Housing crunch puts freshmen in off-campus hotels
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Hundreds of University of Pittsburgh and Point Park students are starting the fall semester in hotels after larger-than-expected freshman classes filled student housing to capacity.
Why it matters: Surging enrollment has forced both schools to lease hotels, and they're weighing housing expansions to prevent future crunches.
- Universities often admit beyond dorm capacity, betting some won't enroll — but when more do, shortages hit.
By the numbers: Pitt placed about 250 students in the Hampton Inn on Hamlet Street, a 15-20 minute walk from campus, while Point Park put 90 students in the Wyndham Grand, about six minutes from campus.
The big picture: Point Park saw a 25% increase in freshman enrollment this fall, and Pitt received a record 65,000 applications.
What they're saying: "Each year we extend acceptances to students, who then make the difficult decision of which college they will attend," Pitt spokesperson Jared Stonesifer tells Axios. "We are fortunate that so many students chose Pitt this year. We are unable to predict exactly how many students will accept our offer."
Between the lines: Students in hotel housing share double rooms, resident assistants and the same support as on-campus peers, including 24/7 security and high-speed Wi-Fi, said Stonesifer and Marlin Collingwood, vice president of enrollment at Point Park.
- At $5,135 per semester, Pitt's hotel is among the pricier double-room options for student housing. Pitt said the costs are commensurate with equivalent housing on campus.
- Some students in online forums have criticized the cost and walking distance to campus, while others welcome private bathrooms, hotel amenities and bus access.
- Point Park said it absorbed the extra hotel cost, keeping student rates the same.
State of play: Pitt's "Plan for Pitt 2028" aims to expand enrollment, and the university is pursuing long-term housing solutions, including leasing additional space, repurposing campus buildings, buying new properties, and constructing new facilities, Stonesifer said.
- Point Park also hopes to sustain growth, citing opportunities to expand housing and draw more students from all over to Downtown through office-to-housing conversions and the new University Line.
Flashback: Developer Walnut Capital proposed the 17-acre Oakland Crossings in South Oakland four years ago, pledging to add 1,000 new housing units for hospital workers, students and others.
- Mayor Ed Gainey placed the project on hold later that year, and then worked out a deal with Walnut Capital to shrink its scale.
- The project was stalled in 2023 due to rising costs from affordable housing percentages negotiated with the city, inflation, and labor shortages, said company president Todd Reidbord.
Friction point: The Oakland Crossings site is getting new life from developers, but David Vatz of Pro-Housing Pittsburgh said the long delay shows the consequences of anti-housing measures.
- "The shortage of student housing in Oakland and Downtown is endemic to the housing shortage we're experiencing across our city. We need to make it easier to build housing of all kinds," he said.
What's next: Fall classes start Aug. 25.