The University of Guelph is expanding residence guarantees for most international students after a recent study found it was meeting current on-campus housing needs.
The university guarantees residence for all incoming international and domestic out-of-province students; it strives to provide housing for all first year students, but no longer guarantees it.
Starting in fall 2024, those residence guarantees will be extended to all international undergraduate and masters students for the duration of their time at the university, rather than just their first year.
This comes after the SCION Group conducted a housing demand study, evaluating available student housing on and around campus, as well as consulting nearly 2,700 domestic and international students.
It found the university can simultaneously continue to accommodate all first-year requests while expanding offers for international students, and that the demand for on-campus housing drops after first-year.
Off-campus housing is another story.
The study considered whether existing and planned purpose-built student housing aligns with student demand. While students listed affordability and proximity as the two most important factors, a news release states that purpose-built student housing is limited to “a few locations” and are costly, “which is not aligned with student needs,” it says.
For example, the study found the median housing cost per person ranges from $901 for a room in a three-bedroom house to $2,139 for a one-bedroom apartment.
“While there are properties going through the permit approval process now that could add nearly 2,500 student beds in the next few years, the study indicates it will be important to ensure these builds meet student needs in terms of affordability,” the release states.
The study is part of the university’s student housing strategy, in which a real estate strategy and campus master plan are being developed to inform future housing-related decisions, including exploring opportunities for on-campus housing.
Associate vice-president, ancillary, is quoted in the release saying the university will "continue to focus on collaborations with our municipal and community partners to support the expansion of housing in the city for upper-year students and to find opportunities to ensure future builds will meet students’ needs."
The complete study is not being made publicly available do to some "strategic information" contained in it, said a U of G spokesperson.
