Top 7 rental buildings near University CTrain Station

University CTrain Station is a straightforward, no-transfer Red Line ride from downtown Calgary, and the rental buildings around it serve a much wider group than the students at the University of Calgary next door. This guide covers seven rental buildings near University CTrain Station, what a one-bedroom actually costs here in September 2026, and how Alberta’s rent-increase rules apply to anyone signing a lease in the area.

How close is University CTrain Station to downtown Calgary?

University CTrain Station sits on Calgary’s Red Line in the Banff Trail and University District area of NW Calgary, eight stops from City Hall/Bow Valley College at the edge of downtown, with no transfer required. That makes it one of the more direct downtown commutes on the Calgary Transit network, whether you ride the Red Line every weekday or only on the days you head downtown. This guide covers the best rental buildings near University CTrain Station for anyone using that line, not just students at the University of Calgary next door.

According to Calgary Transit’s own Red Line system map, last updated September 2025, University Station connects directly to Banff Trail, Lions Park, SAIT/AUArts/Jubilee, and Sunnyside before the line crosses the river into the downtown core. The same platform also carries students, hospital staff, and SAIT employees heading the other direction, toward Brentwood, Dalhousie and the rest of the Northwest line.

Who actually lives near University CTrain Station?

University CTrain Station serves a wider group than undergraduates walking to class. Grad students with families, Foothills Medical Centre and Alberta Children’s Hospital staff, SAIT and Bow Valley College employees, and downtown professionals who would rather ride the Red Line than drive Crowchild Trail all rent in the buildings around this station. If you already found a “student housing near the University of Calgary” list, this is the separate one for everyone else riding the same platform.

Two Calgary Transit bus routes feed the station directly: route 9 toward Dalhousie and Chinook, and route 20 toward Heritage and Northmount. That combination of a fast rail line downtown and steady local bus service is a big part of why the area works for renters who do not commute downtown every single day but still want frequent transit within a short walk of home.

First time renting in Calgary? liv.rent‘s user guide for renters (https://liv.rent/blog/2021/07/liv-rent-user-guide-for-renters/) walks through searching, verifying a listing, and applying safely before you sign anything.

What is the Banff Trail and University District area like?

Banff Trail is an established, mostly single-family community north of the CTrain tracks, with tree-lined streets and Confederation Park along its eastern edge. University District, the newer community wrapping around the west side of the University of Calgary campus, was built specifically for walkable, transit-connected living, with purpose-built rental towers going up along University Avenue NW a few minutes from the station platform.

Banff Trail’s median resident age is 41, and about six in ten residents rent rather than own, with an average household income near $104,000, according to Minto Apartments’ neighbourhood guide (https://www.mintoapartments.com/resources/neighbourhoods/banff-trail-neighbourhood-guide) to the area, checked September 2026. That points to a mixed market of long-time homeowners and newer renters, rather than a single type of tenant clustered around the station.

For more on how Calgary’s inner-city NW communities compare to the rest of the city, see liv.rent‘s neighbourhood guides (https://liv.rent/blog/category/neighbourhoods/).

What does a one-bedroom near University Station rent for in September 2026?

Calgary’s city-wide average unfurnished one-bedroom rent was $1,442 in September 2026, down 5.3% year-over-year and down from $1,465 in August 2026, according to liv.rent‘s September 2026 Calgary and Edmonton rent report (https://liv.rent/blog/rent-reports/september-2026-calgary-edmonton-rent-report/). That is a city-wide figure rather than a Banff Trail-specific one, since no source currently publishes rent broken out by individual CTrain station, but it is the right reference point for judging whether a listing near University Station is priced fairly.

Calgary’s rental vacancy rate stood at 5.0% in 2025, within the market’s estimated balanced range of 3.0% to 5.5%, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2026 Mid-Year Rental Market Update (https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/observer/2026/2026-mid-year-rental-market-update). A softer, higher-vacancy market generally means more room to negotiate and more time to compare buildings before signing, which is useful in a corridor with only two liv.rent-listed buildings to choose from directly.

What are the best rental buildings near University CTrain Station?

liv.rent currently lists two rental buildings within a short ride of University Station: Homes By Avi in University District and University Pointe near Brentwood. The other five buildings below are established, well-reviewed options in the immediate area that are not yet on liv.rent‘s platform. Together, all seven cover every distance band along this stretch of the Red Line, from a two-minute walk off the platform to one stop further up the line.

Building	Address	Nearest CTrain access	On liv.rent
Homes By Avi	3932 University Avenue NW	University Station, short walk	Yes
The Forge	4030 University Avenue NW	University Station, short walk	No
Patrician Village	1919 University Drive NW	Banff Trail/University Stations, short walk	No
Banff Trail Avas	2026 18 Avenue NW	Banff Trail Station, one stop south	No
The Hub Calgary	2416 16 Avenue NW	Banff Trail Station, one stop south	No
ONE6	1528 16 Avenue NW	Banff Trail Station, one stop south	No
University Pointe	3023 & 3027 Blakiston Drive NW	Brentwood Station, one stop north	Yes

Steps from the platform: University District

Homes By Avi and The Forge both sit on University Avenue NW in University District, close enough to walk to the platform without crossing Crowchild Trail. Homes By Avi is the highrise liv.rent lists at this address, with one-bedroom units listed at $1,475 a month on its liv.rent building page (https://liv.rent/building/33123/homes-by-avi-apartment-building-3932-university-avenue-nw-calgary-ab) as of September 2026. The Forge, a newer purpose-built rental at 4030 University Avenue NW, offers one, two, and three-bedroom suites with quartz counters, induction cooktops, and built-in air conditioning, for renters who want new construction over an older walk-up.

