Roommates & Flatmates Near UPES
Most UPES students take the hostel, which means the ones who don't are a small and scattered group — and finding each other is genuinely hard. If you're moving off campus, the person is the constraint here far more than the room is.
Who lives here
UPES students across the Bidholi and Kandoli campuses who live off campus, mostly seniors and postgraduates, plus students at the Prem Nagar institutions sharing the same belt.
Why finding people matters more here. The off-campus UPES population is small because the hostel takes most first and second years. That makes the odds of meeting a compatible flatmate by chance low — and it makes Prem Nagar, where the wider student population actually is, the sensible place to look rather than the villages next to the gate.
Where to live, area by area
Rents below are indicative ranges for a private room in a shared flat, before deposit. Confirm the number with the person before you commit to anything.
Closest to the campuses. Limited stock, walkable, and the first to go.
₹5,500 – ₹9,000 / month for a private room
The main student belt on this side of Dehradun, shared with Uttaranchal University. Biggest pool of people to share with.
₹4,500 – ₹8,000 / month for a private room
Toward the city, better flats and more to do, twenty to thirty minutes from campus.
₹6,000 – ₹10,500 / month for a private room
The affordable edge toward Selaqui, best if a couple of you have transport.
₹4,000 – ₹7,500 / month for a private room
How long it actually takes to get places
| Destination | Typical time |
|---|---|
| UPES Bidholi campus | 5–15 min from Bidholi or Kandoli |
| UPES Kandoli campus | 5–10 min |
| Prem Nagar | 10–15 min |
| Clock Tower / city centre | 35–50 min |
What it actually costs per month in UPES
Rent is the number people compare, and it is rarely the number that decides anything. This is the realistic all-in figure for one person sharing a flat in UPES.
| What you pay | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Room rent (private, shared flat) | ₹3,000 – ₹10,000 |
| Deposit (one-off) | ₹3,000 – ₹10,000 (1 month is normal) |
| Maintenance & utilities | ₹500 – ₹1,200 |
| Food | included in most PGs; ₹3,500 – ₹6,000 if self-catering |
| Local transport | ₹300 – ₹900 |
| Realistic monthly total | ₹8,000 – ₹17,000 |
Dehradun deposits are the gentlest anywhere Bunkd operates — one month is normal, and plenty of owners waive it entirely if you pay quarterly. Read the security deposit guide before you hand anything over, and get the refund terms written on the receipt.
Flatmate, roommate or PG — which one do you actually want?
The words get used interchangeably and they are not the same thing, which matters when you are searching.
- A flatmate shares the flat but has their own room. You split rent and bills, cook or order separately, and keep your own space. This is what most working professionals in UPES mean when they say flatmate.
- A roommate shares the room itself. Cheapest option by a wide margin — often 40 to 50 percent less than a private room — and common among students and first-jobbers who are saving hard.
- A PG gives you a bed with meals and cleaning handled, plus house rules and often a gate timing. Simpler to start, less freedom, and once you split a flat three ways the cost difference usually disappears.
Bunkd covers all three. You set whether you want your own room or are happy sharing one, and the matching works the same way either direction. If a PG is what you are after, the honest PG versus flatshare comparison is worth five minutes before you sign.
When to look
The intake lands in July and August, but the off-campus decision usually comes later — students move out after a year in the hostel. That means the roommate market here runs year-round rather than in one wave, and forming a group in the spring for the following academic year is common.
What to check before you pay anything
- Sleep schedule. A 2am person and a 6am person in one room is the single most common reason students move out mid-semester.
- Cleanliness — not as a personality question but a practical one. Who cleans what, how often, is there help, who pays for it.
- Guests. Agree the rule before you need one. Every flatshare argument about guests started with no rule.
- Food. Veg-only, non-veg or mixed kitchen, settled before anyone moves in and in writing if the flat is veg-only.
- Money. Who pays which bill and by when. Boring in week one, a fight in month four.
Finding the person, not just the room
Most flatshares fail on lifestyle, not on rent. Bunkd asks the things that actually decide whether living together works — sleep schedule, cleanliness, social battery, guest policy, food preference and your one real dealbreaker — and matches on those. You swipe through people, match when it is mutual, and chat inside the app before anyone shares a phone number.
If you have not found a flat yet, Squad Mode lets you match with other people searching in UPES so you can pool budgets and take a 2BHK or 3BHK together. Splitting a bigger flat is almost always cheaper per person than renting a single room alone — the rent split calculator works out a fair division when the rooms are not the same size.
Have a spare room instead? List it free and choose who fills it yourself.
Common questions
How do I find a roommate at UPES?
Set your area to Prem Nagar or Bidholi on Bunkd and set your lifestyle preferences. Because the off-campus UPES group is small, casting slightly wider — Prem Nagar rather than just the village — gives you a much bigger pool.
Should I stay in the hostel instead?
For a first year, usually. The campuses are far enough from the city that the hostel is genuinely more practical. Most people who move out do it in second or third year, with people they've already met.
Where do off-campus UPES students live?
Prem Nagar mostly, which has the largest student rental market on this side of Dehradun. Kandoli and Bidholi village are closer but have very little stock.
Is this the same market as Graphic Era?
No. Prem Nagar and Clement Town are opposite sides of Dehradun, about 45 minutes apart.
Is Bunkd free?
Yes, with no brokerage.