TAMPA, Fla — A record-breaking number of students are expected to live on the University of South Florida campuses this fall.
According to a statement from the university, the number of students will be the most to have ever lived on its campus' with nearly 6,500 living in Tampa and 900 at the St. Petersburg location — about 7,400 students total.
Between the two campuses, there will be a total of 33 residence halls.
“The record number of students moving into USF’s residence halls shows that our students recognize the value of on-campus living and its impact on the holistic student experience, USF President Rhea Law said in a statement.
"We are incredibly excited to welcome our students and their families to our active and vibrant community here at USF.”
The university says they have placed a "strategic focus" on offering their students more on-campus options and higher housing capacity.
"Studies have shown that a vibrant on-campus environment can have a direct impact on improving the academic performance of students, as well as helping build stronger connections with peers," the university stated.
It's a different story just a few hours away at the University of Miami. The Miami Herald reported an on-campus housing shortage is leaving many students very uncertain about their options.
"It’s not only affecting new students; seniors returning after a semester away in their junior year also landed on UM’s housing waitlist, which topped nearly 1,600 in February, the largest wait list in the school’s 97-year history," the Herald says.
Back in Tampa, last year many USF students were struggling to find housing. Student-led newspaper The Oracle reported that many nearby housing complexes had almost 100 people waitlisted for a room and on-campus housing was not much different.
This year has a better tone for the Bulls, but students should still expect residence halls to hit full capacity.