UNH paying students to live off-campus
DURHAM, N.H. --The University of New Hampshire is offering discounts to students who live off campus because of a much larger-than-projected freshman class.
Even with the incentives, the school plans to squeeze students into already-crowded dorms and to convert its on-campus hotel, the New England Center, into dorm rooms, officials said.
Nearly 600 more freshmen than expected have sent housing deposits, which secure on-campus housing, said Admissions Director Robert McGann. UNH had set a goal to welcome 2,700 students in the fall, but 3,285 have paid deposits.
Officials predict that number will drop to 3,065 during the summer as students change plans, but that still leaves UNH with more freshmen than dorm space.
In a letter sent to incoming freshmen, McGann said officials apparently "underestimated" the number of applicants who would choose UNH, and said the large freshman class could lead to a housing crunch. To avoid that, the school is encouraging freshmen to back out of on-campus housing.
Students who break their room-and-board contracts by June 1 will receive a full reimbursement of their $500 room deposit, a free parking permit, and a $700 credit to be used in the book store or toward a meal plan, the letter said. They also will be guaranteed on-campus housing for the 2007-08 school year.
Returning students received a similar letter, and those who move off campus were offered a reimbursed housing deposit, a free parking permit and a $500 credit toward the book store or a meal plan.
UNH also is offering reduced room rates for students willing to consolidate -- meaning three people in a double room -- and a $200 book or meal plan credit for students who pull an extra roommate into their on-campus apartment or suite.
UNH plans to house more than 200 upperclassmen in the New England Center, said university spokeswoman Kim Billings.
The student crush also has affected course offerings.
Billings said UNH has added nine sections of a required freshman English course and 105 seats in a math course typically taken by first-year students.
She said the cost of teaching more first-year students will be paid for by the increased tuition money they'll bring in.
