(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – 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.

More than half of UNI’s new residents are choosing to participate in the Live 2 Succeed program. 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, according to Vice President for Campus Life and Director of Residence Michael Harwood. 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, 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 according to UI spokesperson Steve Schmadeke. 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 a 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. 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 forecast 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, according to Schmadeke.