Improving student integration into the community and retention and graduation rates by expanding on-campus housing at the University of Central Florida
Challenge
How might we better attract, integrate, and retain students by investing in student housing?
Strategy
Two-pronged effort:
- Increased on-campus housing by investing $213M from 2000-2014 to add 5,124 new beds for students at all levels, bringing total capacity to around 12,000 beds; the expansion also included first-year-only housing and raised total first-year capacity to 4,500 beds in 2016, with 70% of first-year students living on campus, up from only 50% in 2001
- Created 16 Living Learning Communities in AY 2016-2017 grouping students into three categories—academic, interest, and special programs (e.g., Honors program, LEAD scholars)—to further attract students to live on campus; this included establishing the Top 10 Knight merit-based initiative guaranteeing on-campus housing to high school students
Outcome
FTIC students living in UCF housing showed higher retention rates (2+% point difference across cohorts from 2009-2014) and 6-year graduation rates (10+% point difference across cohorts from 2008-2009) than students living off campus.
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Institution
Enrollment
71,948
Pell Recipients
31%
Students of Color
54%
Net cost of Attendance
$22,849 (in-state)
