On-campus accommodation is not available to MBA students during the school year. However, McMaster University’s graduate students (including MBA Students) have a new year-round housing option at 10 Bay Residence. Located at 10 Bay Street, this state-of-the-art 30-story building will create a thriving student community in the heart of downtown Hamilton. 10 Bay has 644 bed spaces in fully furnished studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments, with discounted rates on two-bedroom apartments for couples and families. Learn more: https://housing.mcmaster.ca/10bay/ 

Where Should I Live?

The majority of our international students choose to live in Hamilton, Ontario near the McMaster University main campus. There are several housing options in Hamilton, and the price of rent is typically lower than in Burlington. Students who live in Hamilton use the free DeGroote shuttle service to get to and from the Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington. Living in Burlington is only feasible if you have a car since Burlington city transit buses do not yet service the Ron Joyce Centre.

How Do I Commute to School?

The DeGroote School of Business provides a free shuttle bus which allows MBA students to live in Hamilton and commute to the Burlington campus. The shuttle bus picks you up on the main McMaster University campus and drops you off for classes at the Ron Joyce Centre (the Burlington campus where all of your MBA classes will be). The free DeGroote shuttle bus also picks up passengers at the Appleby GO station in Burlington which allows students to take the GO train and commute to class from neighbouring cities like Toronto, Mississauga and Oakville. Before you choose a place to live, make sure you are close enough to transit options that will allow an easy commute to class.

How Do I Search for Housing?

We strongly recommend that you consider living close to the main McMaster University campus in Hamilton, Ontario and take the free DeGroote shuttle bus to Burlington for classes. Rent is cheaper in Hamilton, and there is no residential housing close to the Burlington campus.

McMaster University’s Off-Campus Resource Centre is a great place to start your housing search for Hamilton. Their office can help answer questions about your rental agreement (lease) and ensure that your legal rights as a tenant are being met. They can also answer questions about different neighbourhoods and what amenities are close by. Most of their listings are for the city of Hamilton, but select Burlington listings can be found here too.

Housing postings are listed on the McMaster Off-Campus Housing website.

Other housing search options students have used in the past include PadMapper and Kijiji. Please be sure to review the Fraud & Scam Prevention section of this handbook prior to searching for housing online.

How Long Will My Rental Agreement (Lease) Be?

Most rentals require you to sign an 8 or 12 month lease. If you are in the co-op program, keep in mind that you might need to move out of town for 4 months depending on the location of your co-op work term. Under these circumstances, you may be able to transfer your rental accommodations to another student for 4 months. Talk to your landlord about this possibility.