San Diego State University's decision to expand on-campus student housing is seen as a positive step for both the university and the broader San Diego community. The article outlines the numerous benefits of on-campus living, including increased academic success, a stronger sense of belonging, reduced pressure on the local housing market, and decreased traffic congestion.
San Diego's universities, including San Diego State University , are experiencing growth, which is a positive development for the region. Universities contribute to innovation, talent, and economic vitality. Expanding on-campus student housing is beneficial not only for universities but also for the entire community. Living on campus provides students with a solid foundation for personal and academic success.
When universities offer on-campus accommodations, students can reside closer to their classes, advisors, campus events, recreational facilities, and other essential resources and support networks. This proximity fosters greater campus engagement, a stronger sense of belonging, improved academic performance, and a more cohesive community environment. Internal university data reveals that students residing in on-campus housing graduate at significantly higher rates within four years compared to their commuting counterparts. Furthermore, according to data spanning back to fall 2012, on-campus students consistently outperform commuters in terms of four-year and six-year graduation rates, GPA, and retention rates. Additionally, on-campus housing reduces the competition for off-campus rentals, alleviating pressure on the local housing market for the broader community. Anyone familiar with the current San Diego rental market knows its intense strain. San Diego's high rental costs pose a challenge for all residents, including college students who compete in this same expensive housing market. In February 2025, despite a recent slowdown in cost increases, San Diego residents continued to pay monthly rent exceeding the national average. Experts anticipate that San Diego rental prices will continue to rise over the next five years. When financially accessible housing is limited, it can become a barrier to academic success, forcing students to make difficult choices that may impact their well-being and educational outcomes.SDSU's Evolve project addresses this challenge by providing financially accessible and sustainable housing options for students who wish to live on campus. This initiative aims to offer a safe, convenient, and reasonably priced living environment while students pursue their academic goals and enrich their overall campus experience.It's crucial to emphasize that universities, including SDSU, collaborate closely with local and regional fire and emergency response agencies to ensure that new and existing campus infrastructure and developments, including student housing, meet stringent fire codes and evacuation planning standards. The Evolve Student Housing project will be constructed to the highest modern fire safety standards, incorporating Type I-B (fire-resistant concrete) construction, a new perimeter fire road, a secondary emergency access road to Aztec Circle Drive, and a 100-foot defensible fire buffer zone.Regarding traffic, studies indicate that on-campus student housing leads to a decrease in traffic within and around the university campus community. By residing on campus, students eliminate the need to commute, reducing regional traffic, vehicle miles traveled, and greenhouse gas emissions, thereby contributing to improved air quality. Incoming first-year students living on campus are not required to bring a car during their first year of study at SDSU.Increased on-campus housing also alleviates parking demand in the surrounding area, partly because on-campus residents benefit from SDSU's extensive public transportation network. We recognize that congestion is a concern in our community, which is why our university continues to invest in infrastructure improvements and coordinated emergency planning and communication strategies. Furthermore, in the event of a fire or other emergency, local and regional law enforcement and emergency agencies have well-established protocols for managing response plans and potential evacuations, and the university strictly adheres to these directives.As a proud part of San Diego and the College Area for over a century, we are dedicated to being a responsible neighbor by developing our facilities to the highest safety and environmental standards, ensuring that our students, faculty, staff, and neighbors can safely live, learn, and thrive for generations to come. Schulz is the university architect and associate vice president of Real Estate, Planning and Development at SDSU. He resides in Oceanside. Aranda Cervantes, Ed.D. is the executive director of Housing Administration at SDSU. She lives in Santee
Real Estate Community San Diego State University On-Campus Housing Student Success Housing Crisis Traffic Congestion Community Benefits Fire Safety Emergency Planning
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