As the beginning of the fall quarter looms, more than 2,000 UC San Diego students find themselves on a waitlist for campus housing, a challenge that continues to ripple through the student community according to Fox 5 San Diego. The dramatic scarcity of accommodations has exacerbated an already tough situation, where off-campus housing options within San Diego are limited, expensive, and in high demand.
The problem only grows worse for undergraduates; of the 2,343 students on the housing waitlist, 1,919 are undergraduates. The undergraduate bed shortage is around 650 students higher than it was two years ago, causing anxiety and frustration among the student population according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Students desperate for accommodations are exploring the possibility of staying far from campus and commuting by bus.
In an attempt to remedy the situation temporarily, the university has negotiated discounted rental rates for some students at the Residence Inn San Diego in La Jolla. The deal requires them to commit to at least a 90-day stay - a challenging arrangement for many students, particularly considering the timing of final exams as reported by Fox 5 San Diego. The university's spokesperson, Leslie Sepuka, admitted in a statement that there is still a high demand for on-campus housing and acknowledged UC San Diego's commitment to provide below-market rate housing for its students. The university plans to accommodate more than 5,700 students by 2025 through three new projects according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The root of the housing problem lies in the delay of the Theater District Living and Learning Neighborhood, a $565 million project that was scheduled to open this fall with 2,000 beds. Supply chain issues and an exceptionally wet winter, among other factors, contributed to the delay, and now only 430 beds will be available in the fall. As the UC San Diego campus has grown over the past decade, adding approximately 12,500 students to its ranks and surpassing 42,000 students in total, the shortage issue has only worsened. Campus officials anticipate that enrollment may reach 50,000 within a decade, placing UC San Diego among the largest universities in the Western United States as reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune.
