor plan you want. Even if you call or email them request them a switch, and you even have someone who WANTS to switch with you, they will refuse saying there is absolutely nothing they can do. Because of this there are many students that secretly trade rooms but many times that can lead to conflict within roommates. The walls are also so thin you can even hear people talking in the room next to you. You can also smell weed everywhere. UCI should be ashamed they are even working with ACC because they do not care about students well-being. "

"ACC is very expensive for what you get. I paid $1400 a month at Puerta Del Sol for a little over 400 square feet of space in a studio, and it was only worthwhile because I’m married and was able to split costs with my husband. The most “affordable” unit in ACC is at Puerta Del Sol in the two-room double. You room with four people total, but share a (tiny) room with one roommate. Each room has a restroom, and there’s a small common area with a kitchen/living room. It’s actually kind of terrible living in this situation unless you know your roommates beforehand; there’s barely any space in your room—if you can fit a desk in there, you’re lucky—and the common area offers little in the way of quiet/privacy. ACC is frankly a rip-off, but there are no better choices in Irvine unless you want to live in a cramped condo with 4-6 other people for $100-$200 less per month."

"I lived in the 2b/2b VDC Norte deluxe (now called premium) apartment. The pros: Basic furniture (bed, desk, sofa, dining chairs for the counter/kitchen top, coffee table) and cable are provided. Washer and dryer were included in unit and parking was also part of the rent back then and there was always ample space to park (not sure if this still applies). The area where the deluxe units are located is relatively quiet. The shuttle stops were also nearby to get you to campus. Work orders put in for maintenance were quickly addressed. While wifi can be spotty, the ethernet was always good (bring an ethernet cable!). The cons: The building I was in does not have an elevator, so when moving in or out, it is a bit of a hassle especially if you live on the top floor. The rooms, in particular the carpet, were dirty despite being cleaned prior to move-in. Dust accumulates really fast despite frequent cleaning. Depending on which room you are assigned, one of the rooms has a really odd layout: the actual room with the bed and desk is small and cramped, but the bathroom is massive. Overall, not the worst place to live, but not the best either. "

"I currently live in a 2b 2b with in-unit laundry at VDC and I've actually really liked it. The carpet floor can be kinda gross but that is the biggest con and making sure you have a good roommate. "

"I lived in Aldea in Mesa Court. Mesa Court has a tight knit and has a very commune feel. Aleda, although being one of the newer 3 story buildings in the area, is near the outer edge. It's across from the lower level of the community center and is like a 10 minute walk to campus. Its close to parking lots 5 and 18 though. From my experience, the bathrooms were hella stinky but the janitors did a good job of cleaning it up. There was only 3 common rooms and I prefered studying at my friend's older hall. I think MC itself overall was a pretty nice place to live. There's like a courtyard/main space in the middle between the classics and towers with a volleyball net. There's also a fitness and rec room under Playa. "

"I lived in a Camino quad during my sophomore year (4 bed 2 bath), and honestly it was really nice and I didn't have too many issues. The only thing I'd say is depending on where in Camino you live, the walk to the parking structure ends up being a bit of a walk. The shuttle was also pretty frequent and can take you to campus and back, so you wouldn't need to walk to campus."

"I lived in the Middle Earth towers (a quad) but even though it’s arguably better than the classics, it was still kind of packed & crammed having 4 people sharing one bedroom living space. The towers truly are amazing and so clean but your roommates literally will make or break your experience since there’s no where to go if you have problems with them since it’s just one bedroom. Parking structure is a walk though and it can be dark at night. Bathroom is very clean since there will be someone who cleans it daily for you."

"I had a shared room with a roommate. Fortunately we all got along very well. Only con is that four people shared one bathroom, so it was pretty annoying having to wait sometimes."

"I’m an undergrad, but was able to live in grad housing because of my daughter. “New” Verano is much nicer than “old” Verano. I love it! Super quiet area, clean, and close to the ARC and shuttle. I wish it were a little cheaper, though. I have friends that live in “old” verano who pay less rent for a bigger space."