As the end of the semester nears, students planning on transferring to University Park are feeling the pressure to find housing.

Some students transferring from Commonwealth Campuses feel that they have been forced to sign housing leases before they were even accepted for admission.

Susan Fuller (junior-psychology) said her realtor was not understanding of her situation as a transfer student.

"I had to come down from Erie in the middle of the week because [the realtor] told us they were getting rid of all their housing," Fuller said.

"I had to give them the money without even knowing if we would be accepted."

She and her roommates put forth a non-refundable down payment. Even though she won't hear from admissions until January, Fuller was told she needed to find housing by November.

Finding a place to live off-campus can be a daunting task for transfer students because most are unfamiliar with State College.

Fuller said knowing students already at the main campus is helpful in deciding where to live.

Fuller said she knew when to start looking for housing based on what friends at University Park had told her.

Still other students are having trouble finding someone to sublet their portion of a lease for next semester. Luisa Berti (senior-English and women's studies) said she hasn't been able to find someone to sublet her roommate's share for the spring since she will be graduating and moving out at the end of the fall semester.

"It was hard even last year to try and find someone to sign the lease for this semester," she said.

Renters often offer a lower rate to attract a subletter. When she does find someone to sign the sublet, she and her roommate will have to make up the difference, Berti said.

"Since no one was willing to sign for an entire year last spring, we need to find someone to take over for next spring," Berti said.

Some realtors in State College said they help students find subletters, but they do not guarantee success, and some attach fees to this service.

The Apartment Store, 444 E. College Ave., will help students to find a subletter for a fee using leasing consultants, said a spokesperson from the agency. AW and Sons, 309 E. Beaver Ave., has a list of tenants looking to sublet their apartments which they provide to interested renters, a spokesperson said.