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The University of Houston Board of Trustees has approved the construction of a new student dormitory.
The project is budgeted at $179 million and will serve as additional freshman dormitory space on the main campus. The new dormitory will be located on West Campus near Cullen Boulevard and across from TDECU Stadium, between the Fred J. Heyne Building and the Cougar Woods Dining Hall.
The new 1,000-bed dormitory will increase the capacity of the dormitories on campus to around 10,000 students, UH officials report. Construction is expected to begin next summer and be completed in summer 2027.
This is the latest step in the university’s efforts to achieve the Carnegie Foundation’s “primarily residential” designation of the campus and move beyond its image as a “commuter school,” according to the Houston Chronicle.
Unlike some colleges, the University of Houston does not require on-campus housing for freshmen. Due to the high cost of dorms and the rising cost of campus parking passes, many UH students find off-campus housing more cost-effective. This is true for UH student Simrah Junani, who commutes nearly 40 miles from Richmond in Fort Bend County.
“I even considered it (living on campus), but we looked at the dorm options and they were pretty expensive per semester,” Junani told the Houston Chronicle.
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UH reports record number of first-year students
Approval of the new residence hall comes after the university reported a record increase in freshmen. With over 6,200 freshmen enrolled in the fall 2024 semester, the class is 10% larger than any other class in previous years. This correlates with the quality of education at UH, said Diane Z. Chase, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
“The size of this year’s freshman class is a testament to the growing appeal of our programs,” Chase said in a press release. “More and more students are choosing Houston in the fall, and we are committed to providing them with an exceptional educational experience.”
According to U.S. News & World Report, a total of about 46,700 students were enrolled at UH in fall 2022. Of these students, 82% lived off campus.
The University of Houston currently has three freshman dormitories, three senior dormitories, three apartment complexes, and one loft-style building.
