The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 2 - 46

Jessica Wode

relevant factors when trying to isolate the
effects of the campus housing experience.
Despite the benefits of understanding students' motivations for living off campus, there
has been scant research into the broad range
of factors that students consider when deciding where to live. This study asked students
currently living on campus at a small private
university in the Pacific Northwest about the
factors influencing their decision to stay on
campus or move off. This inquiry also looked
at how these factors differed for students who
were currently living on or off campus.

The findings add complexity
to the traditional narrative that

RESIDENCE HALL RETENTION
AND BENEFITS

Keeping students in campus housing has
benefits not just for the college but also for the
students. Past research has documented academic benefits for students living on campus
rather than off campus or in fraternities or sororities, ranging from better grades to greater
critical thinking skills (de Araujo & Murray,
2010; Gellin, 2003; Long, 2014; Thompson,
Samiratedu, & Rafter, 1993). However, Turley
and Wodtke (2010) caution that these findings
may only be applicable for students at large
public research institutions.

Aside from increasing room and board
revenue when using housing facilities at high
occupancy rates, there is evidence that colleges and universities may see increased institutional retention when more students live
in campus housing. Schudde (2011) used propensity score matching to account for initial

Living in campus housing may also affect
students' well-being; one study found that students living off campus consume fewer fruits
and vegetables and engage in less physical
activity than do students on campus (Small,
Bailey-Davis, Morgan, & Maggs, 2012). In addition, students in residence halls are less likely

whether students continue to live
in campus housing or move off
campus is primarily a matter of
what they can afford .

46

differences in first-year students choosing to
live on or off campus and found that those
in campus housing were more likely to be
retained for their second year. Some schools
successfully increase institutional retention
by using their residence hall staffs as a way
to integrate students into the community
before they even arrive as first-year students
(Brooks, 2010). Housing administrators may
also succeed in attracting more first-year students to the university in their efforts to retain
more campus residents, as there is an overlap
between the amenities-new buildings and
single bedrooms-valued by incoming students who say housing was important in
their choice of a university and the amenities
present in rooms of students who are more
likely to want to stay on campus for another
year (Sickler & Roskos, 2013).

T h e J o u r n a l o f C o l l e g e a n d U n i v e r s i t y St u d e n t H o u s i n g
The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 2
