Student housing is not exempt from Utah’s housing shortage. Across the state, student’s at higher education institutes are struggling to find housing as the beginning of fall semester approaches.
At Utah State University, the over 3,500 spots for on-campus housing are full. But concerned students and parents are emailing the school hoping to find a spot because they haven’t been able to secure off-campus housing or they are unsure if their housing will be completed by the time they need to move in.
Amanda DeRito is the associate vice president for strategic communications at USU. She said the university will provide additional spots for student housing if that becomes necessary, much like they did in 2015 when the Factory housing complex was not finished for the fall semester.
“We just really encourage students to be ready to study when they show up and it's great to start the semester having all of your basic needs met, making sure you have housing, that you're ready to thrive and really study," DeRito said.
If students are concerned about their ability to return to campus, DeRito said they should talk with their advisors about alternatives.
“We have a really great USU online program but we also have statewide campuses throughout all of Utah and, you know, that may not look like just studying remotely, it may be that you can study at home in Utah and also still have the support of a statewide campus," DeRito said.
Student housing shortages are not unique to Utah State University. Students at other institutions have been having trouble finding places to live. In Cedar City, school officials are encouraging students to live with family in the area in addition to asking community members who may have an extra room or bedroom apartment to provide housing to students.
