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State universities meet increased demand for on-campus living • Iowa Capital Dispatch [1]

['Brooklyn Draisey', 'More From Author', '- March']

Date: 2024-03-15

Iowa’s public universities are seeing increased interest in on-campus living from new and returning students, citing convenience and satisfaction with offered resources by their colleges.

Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa and University of Iowa have all reported expecting higher numbers of students living in their residence facilities, in part due to more returning students wishing to stay on campus. At UNI, a near-record number of returning students submitted housing contract renewals, about 15% more than last year, a news release stated.

In total, UNI is predicting around 3,200 students will choose to live on campus, almost 3% more than its current occupancy and the highest number since 2018. UNI Assistant Vice President Iowa Executive Director for Housing & Dining Nick Rafanello said the university housed 3,114 students according to its fall census, and its capacity is 3,594. In a recent presentation to the Iowa Board of Regents, he said the university is expected to be at close to 90% occupancy this fall, the highest since 2016.

Rafanello said he’s heard from students anecdotally that convenience and access are drivers behind the decision to live on campus, from dining options to custodial services and on-call aid for maintenance problems or other issues.

“Students recognize that living on campus kind of affords a lot of conveniences in terms of access to resources,” Rafanello said. “You’re more likely to be involved with student organizations, with faculty, with academic major programs. I think there’s also just a general sense of increased engagement, and so you’re able to access and utilize what campus has to offer without having to worry about coming back to campus to get involved.”

UNI has also offered a financial incentive to students thinking about staying on campus past their freshman year — the Live 2 Succeed program. Students who live in university housing for a second year will receive a $1,000 scholarship, broken into $500 chunks in the fall and spring semesters, and priority room selection each year after their first living on campus.

More than half of UNI’s new residents are choosing to participate in the Live 2 Succeed program, Rafanello said during the board of regents meeting.

High costs off campus could also be a reason to live in university housing, Rafanello said, especially rising food prices due to inflation. With rent, utilities and even commuting becoming more expensive, the price tags of living on and off campus are similar. It makes sense students would go with the option that affords them more, he said.

ISU converts single rooms to doubles

Iowa State University housed just over 10,000 students in the fall, Vice President for Campus Life and Director of Residence Michael Harwood said in the board of regents meeting. That’s about 96% of the university’s capacity. ISU is seeing increased interest in on-campus housing, especially from returning students, prompting the college to shift some rooms from single to double occupancy.

Around 150 spaces are being made available to meet the greater need, ISU spokesperson Angie Hunt said, and the residence system governance report stated this would bring the university’s capacity to 10,566. ISU is expected to reach about 97% capacity in fiscal year 2025, according to the report, or just over 10,250 students.

According to research from ISU, students who live on-campus have a 34% higher retention rate, 38% higher four-year graduation rate and 5% higher grade-point average than students who live off-campus.

UI keeps residence hall open

High numbers of returning students wanting to live on campus and record numbers of admissions applications have led the University of Iowa to keep Mayflower Residence Hall open another year, while keeping it on the market for sale.

More than 1,500 students have applied to live on campus another year, UI spokesperson Steve Schmadeke said in an email.

“This number is in line with previous years, but it played a role in the decision to keep Mayflower Hall open because demand stayed strong even after we communicated publicly that we would have to limit the number of returning students coming back to the residence halls,” Schmadeke said in his email.

The UI has also heard anecdotally that students are staying on campus for its location, support systems and not having to deal with rent and cooking. Von Stange, UI assistant vice president for student life and senior director of university housing and dining, said at the board of regents meeting that 94% of respondents to a student satisfaction survey would recommend on-campus living to new students.

Schmadeke said the university is also seeing a record number of applications from prospective students. Stange said in the meeting that the UI began the 2023-24 school year at 98% capacity, and according to a board of regents residence system governance report, the university is forecasted to be at full capacity this fall with the increase in students living on-campus and the closure of Parklawn Hall due to lack of interest from students.

The UI expects to have enough space to accommodate all students wishing to live on-campus, Schmadeke said.

“We want to provide campus housing for as many students as possible and we are excited to see the strong interest both incoming and returning students are showing in the residential experience,” said Sarah Hansen, UI vice president for student life, in an emailed statement.

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[1] Url: https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/03/15/state-universities-meet-increased-demand-for-on-campus-living/

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