The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees has approved a plan to seek legislative authority for construction of Phase IV of the university’s student housing project.
The university says the proposed $81 million four-story building for undergraduate students would have about 644 beds and be constructed at the former site of the Kirwan/Blanding complex.
“We know that students perform better inside the classroom and are more involved outside the classroom when they live on campus,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “This plan will enable more students to take advantage of these important benefits."
Demand for living on the Lexington campus is at an all-time high. About 85% of first-year students choose to live in the residence halls.
In 2011, the average age of the university’s residence halls was 44 years.
In 2017, the university completed a four-year project to add more than 6,800 beds in 14 new residence halls as part of its public-private partnership strategy.
For Fall 2023, Kentucky had a total of 8,100 beds available for students.
