As freshman college students prepare for a year full of “firsts,” one of many opportunities is the chance to have a living space outside of the realm of parental figures. The freshman dorm is a place where students can be free and where they can make new friendships and memories.
However, as the past few years have provided a series of unexpectedly large freshman classes, the reality of some students’ first home away from home is less than ideal. This fall, around 250 students were placed in temporary housing.
“Temporary housing consists of temporarily converted study lounges that house 2-6 students per room, depending on the size of the lounge space,” wrote Chris Axtman-Barker, associate director of communications and marketing for University Housing, in an email to The Daily Illini.
Axtman-Barker further wrote that “there is a 50% discount on room cost” for students assigned to temporary housing.
Even with such a rebate, some students are disappointed about being assigned to temporary housing. Megan Sia, junior in Business, described her time in a temporary living space in Hopkins Hall.
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“It was four of us in a study room in Hopkins,” Sia said. “It was very cramped, not the best experience.”
But student opinions vary based on their specific temporary housing situation. While Sia remembers a cramped, inconvenient living space in temporary housing, Judah Kim, freshman in LAS, spoke positively of his experience so far in temporary housing at Wardall Hall.
“We have a common area where there’s a couch and a table where we all sit around,” Kim said. “There’s no lack of space … It’s definitely worth getting 50% off of room and board.”
Students do not opt into temporary housing. University Housing assigns students a temporary living space via an email notice — sometimes only a few weeks before the semester begins.
“I found out August 4,” Sia said. “(University Housing) kept saying, ‘Sometime during the summer, you’ll find out,’ and then we find out three weeks beforehand.”
In terms of which students are placed in temporary housing, it can be a matter of luck of the draw. While Sia missed the priority deadline for selecting housing, Kim did not.
“(There) are many factors involved, the largest factor being contract received date,” Axtman-Barker wrote regarding which students are assigned temporary housing. “The later students apply for housing, the more likely they are to be placed in temporary housing.”
Returning students may recall the large number of students placed in temporary housing in Fall 2024. According to Axtman-Barker, there were 270 such students last fall. This figure does not include students who opted for private apartment leases or who shared a room with a resident adviser.
However, University Housing is making some adjustments in response to these large class sizes.
“This year, University Housing placed a cap on the number of students able to return beyond the first year in order to ensure we had enough space for the next class,” Axtman-Barker wrote. “We have also encouraged private certified housing partners to increase their capacity, and worked to create additional temporary housing spaces.”
In a previous interview with The DI, Axtman-Barker said that University Housing has plans for constructing a new residence hall — a long-term but expensive solution for housing the record-breaking class sizes continuing to enter the University.
“It is always (University Housing’s) goal to create spaces where students have transformational experiences that can change their lives — students join new groups, learn life skills, and meet their new best friends in our residence halls,” Axtman-Barker wrote. “We are committed to making sure all students can have that same experience.”
University Housing continues to search for equal housing options for large classes of incoming students. As temporary housing numbers dropped from last fall, only time will tell if this trend will continue.
