crashmates
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Welcome Crew

Hey — I'm Maya.

I'm part of the Crashmates Welcome Crew. I keep the 🏆 Founding Student seat warm on every campus page until a real verified student at that school claims it. Until then — here's how the whole thing works.

Maya R.Crashmates Welcome Crew · she/her · always at your campus until a real student takes the badge
Verify my .edu 🎒I'm heading abroad

First, the honest part.

I work at Crashmates. I'm not a student here. I show up in the 🏆 Founding Student slot on every campus page so you don't land on a totally empty page wondering if anyone's home.

The badge isn't mine — it's reserved for the first real verified student at your school. The moment they sign up, the badge moves to them automatically. I'm out. That's the whole point.

You won't see me in the Discover swipe deck. You won't get a DM from me. I'm the welcome face — your matches are all real, verified students at your campus.

What Crashmates is.

One sentence: a free, .edu-verified-students-only marketplace for finding a roommate, a room, a semester sublease, or someone to take over your lease.

What that means in practice:

  • Only verified students get in. Sign-up requires a working .edu email + a magic-link click. We cross-check the email's domain against IPEDS (the federal college database) so we know it's a real school. That keeps out bots, scammers, and randos who don't even go to your school.
  • Free forever. No subscription. No credits-to-message scheme. No card on file. Browsing, matching, and messaging all cost zero.
  • Built for the four real housing problems college students actually have: finding a roommate, finding a room, subletting a semester (abroad / interning / early grad), and bailing on a lease cleanly.
  • Mutual-only chat. Nobody can cold-message you. Two students like each other → chat opens. That's the only path in.

What it's not: not Facebook Marketplace, not Roomster, not Craigslist. The whole point is that those places are infested with bots and scammers and people who don't go to your school — Crashmates is the opposite of that.

How to use it.

01
Verify your .edu
Sign up with your school email. We send a magic link, you click it, you’re in. No password to remember. We cross-check your domain against IPEDS — the federal database of accredited US colleges — so the only people in here are real students at real schools.
02
Build your profile
Sleep schedule, cleanliness, social vibe, budget, what you’re looking for (roommate, room, sublease, takeover). Takes about 3 minutes. Better profile, better matches.
03
Swipe + browse
The Discover deck shows verified students at your school, sorted by compatibility (sleep + clean + social + budget). Like the ones you’d actually share a place with.
04
Match + message
When two students like each other, the chat opens. Messaging is free — no credits, no “upgrade to send.” Work out the dates, see the place, hand off the keys.

That's the whole loop. Start to first match in about 5 minutes.

If you're heading abroad.

This is the play most students don't realize Crashmates does. If you're going abroad next semester, interning out of town, or graduating mid-lease — don't eat rent on an empty room.

Leaving
Post your room
Going abroad, on a co-op, interning, or graduating early? Post your room for the semester. Verified students at your school see it instantly — so whoever takes it isn’t a stranger, it’s a classmate.
Arriving
Take a room
Coming to campus for a single term — exchange, transfer, internship? Browse subleases posted by verified students at your school. Move in for a semester without signing a year.

Full walkthrough: how semester subleases work →

What I can't do.

  • I can't DM you back. The chat surface is real-student-to-real-student only. If you message me, no one's on the other side.
  • I won't show up in your Discover deck. Only verified students at your school do. (That's the point.)
  • I'm not support. For account, billing (there is no billing), safety, or anything that actually matters — email support@crashmates.com. A real person on the team handles it.

Maya questions.

Wait — are you a real student?
No. I’m part of the Crashmates Welcome Crew — staff, not a student. The 🏆 Founding Student card on every campus page shows me until a real verified student at that school signs up. The moment one does, the badge moves to them. That’s the deal.
Why is the Founding Student card showing you and not a real student?
Because we’re new at your campus. Crashmates launched recently, so most schools don’t have a first verified student yet. The badge is reserved — and I keep the seat warm so you don’t land on an empty page wondering if this place is dead. (It’s not. It just needs you.)
How do I become the Founding Student at my school?
Sign up with your .edu email and finish your profile. If you’re the first verified student at your campus, the 🏆 badge transfers to you automatically, and you get the featured spot at the top of your campus page. First one in owns it.
What is Crashmates, in one sentence?
A free, .edu-verified-students-only marketplace for finding a roommate, a room, a semester sublease, or someone to take over your lease — built so you’re never matching with a bot, a scammer, or someone who doesn’t even go to your school.
Is it actually free?
Yes — 100%. Browsing, matching, and messaging cost nothing. No subscription. No “starter pack of credits.” No card required. We built this because the existing roommate apps charge you a subscription to message bots, and that’s ridiculous.
How do you verify students?
Two ways. (1) Your school .edu email + a magic-link click that proves you control the inbox. (2) Cross-check of your domain against IPEDS — the federal database of accredited US colleges — to confirm the email belongs to a real, recognized school. We verify the school, not your transcripts. (No platform can promise total safety — still meet in public, still video-chat before signing anything.)
Can someone DM me out of nowhere?
Nope. Chat only opens after a mutual like — both people swiped right on each other. So every conversation is two verified students who chose to talk. No cold messages, no spam.
What if I’m studying abroad or interning and need to sublet?
This is the one nobody talks about. Post your room with the dates you’ll be gone — another verified student at your school takes it for the semester. You stop eating rent on an empty room. Walk through it on the /sublet page.
Where do I go if I have an actual problem?
Email support@crashmates.com. A real person on the team will reply. I’m the welcome face — the team handles support, safety, and anything that matters.
Updated: 2026-06-09 · Real help? support@crashmates.com

Now go claim your spot.

Verify your .edu, build your profile, swipe the deck. If you're the first one at your school, the 🏆 badge is yours — and I move aside.

Verify my .edu 🎒