You can pursue Cardozo’s Benjamin residence for a 10-month stay, or use student housing, a private room, a roommate, or an authorized sublet for one semester.
“I'm an international student planning to do an exchange program at Cardozo School of Law in NYC next year, and I am very unsure about the housing situation. What are my options for finding housing?”
Summary
Cardozo expressly allows deposited incoming international exchange students to apply for The Benjamin and gives visiting/exchange students priority. You also have workable shorter-term routes if a 10-month school-housing commitment does not fit.
Your best route depends mainly on whether you need one semester or can accept a 10-month housing commitment.
Cardozo expressly says its admitted-student information applies to incoming international exchange students and that deposited visiting/exchange students receive priority housing status. After paying your , portal access may take up to five business days. [d_82.s_142] [d_82.s_193] The tradeoff is the required 10-month . Current 2026-27 prices—only a benchmark, not Fall 2027 prices—are $10,650 per semester for a studio, $10,100 for a two-bedroom unit, and $9,550 for a three-bedroom unit. [d_63.s_165] [d_63.s_167]
For a shorter stay, Cardozo lists Educational Housing Services and Murray Hill Suites; the latter has a 30-day minimum. It also lists The New School, but only for summer housing. These are school-listed resources, not Cardozo-owned rooms or guaranteed placements. [d_63.s_195-199]
Cardozo says students live near campus in Greenwich Village, Tribeca and SoHo, but can commute from other NYC neighborhoods. Its entering-class Facebook groups let Cardozo community members advertise apartments or look for roommates; Cardozo sends the May and Fall group links by email. [d_63.s_192-194] [d_63.s_200-202] For a semester-length , verify landlord consent before paying. [d_65.s_245-248]
If you are married, Yeshiva University advertises limited housing opportunities for graduate married couples near Amsterdam Avenue and Laurel Hill Terrace. Its page does not specifically confirm exchange-student eligibility, so this is a conditional backup rather than a promised placement. [d_70.s_20-21]
Cardozo confirms exchange-student priority, but neither school housing nor any off-campus provider guarantees that a room will be available for your dates.
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Watch out for
Next steps
These steps move from choosing the right term to applying and paying safely.
Before paying for housing
Choose by the length of your exchange
Use The Benjamin only if you will stay for the academic year or willingly accept its required 10-month agreement. For one semester, begin with Educational Housing Services, Murray Hill Suites, the Cardozo roommate group, or an authorized private sublet. [d_63.s_165] [d_63.s_195-202]
Requirements
For The Benjamin
Pay your Cardozo seat deposit
Cardozo permits exchange students to apply only after the is paid. Allow up to five business days after payment for access to the Yeshiva University Housing Portal. [d_82.s_193]
Requirements
When portal access arrives
Apply through the YU Housing Portal
Use https://www.yu.edu/housingapp. The current general page displays a $300 housing deposit that is credited toward the first-term housing charge if you receive an assignment. However, it does not publish a reliable Fall 2027 deadline or deposit amount because its year labels conflict. [d_63.s_169] [d_63.s_171-172]
Requirements
Before paying the housing deposit
Get the missing term details in writing
Email Rachel Haber at thebenjamin@yu.edu and ask whether your exact Spring 2027 or Fall 2027 exchange dates qualify, whether a Spring-only assignment exists, and what deadline applies. Cardozo names this address for Benjamin questions; the published page does not resolve spring-only occupancy. [d_63.s_186] [d_63.s_165]
Requirements
If you need one semester
Launch the shorter-term search
Use https://www.studenthousing.org/ for Educational Housing Services or http://murrayhillsuites.com/ for Murray Hill Suites, which Cardozo labels as having a 30-day minimum. The New School link, http://www.newschool.edu/student-housing/summer/, is summer-only. Use the May or Fall entering-class Facebook link Cardozo sends by email to find rooms and roommates. [d_63.s_197-202]
Requirements
Before sending money
Verify the agreement before paying
For a private rental, reject a landlord credit/background-check charge over $20 unless you are instead paying a broker you hired yourself; obtain the report and invoice. Do not pay more than one month’s rent as a security deposit, do not pay a fee to the landlord’s broker, and do not enter a sublet without evidence of the required landlord consent. [d_65.s_617-620] [d_65.s_197-198] [d_64.s_6-7] [d_65.s_245-248]
Requirements
Legal sources
These facts come from Cardozo and Yeshiva University housing pages, the New York Attorney General, NYC Consumer and Worker Protection, and the NYC Commission on Human Rights.
