After listening to student feedback, St. Cloud State is reducing on-campus housing costs by 15% beginning Fall 2023. Building awareness of this new offering, incentives for students to sign up early include a free summer of housing on campus.
This initiative stems from campus listening sessions and national trends. Student Affairs personnel consulted with leaders from the Student Government Association and conducted informal student listening sessions to determine student preferences and concerns regarding campus housing. Results of this Fall 2022 project showed that students prefer the convenience of living on campus and identified affordability as the greatest roadblock to access. In addition, institutional research and national trends show that students who reside on campus are more likely to engage, access campus resources, and build a network for assistance and success. Persistence rates among students residing on campus is more often higher than those who do not.
St. Cloud State is the only institution in the Minnesota State system that is currently reducing housing rates to make on-campus housing more accessible for students.
“Your Community is Calling” aligns with the University’s It’s Time framework as we are all in for student success. If residing on campus is a best practice for higher education and there is demand among our students, we want to make this option a possibility for every Husky,” said Dr. Katrina Rodriquez, Vice President for the Division of Student Affairs.
New students who sign a housing agreement before March 31, 2023 can secure housing for Summer 2024 at no additional cost. Current students who sign a housing agreement before Jan. 31, 2023 can also secure free on-campus housing for Summer of 2023.
In addition to a range of conveniences, living on campus brings campus resources for academic success closer to students.
“We view the Your Community is Calling campaign not only as a tool for affordability and access, but as a way of helping students develop and mature in a supportive environment. A close proximity to campus support services helps students with focusing on what they need for a successful educational experience and their professional development,” said Dean Jennifer Matzke, SCSU Dean of Students.
Campus conveniences and amenities include:
- Free laundry (and an app that makes doing laundry even easier)
- Secure high speed wireless access, secure wired access for gamers
- Secure package delivery
- Card-controlled building access
- Friendly front desk attendants who provide access to free equipment like vacuums, cooking supplies, etc.
- Optional meal plans offered for current and returning students
- Housing costs are applied to student accounts and can be paid in four easy installments each semester
SCSU is putting its portfolio of campus facilities to good use, as students have the option to choose among a variety of floorplans (e.g., singles, doubles, apartments).
For more information about on-campus housing, please visit the Department of Residential Life website.
