6 Ways To Help Students Choose To Live In On-Campus Housing

As of spring 2023, nearly 17 million students were enrolled in U.S. colleges. Many of these learners chose to stay in on-campus housing to be close to classrooms and academic resources, faculty offices, and other amenities. You can encourage students to live on college grounds in various ways, including helping them move in and creating a safe and inclusive environment. Here are six actionable tips that will attract more student renters. 

What Institutions Can Do To Support Students

Enhancing the college living experience can help students settle into their accommodation and improve their experiences throughout the academic year. Follow these steps to increase the demand for campus housing as potential residents evaluate their accommodation options. 

1. Consider The Student’s Needs And Preferences

Different students have different requirements and priorities for college housing. Some might want to be close to clubs and student organizations so they can explore their passions and interests. Others want to meet new people in college accommodation and widen their social circles. 

Consider these needs as students weigh up housing choices. You can encourage more learners to live on campus by allowing renters to choose from various accommodation options, such as shared dorms and single rooms. Or place students with similar interests and hobbies in the same house. 

Also, consider any religious or cultural beliefs that might influence a student when choosing between on-campus housing and third-party landlords. Themed housing, where students from similar backgrounds can live together in the same home, might motivate more people to live in a university residence. For example, international students might want to be among one another in residence halls and support each other as they adapt to American college life. 

2. Be a Resource For The Student Throughout The Year

Students might need continuous support when living on campus, especially first-year students who have just moved into university housing. Research shows that 94% of learners report homesickness at some point during the first ten weeks of college, which can result in them dropping out of their programs. 

That's why you must become a resource for students as they adapt to student life — something off-campus landlords might not be able to offer. For example, you can tell renters about mental health services they can access through your institution, which can help them process their transition to college accommodation. Or you can advertise social events to students so they can make new friends and develop their interests.

3. Help The Student Move In And Settle In

Students might be nervous about moving into college housing communities, especially if it's their first time living away from their parents. You can help these learners move in by informing them about housing regulations and roommate rules so they know what to expect when living in on-campus housing. As a result, they will have less to worry about when settling into their new homes. 

You might also want to ask older students if they can help younger students carry their luggage on move-in day and show them to their rooms. This also provides new renters with an opportunity to ask questions about student life. 

4. Help The Student Apply For Housing Early And Easily

The earlier people apply for your accommodation, the better. With many housing options available for students, especially in large college towns, you want to prevent them from living off campus and fill up rooms as soon as possible. This can increase your institution's revenue and ensure you have no empty dorms, apartments, or houses.  

Students are more likely to fill out an application form and sign a roommate rental agreement if you make these processes simple. For example, you can use online student housing management software and other student housing technologies to streamline housing agreements and applications — removing time-consuming paper-based practices. 

5. Create a Safe And Inclusive Environment For All Students

Students deserve to stay in safe housing spaces. Investing in door-locking technologies, surveillance cameras, security lights, and other products can protect residents from crime. 

Also, create inclusive environments for students from minority backgrounds. Do this by including anti-discrimination policies in rental agreements and training housing staff about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). 

6. Create Events To Foster Student Engagement

Engaged students are more likely to tell others about their positive college housing experiences and renew their leases after living on campus for a year. Organizing events such as sports games, workout classes, and bar crawls can help students get to know each other, enjoy dorm life, and identify with the campus community. 

You can tailor events to satisfy the requirements of different sections of your student body. For example, organize cultural events for transfer students or encourage graduate students to connect with one another. 

Attract More Students With The Industry’s Easiest Student Housing Platform

A student housing property management platform is vital in encouraging students to choose campus living over third-party options. You can create immersive living experiences, improve roommate matches, simplify application forms, and allow renters to request and reserve specific rooms and accommodation types. 

Housing.Cloud lets you manage various aspects of your housing program for student renters. It has an intuitive user interface that makes it easy to control housing processes for potential residents and those already living on campus grounds. With this technology, you can create supportive, safe, and engaging housing environments for your student body. Plus, it works with your existing student information systems, so you can remove duplicated data and keep your records up to date. Unlike some other property management systems, Housing.Cloud is affordable, making it a good fit for even the smallest schools. 

Request a demo now, and see Housing.Cloud can streamline your student housing process.