LAO Report on Student Housing

The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) has issued a report on student housing at the three higher ed segments: UC, CSU, and community colleges. (Apparently, some rural community colleges have limited student housing.) It's unclear whether this report was triggered by the current brouhaha over the huge dorm project at UC-Santa Barbara - see earlier posts on this blog - or whether its appearance at this time is a coincidence. In any case, not surprisingly, the highest percentage of student housing relative to enrollment is at UC (since students are less likely to have parental housing close to campus at UC than at CSU or the community colleges). Still, the percentage at UC is just 35% as the chart above indicates. Unfortunately, the report does not break down the overall total percentage by campus.

Some highlights:

• Historically, student housing facilities have been supported by student charges and have not been subsidized by the state. 
• Campuses set their own goals. UC reports having completed the construction of approximately 21,700 additional beds (through 23 campus housing projects) [since 2015] and is in the process of constructing approximately 19,100 additional beds (through 21 projects).
• For fall 2021, eight UC campuses report waitlists totaling more than 7,500 students. Some campuses report increases over pre-pandemic levels, whereas others report substantial reductions.
• UC reports 11 housing projects under development at 6 campuses adding more than 16,000 beds.
• UC does not systematically collect data regarding on-campus housing charges. Campus officials emphasize, however, that their housing charges are intended to be below market.
• Despite campuses aiming to have below-market housing charges, students living off-campus report paying less on average for their total living costs than students living on-campus. Off-campus students have somewhat more control over their living costs in that they can choose to have more roommates or scale back on food expenses.

Full report at https://lao.ca.gov/handouts/education/2021/Student-Housing-110821.pdf.