University Place, located in Harris County is only about a 13-minute drive from the UH campus, offers a mix of a suburban and urban feel. There are many bars, restaurants, parks, and coffee shops, and many young professionals tend to live in this area. Some affordable apartment complexes in this neighborhood include The Daphne Apartments as well as Gables Cityscape.

Montrose is also about a 13-minute drive from campus. Known for its gay bars, eclectic eateries, indie art galleries, and vintage stores, this neighborhood is a great place for UH students to live and hang out.

Fourth Ward is one of the historic six wards of Houston, Texas and is in a convenient, easily accessible area. Some affordable apartment complexes in this neighborhood include San Jacinto Apartments, Gaslight Square Apartments, and Shibui Apartments.

Museum Park is another great neighborhood less than a 10-minute drive from UH's campus. This area is a huge cultural hub that offers access to a variety of museums and casual eateries.

Dining

There are many off-campus dining options for University of Houston students to explore.

Andes Cafe, located a short 10-minute drive from campus, is a casual Venezuelan, Colombian, and Peruvian restaurant.

Phil and Derek's is a casual restaurant that offers Cajun-Creole food and live jazz/R&B music, located only seven minutes away from campus in Midtown Houston.

Dak & Bop is a casual Korean restaurant located only six minutes away from the UH campus.

Transportation

The Cougar Line shuttle service is available for students who want to get around both on and off-campus. The Circulator shuttle operates from 7 am -7 pm, Mondays through Fridays, while the Sugar Land shuttle operates from 7 am to approximately 6 pm. Mondays through Fridays.

Students also have the option to join COAST (Coogs on Alternative and Sustainable Transportation), an incentive program for individuals who carpool or utilize alternative and sustainable options to get to campus. Through COAST, students have access to transportation services such as METRO buses and rail, METRO Star Vanpool, Zipcar, Uber, and BCycle.

Parking

Students who wish to park on campus need to display a parking permit (unless parked at a parking meter, visitor lot, or the visitor section of a parking garage). Permits are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) oversees and maintains six parking garages on the UH campus: Welcome Center Garage (for faculty and staff), Stadium Garage, Welcome Center Student Garage, Elgin Street Garage, East Garage, and University Gateway Garage.

Safety

There are several security programs in place to ensure the safety of all UH students. The University of Houston Police Department (UHPD) works to keep students safe through blue light phones placed at various locations throughout campus and a Security Escort Program.

Shopping

There are several great places to shop near UH. The Shops at Houston Center, only a 10-minute drive away from campus, is a retail and office complex in downtown Houston offering a variety of dining, shopping, healthcare, and services. The complex boasts many retail stores, restaurants, and one of the largest food courts in Texas.

Several grocery stores near UH include NuWaters Co-Op, several H-E-B Grocery stores, Whole Foods Market, and Trader Joe's.