Future Residents & Parents


What does living on-campus have to offer students?
• Living on-campus with Housing and Residential Life puts you in the center of the university community.
• Research indicates that living on-campus is one of the strongest influences on successful completion of an undergraduate degree.
What makes on- and off-campus living environments different?
• The Housing and Residential Life on-campus living environment is designed to assist students with the timely completion of their degrees and with the highest grade point average (GPA) possible.
• Active involvement in an on-campus learning environment encourages students to return to school in larger numbers and to have a substantially higher GPA when compared to students living off-campus.
What distinguishes on-campus living from off-campus living? EDUCATION.
• Education for a responsible and enlightened citizenship must involve the development of the intellect, the character, and the personality of the student. Housing and Residential Life on-campus living is about teaching these out-of-class experiences.
• Our experience has been that off-campus living is about accommodations. Off-campus vendors are strictly in the business of renting accommodations though many have recently attempted to mimic on-campus offerings without the same results. Housing and Residential Life is committed to creating a student centered learning environment, which supports a student's academic growth and development.
• Housing and Residential Life on-campus living appeals to all types of students at differing stages in the educational process. Students entering college for the first time find that specific programs offered through the residence halls have a profound effect on their success.
• Students who are unsure about their course of study have found a greater than 60% success rate in declaring a major by the end of their first semester of residence.
• Students who live within a residence hall community and attend class together have found they spend more time in study groups and participate more fully in class discussions. They report opportunities offered in the residence halls to interact with students with similar majors have had a powerful, positive effect on their academic success.
• Residents living within specialized communities like Aerospace, Recording Industry Management (RIM) or Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), find that living in the residence halls brings together residents with a common interest to improve the level and quality of their achievement and participation in their academic programs. Residents in these communities have also reported having higher GPAs and attribute this to the motivation provided by living close to other high achievers within their field of study and their increased contact with faculty in the residence halls.
• Students living in the Honors College living learning community indicate this environment meets their educational and social needs more fully than alternative housing accommodations because of its emphasis on organized activities and its tradition of community building.
• Residents in their second year or beyond have reported an increase in their GPA, increased networking opportunities among students in their majors, familiarity with faculty, continued skills development, and increased career development opportunities. Specifically, they have noted that communally shared facilities increase 'friendships' among their academic peers and cause them to stay focused on the job of being a student.
What more do I need to know about community living?
Community living, whether on-campus or off-campus, means young adults are living in close proximity to one another. Sometimes, this means young adults are susceptible to illnesses because healthy living practices that have been influenced by your parents are not consistently adhered to in the community living environment. Poor eating habits, inconsistent sleeping patterns, stress, anxiety, and poor hygiene skills can all contribute to illness during the college years. You can avoid some illnesses or exposure to illnesses by talking with your physician to learn more about college living and your health. See College Living and Your Health 2007. [pdf]

If you are interested in exploring on-campus living with Housing and Residential Life, you may read our license agreement and complete an online application or call us at 1-615-898-2971 for a license agreement, on-campus application and more information about our many programs and opportunities.