This article comes to us courtesy of U.S. News & World Report, where it was originally published.
Dorm living is a rite of passage for students at most four-year colleges. But community college students have largely missed out on that experience – until recently.
About 25 percent of two-year colleges in the U.S. now offer on-campus housing, according to data from the American Association of Community Colleges.
Between 2000 and 2010, 43 community colleges added new student housing, the association reports. And that figure continues to grow.
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“It’s become part of the culture,” Duncan says, adding that some students choose Sierra College because it offers on-campus housing. “They can get the best of both worlds.”
But the resident experience comes at a cost. On-campus living at Sierra costs $3,600 per semester, which includes a $60-per-week meal plan and utilities, with the exception of phone and cable. At Northampton, the rate for each student in a two-person room is $2,500.
To keep housing affordable, most residence halls are traditional dorm style, which Erickson admits doesn’t always work for nontraditional students –- especially those with families.
“It’s really targeted at the traditional-aged student,” he says, noting that in the past most residents were single and in their 20s or early 30s, at the oldest.
While some key demographics –- single parents, for example -– may not benefit from on-campus housing at community colleges, schools such as Sierra College have set aside housing for other nontraditional students.
Sierra holds rooms for former foster youth, Duncan says. And Erickson hopes Northampton’s new dorms will allow the college to offer housing for short-term summer programs aimed at adult learners.
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