College Houses

What College Houses does

College Houses is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cooperative student housing organization founded in 1964 and headquartered in Austin, Texas. It owns and operates seven residential co-op communities — Taos, 21st Street, Pearl Street, Halstead, Nueces, and Opsis — offering 532 beds per semester within walking distance of the University of Texas at Austin and Austin Community College. The portfolio splits between shared-style co-ops (with communal kitchens, meal plans, and 4 hours of weekly member labor) and apartment-style co-ops (private bedrooms/bathrooms, no meal plan, lower labor requirements). An Income Verified (IV) program reserves approximately 100 discounted beds for students earning below 50% of Austin median family income, in partnership with the City of Austin Housing and Planning Department since 2008.

The technology stack is intentionally lightweight and third-party: Homebody for maintenance requests, DocuSign for online lease contracts, Google Forms for operational data (assessments, incident reports, payment plans), Google Analytics for traffic monitoring, and PayPal for deposit returns. There is no proprietary software platform; the organization runs on a standard WordPress website with an online application portal at apply.collegehouses.org. Distribution is direct-to-consumer: students apply online, select up to three preferred houses, and onboard through per-house Membership Coordinators.

Revenue is generated entirely through housing-related fees: monthly rent ($730-$1,190 per member inclusive of utilities, internet, and meals in most houses), a $660 one-time deposit/fee at contract signing ($600 refundable + $60 non-refundable), annual parking passes ($500, $375 for IV members), and modest late/penalty fees. The cooperative governance model — member-elected board, member-set rents, mandatory labor contributions — eliminates landlord profit extraction and serves as the structural cost advantage. GTM is community-led and organic, driven by UT campus referrals, alumni network (The Co-op Commons), and direct social media engagement (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter). The customer base is exclusively higher education students, with a small core team of approximately 8-10 staff supporting all operations.

Name

College Houses

Legal name

The College Houses

Website

https://collegehouses.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

College Houses is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cooperative operating seven student housing communities with 532 beds near UT Austin. It offers affordable, all-inclusive co-op living to university and community college students through a member-governed model with shared meals and labor requirements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Housing Services

NAICS

Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (72131)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Off-Campus Shared Student Houses (Room-by-Room) (THAMAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student-Focused Co-Living (Flexible, Community-Led) (THAMAGAI), Off-Campus / University-Affiliated Housing Management (EDAEAFAB), Off-Campus Housing Support & Landlord Relations (EDALACAJ), Student/Academic Serviced Residences (THAGAEAF)

Keywords

• Cooperative student housing
• Affordable student housing
• Member-governed housing
• Student cooperative residences
• Nonprofit housing cooperative

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin, Texas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Student Housing Rent: Monthly rent payments from student members occupying private or shared bedrooms across seven cooperative houses. Rent includes utilities, internet, and (in most houses) meal plans. Pricing varies by house type and room selection (private vs shared). Revenue is recurring on academic semester basis.
2. Membership Fees: One-time fees at contract signing including $660 total: $600 refundable security deposit plus $60 non-refundable membership, operational, and payment processor fees.
3. Parking Fees: Annual parking passes offered to members at $500 per year for most houses, with reduced rates of $375 per year for Income Verified qualifying members.
4. Late Fees and Penalties: Late payment fees of $40 after 5-day grace period, additional $40 after 12 days, capped at $80 per month. Early move-in charges at daily rate. Late move-out charges of $100/day without approval.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

College Houses operates seven cooperative student housing communities near the University of Texas at Austin, providing private or shared furnished bedrooms with utilities, high-speed internet, and (in most houses) a prepared community meal plan included in monthly rent. Members live in democratically governed cooperatives, contributing 1-4 hours of weekly labor and voting on house policies, rents, and leadership. An Income Verified (IV) Reserved Spaces program provides reduced rates for students earning below 50% of Austin's median family income.

Product overview

College Houses operates 7 unique cooperative student housing communities near UT-Austin in Austin, TX, offering two distinct living models: Shared Style Co-ops (Taos, 21st Street, Pearl Street, Halstead) that include private or shared bedrooms, shared bathrooms, large kitchens, and prepared meal plans with 4 hours of weekly member labor; and Apartment Style Co-ops (Nueces, Opsis) offering private bedrooms/bathrooms, shared kitchenettes, no meal plan, and only 2 hours of weekly labor. The organization also offers an Income Verified (IV) Reserved Spaces program providing reduced rent rates for students earning below 50% of Austin's median family income. Lease terms include Fall/Spring (August-May, 9-month) and Summer options, with pricing ranging from $730/month for shared rooms to $1,190/month for private rooms including utilities, internet, and meals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Taos Co-op

Quantifiable outcome

• Students save hundreds per month compared to market rate housing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of Austin Housing and Planning DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Partnership established in 2008 to build the Super Co-op and implement Income Verified (IV) reserved spaces program. IV spaces ensure affordable housing reaches students with financial need, reserved for those earning at or below 50% of Austin's median family income.
• University Neighborhood Overlay (UNO) Density Bonus ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Austin zoning initiative allowing developers to build taller, denser buildings in West Campus near UT in exchange for affordable housing units or fees. College Houses participates to maintain affordability standards.
• Inter-Cooperative Council (ICC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICC co-ops form another major group of student housing cooperatives in Austin, Texas. Refer students to each other when one organization lacks availability.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Campus Communities: One of the largest publicly-traded student housing REITs in the US, operating purpose-built communities near major university campuses including UT-Austin. Competes for the same student tenant base but as a for-profit amenitized operator.
• Greystar Real Estate Partners: Largest student housing operator in the US with properties near many universities. Operates a mix of owned and third-party managed student housing communities, including West Campus Austin-area assets.
• University of Texas at Austin On-Campus Housing: Official university residence halls operated by UT-Austin. Directly competes for the same undergraduate housing demand and offers comparable meal-plan-inclusive options, but as university-managed dormitories rather than off-campus co-ops.
• Campus Apartments: Established student housing developer and operator with communities near multiple universities. Competes for off-campus student housing demand near UT-Austin with traditional apartment-style offerings.

Emerging players

• Quarters (co-living): Co-living operator offering fully furnished shared apartments to students and young professionals. Compares to College Houses' apartment-style co-ops (Nueces, Opsis) but with a more amenitized, hospitality-driven approach.
• Bungalow.com (Landing): Co-living platform offering private bedrooms in shared homes with flexible leases. Comparable to College Houses' shared-bedroom co-op model but operates as a tech-enabled property manager rather than a member-owned cooperative.
• Starcity Group: Tech-enabled co-living company offering shared furnished apartments in major cities. Operates a similar shared-housing, community-oriented model but targets working professionals and graduate students in urban markets.

Others

• Austin Community Reinvestment Cooperative: Cooperative housing organization in Austin focused on affordable community-led housing. Adjacent peer with a shared cooperative philosophy; Operations Director Ryan C. of College Houses is a founder/chair of this organization.

Regional players

• St. Edward's University Housing: Another Austin-based university housing provider serving a different student population in the same city. Not direct competition for UT-Austin students, but represents alternative institutional housing in the Austin market.

Direct peers

• Inter-Cooperative Council (ICC): The ICC operates the other major network of student housing cooperatives in Austin, TX, serving UT-Austin students with a nearly identical cooperative governance and labor model. They are explicitly referenced as referral partners when College Houses lacks availability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/collegehouses
• YouTubeyoutube.com/collegehouses
• Facebookfacebook.com/collegehouses
• Instagraminstagram.com/collegehouses
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/college-houses

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about College Houses