<p>Studentification is a widely recognized phenomenon entailing the transformations induced by the rapid influx of students in urban centers. Among several aspects, student rental housing has emerged as a niche market segment resulting from students seeking accommodation in the private rental sector. With the growing realization of student rentals as a profitable business opportunity, this sector is attracting more homeowners to turn into landlords and repurpose their residences to suit the unique requirements of students. To prevent the unchecked conversion of family residences and provide necessary inputs to devise policy controls, there has been an increased interest in assessing the housing choices of students in recent years. Most prior research on students' housing choice is concentrated in the global West. In India, the mobility for higher education is dominated by intra-district migration, since several higher-order institutions are established in the district capitals serving the population of their rural hinterland. Prior research offers a limited account of the studentification processes occurring in such regional education hubs. The present study addresses this gap through an example of Midnapore, the capital of Paschim Medinipur district in West Bengal. It examines the students' housing choices, focusing on postgraduation students, as the growth of enrolments in this subcategory is found to be maximum. The study employs a choice-based conjoint (CBC) approach to analyze data from 394 postgraduate students. It is seen that students in Midnapore value privacy and facilities over affordability to dictate their choice of rental housing.</p>