WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Monday was the first day of classes for students at Purdue University and when returning to classes after summer break, students say one of the biggest challenges they face is finding the best housing options, especially when it is so limited.
That means the university is turning to unique solutions for accommodations like turning two-bedroom dorms into triple rooms.
“Currently, I am in a double room, however, there are three girls, so it’s now a triple,” said Allison Rench, a freshman at Purdue University. “We have two closets for three girls, however, we did get an extra desk and dresser for all our things. It’s a little tight on the sides but we try to make sure the middle is open so we can all move around without being too compact.”
Despite Purdue University admitting fewer students this school year, more students are accepting their offers to become Boilermakers, rising more than 15% from last fall. In addition to this, the university is seeing more students than ever before requesting to live on campus making the housing situation challenging for freshmen and upperclassmen alike.
“It was crazy,” said Paige Kaiser, a senior at Purdue University. “My place last year raised rent a lot so I had to move and that is happening with a lot of people. The rates have just been going up as more apartments have been built so a lot of people are struggling to find affordable housing off campus and that could be a reason, especially why they want to stay on campus because everything outside is just so unaffordable.”
That’s why Purdue University is looking at new solutions to help students get the full Boilermaker experience like turning double dorm rooms into triple rooms, which some freshmen say is not that bad.
“It was alright because going in as a freshman, you don’t really know what to expect, so you are walking in and it’s like ‘oh, it’s alright’ so it wasn’t that bad,” Rench said.
“Before this, I actually expected it to be way smaller but once I got in, I realized there is actually a decent amount of space in the dorms,” said Anish Paspuleti, a freshman at Purdue University. “I was a little bit surprised but honestly it was a good thing.”
Another solution is looking at Indianapolis to house Purdue students, especially those attending classes at both the Indianapolis and West Lafayette campuses. New this year, the university is hosting a free shuttle system for those students and staff. And despite the housing challenges this year, students are feeling hopeful for the future.
“I know this is something Purdue has experienced for quite a long time and other colleges have likely experienced as well,” Kaiser said. “I am glad it’s being talked about more because then people have eyes on the subject and we can talk about affordable housing, and planning, and ways to make students’ lives better.”
Our FOX59/CBS4 team reached out to Purdue University for comment on how enrollment numbers impact housing on campus and here is what they had to say:
“Our exact enrollment number won’t be available until census in September, butthe estimate is 10,000+. With the addition of approximately 800 new students beginning at Purdue University in Indianapolis, this will be the selective incoming class in Purdue history. There were 78,522 applicants (+7.9% YOY), 49.8% admit rate (+.8 YOY), and a post-melt yield of 30% (+15.4% YOY).
Every student has a bed. As of today, all students have a permanent room assignment. As soon as we became aware in mid-May that enrollment trends would outpace previous projections, we developed a plan for alternative space within our portfolio and available spaces from the local community. Those efforts led to negotiations and contracts for nearly 750 beds in the community.
Although we targeted smaller enrollment and admitted a lower percentage of undergraduate applicants for fall 2024 than ever, during the crucial late April and May decision-making period this spring, students voted with their feet to come to Purdue, accepting their offers of admission at historically unprecedented levels. This resulted in more students than ever before requesting housing in University Residences.”
Purdue University
For more information on future housing projects and solutions from the university, click here to see our previous coverage on this topic.