Cardozo Admitted LL.M. Students — Housing
Cardozo expressly includes incoming international exchange students in its housing guidance and gives deposited exchange students priority.
Housing
Unless indicated otherwise, the information below is applicable to both incoming LL.M. and incoming international exchange students. Interested students who have submitted seat deposits may apply for dorm housing at The Benjamin. Please note that it may take up to 5 business days to access the housing portal after completing your deposit payment. Committed LL.M. students who have deposited as well as visiting/exchange students will receive priority housing status.
Cardozo Housing Options — The Benjamin
Cardozo requires a 10-month Benjamin agreement and publishes 2026-27 room prices.
The Benjamin
Housing assignments in The Benjamin are for one academic year and every student will be required to sign an occupancy agreement for the 10-month period. Studio (private room, private bath, shared kitchen) - $10,650/semester Two-bedroom (2 private rooms, shared kitchen & bath) - $10,100/semester Three-bedroom (3 private rooms, shared kitchen & bath) - $9,550/semester
Cardozo Housing Options — Off-Campus Accommodations
Cardozo names several student-housing providers and identifies their important time limitations.
Off-Campus Accommodations
Additionally, there are organizations in New York City that specialize in providing temporary or long-term housing to students and interns. Some of these resources are listed below. [The New School](http://www.newschool.edu/student-housing/summer/) (summer only) [Educational Housing Services](http://www.studenthousing.org/) [Murray Hill Suites](http://murrayhillsuites.com/) (30-day minimum stay)
Cardozo Housing Options — Roommates
Cardozo provides entering-class groups for apartment and roommate listings.
Finding an Apartment or Roommate
Members of the Cardozo community may list their available apartments and/or interest in finding a roommate by joining their entering-class Facebook group. Links for the May and Fall groups were sent via email.
Yeshiva University Off Campus Housing
YU has a separate, limited route for married graduate-student couples.
Off Campus Housing
A division of the Office of University Operations, the Office of Off-Campus Housing provides limited housing opportunities to undergraduate and graduate married couples, as well as alumni, near Amsterdam Avenue and Laurel Hill Terrace.
New York Attorney General Residential Tenants’ Rights Guide
New York limits a landlord’s credit/background-check charge and requires supporting documents.
Finding an Apartment
Before signing a lease, the most a landlord can charge for a credit and background check is $20. The landlord must provide the applicant a copy of the credit or background check, as well as an invoice from the company that performed it.
New York Attorney General Residential Tenants’ Rights Guide
A residential security deposit cannot exceed one month’s rent or be combined with last month’s rent.
Security Deposits
At the beginning of their tenancy, all tenants can be required to give their landlord a security deposit, but it is limited to no more than one month’s rent. The one-month limit means that a landlord cannot ask for last month’s rent and a security deposit.
NYC FARE Act
A broker representing the landlord may not pass the broker fee to the tenant.
Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses Act
The Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses (FARE) Act took effect on June 11, 2025. This law prohibits brokers who represent landlords from charging broker fees to tenants.
New York Attorney General Residential Tenants’ Rights Guide
Sublet rights and required consent depend on the number of apartments in the building.
Subletting
Tenants in buildings with three or fewer apartments do not have a right to sublet. They can ask the landlord to sublet but the landlord does not have to agree. Tenants in buildings with four or more apartments have the right to sublet with the landlord’s advance consent.
NYC Human Rights Law Guidance
NYC protects applicants from housing discrimination based on actual or perceived immigration status or national origin.
Housing
In New York City, you cannot be discriminated against because of your actual or perceived immigration status or your national origin in employment, housing, and public spaces such stores, hospitals, and movie theaters. It is illegal for landlords or other housing providers to refuse to sell, rent, or lease housing—or to do so with different terms, conditions, or privileges—because of someone’s immigration status or national origin.
These are the official school and government rules available on the cited pages as researched on 2026-09-04; housing terms and laws can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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