Colleges and universities across the nation increasingly are focusing on the type and quality of housing offered on campus. And one thing is evident — today's crop of recently constructed residence halls bears little to no resemblance to the dormitories of old.

Students are demanding functional, more sophisticated housing options, and institutions are responding by designing and constructing facilities that rival practically anything private accommodations have to offer. In a bid to entice students to live on campus, colleges are sparing little expense to provide accommodations that offer plenty of space, sophisticated amenities, and a gateway to “the total college experience.”

According to American School & University's 12th annual survey of residence hall construction, new housing facilities cost more and provide more square feet per resident than those constructed the year before.

Construction and cost breakouts

Table 1 breaks out information from lowest to highest, and by averages and medians. When comparing costs and figures, the editors recommend that median figures be used. Medians are determined to provide more accurate cost and size variables than averages.

Final cost for new residence halls completed in 2000 ranged from a low of $1 million to a high of $35.4 million. The median project cost $5.3 million (up from $3.8 million last year); the average cost $9.4 million. Project size varied from 6,000 square feet to 134,000 square feet. The median housing facility comprised almost 40,000 square feet of space, while the average project totaled 53,000 square feet.

The median new residence hall was built to accommodate approximately 150 residents, while the average housed 190. The number of beds ranged from a low of 87 at the smallest project to a high of 400 at the largest. Cost per resident ballooned to $45,000 at the median new residence hall, up from $34,387 reported in 1999.

Square feet per resident provided at the median new residence hall grew to 320 from 284 the year before. The amount of square feet per resident ranged from a low of 201 to a high of 542.

The median cost per square foot for new housing projects completed in 2000 was $126, up from $120 per square foot last year. The average project cost $201 per square foot.