A few blocks out: Banff Trail, Capitol Hill, and University Heights

Patrician Village (1919 University Drive NW), Banff Trail Avas (2026 18 Avenue NW), The Hub Calgary (2416 16 Avenue NW) and ONE6 (1528 16 Avenue NW) sit in the older, walk-up-heavy blocks between University Station and Confederation Park, most of them within an easy walk of Banff Trail Station, one CTrain stop south. None of these four is currently listed on liv.rent, but they are established buildings in a part of the city where the rental stock generally predates the newer University District towers, which tends to mean lower turnover and more long-term tenants.

A short LRT ride further out: Brentwood

University Pointe, at 3023 and 3027 Blakiston Drive NW, is liv.rent‘s second listed building in this corridor, but it is only fair to say up front that it sits a block from Brentwood Station, one stop north of University Station on the Red Line, not steps from the University Station platform itself. Its property manager, Mainstreet, advertises one-bedroom units starting around $1,275 a month as of September 2026, with heat, water, and energized parking included, which can make the extra CTrain stop worth it for renters chasing a lower price. See its liv.rent building page (https://liv.rent/building/35132/university-pointe-apartment-building-3023-amp-3027-blakiston-drive-nw-calgary-ab) for current availability.

Do you need a car if you live near University Station?

Most renters near University Station can manage daily commuting without a car, since the Red Line runs straight downtown with no transfer and routes 9 and 20 cover the surrounding blocks. A car still earns its keep for grocery runs, anything south of the Bow River, or trips outside Calgary Transit’s regular service hours.

Calgary Transit’s adult monthly pass rose from $118 to $126 starting in January 2026, according to Calgary Transit’s own 2026 fare announcement (https://www.calgarytransit.com/news/calgary-transit-fares-changing-for-2026.html). For most renters near the station, that is still cheaper than parking downtown five days a week, even after the increase.

What should Alberta renters and landlords near University Station know about rent increases?

In Alberta, a landlord cannot raise the rent within the first 365 days of a tenancy or within 365 days of the last increase, and for a month-to-month tenancy must give at least three full tenancy months of written notice before any increase takes effect, under the province’s Residential Tenancies Act (https://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/pdf/RTA/Rent_increases.pdf). Alberta places no cap on how much rent can go up, unlike some other provinces, so the notice period and the 365-day rule are the main limits both renters and landlords near University Station need to plan around. This is general information, not legal advice; anyone with a specific dispute should contact Alberta’s Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service.

Landlords weighing a new lease near a station like this one can use liv.rent‘s landlord dashboard (https://liv.rent/blog/livrent/landlord-dashboard-digital-tools-for-landlords-property-managers/) to track notice periods and rent history automatically, while renters can find a plain-language walkthrough of their rights in liv.rent‘s rental laws (https://liv.rent/blog/category/rental-laws/) section.

Is University CTrain Station only good for University of Calgary students?

No. Plenty of U of C students live nearby, but University Station also serves Foothills Medical Centre and Alberta Children’s Hospital staff, SAIT and Bow Valley College employees, and downtown professionals who ride the Red Line to avoid driving Crowchild Trail. The buildings around the station reflect that mix, from newer University District towers to older Banff Trail walk-ups.

How much does a one-bedroom apartment cost near University Station?

Calgary’s city-wide average unfurnished one-bedroom rent was $1,442 in September 2026, down 5.3% year-over-year, according to liv.rent‘s September 2026 Calgary and Edmonton rent report. No source currently publishes rent broken out by individual CTrain station, so use that city-wide figure as your reference point when comparing listings near University Station.

Is University Pointe actually right at University Station?

Not quite. University Pointe, at 3023 and 3027 Blakiston Drive NW, sits a block from Brentwood Station, one stop north of University Station on the Red Line, according to its property manager, Mainstreet. It is a short, no-transfer CTrain ride away, but not within walking distance of the University Station platform itself.

Do I need a car if I live near University CTrain Station?

Most daily commuting works fine without one, since the Red Line runs directly downtown with no transfer and routes 9 and 20 cover the surrounding blocks. A car still helps for grocery runs, anything south of the Bow River, or trips outside Calgary Transit’s regular service hours.

Can my landlord raise the rent whenever they want in Alberta?

No. Under Alberta’s Residential Tenancies Act, rent cannot increase within 365 days of the start of a tenancy or the last increase, and a month-to-month tenancy needs at least three full tenancy months of written notice before any increase takes effect. Alberta has no cap on how much rent can rise, so those timing rules are the main protection tenants have.

Is it safe to take the CTrain from University Station?

Calgary Transit and the City of Calgary have been expanding their public safety presence citywide, including opening a fifth transit public safety district office covering northwest Calgary in January 2026, part of a rollout that began in January 2024. As with any transit system, normal precautions apply, but there is no indication University Station specifically has elevated safety concerns compared with the rest of the Red Line.