Why are students opting for something different than dorm rooms?
For some of us, when we think back to our old college days, we remember terrible eating habits, staying up way too late, and living in cramped, little dorm rooms. While some things don’t change, the way college students live certainly is.
Students are choosing to live off-campus in response to the rising cost of on-campus living options. This price comparison by Barry University breaks down the difference in cost between living on-campus and off-campus.
Living On Campus in Dorm Rooms
* Monthly rent cost for campus housing are the Housing Rates per room type, divided by a four (4) month period.
**** Holly House food expense is represented by the cost of the Holly House Block 15 Meal Plan divided by a four (4) month period. If you choose not to select a meal plan, or to select a meal plan of lower value your monthly costs will be lower.
Living Off Campus
To test this, we sent out a survey to college students from campuses across the country to learn more about the living options they choose. According to the survey, 62% of the students live in off-campus apartments. 16% of students surveyed are living in dorm rooms because some colleges restrict off-campus living liberties among underclassmen,
Another way students are combating the rising cost of on-campus living is by choosing to live at home or in a house with others while attending a university. From the results of our survey, 10 of the 50 students marked these options as their choice of living arrangement.
A recent Pew Research Center analysis of census data found that in 2014, for the first time in more than 130 years, 18- to 34-year-olds in the U.S. were more likely to be living in their parents’ home than with a spouse or partner in their own household. A closer analysis of the data helps explain why: Adults in their late 20s and early 30s are living with their parents at record or near-record levels.
In addition, trends in both employment status and wages have likely contributed to the growing share of young adults who are living in the home of their parent(s), and this is especially true of young men. Employed young men are much less likely to live at home than young men without a job, and employment among young men has fallen significantly in recent decades. The share of young men with jobs peaked around 1960 at 84%. Only 71% of men were employed in 2014 that were between the ages of 18 and 21 years old.
Bring Home Your Next Marketing Campaign.
As a brand seeking to market to college students, it’s important to understand where these young adults are spending their time when they’re not trekking back and forth between classes. This information can help you look at the habits of your student brand ambassadors more holistically, improving your marketing campaign and developing tasks that run in tandem with a college student’s life/habits.
Ready to start developing a more intentional marketing plan? We’re here to help! We want even your biggest of marketing goals to be successful among your student ambassadors.
Connect with us today and we’ll give you a complimentary 30-minute strategy to assist you in developing your student rep marketing campaign. To learn more about how we’ve helped brands, like you, boost their awareness, check our Case Studies, or connect with us directly!
Who is Campus Commandos?
Our college marketing agency functions to serve two purposes; to provide opportunity for college students, and to market products and services on behalf of brands to students on college campuses and universities across the United States. Contact us to learn more.
