Study: Traditional On-Campus Housing Offers Academic Benefits

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Cinder block walls, bunk beds, and shared bathrooms: Undergrads may like to complain about their on-campus accommodations, but new research suggests that living in a traditional dormitory may help freshmen keep their grades up.

A study published this summer in the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice found that first-year students in traditional dorm rooms had higher GPAs than those living in on-campus apartment-style housing.

The effects were particularly pronounced among African American students, according to an article about the study published by Inside Higher Ed.

According to the online news source: “The (study’s) authors note that some parents believe that apartment-style living spaces — as opposed to more traditional rooms lined down a single corridor — will benefit their children. But many students find the apartments make them lonely, despite giving them more privacy and space.”

Conversely, researchers found that traditional dorms offer students greater opportunities to socialize with peers, connections which in turn may positively influence academic achievement.

Read more about the study.

Admitted writer/editor Mary Stegmeir welcomes additional comments and story ideas at mstegmeir@nacacnet.org.