The University of Guelph says it will build a new first-year residence hall as demand for student housing continues to pressure the school.

A plot of land, at the intersection of College Avenue West and McGilvray Street, has been chosen as the future site for the new student residence on campus. Currently, conceptual plans show two buildings on the property.

According to a university press release, the residence could accommodate 1,500 students and would include a dining room, kitchen, multipurpose rooms and sports equipment. The school, however, is still in the early stages of the design process and has issued a request for proposals for an architect to lead the development and oversee construction.

The new building could open within four to five years.

It would be the first new housing development in 25 years on the school’s main campus.

Difficulty finding accommodation

The announcement comes after first-year students told CTV News they are having difficulty finding suitable housing for the 2024-25 school year. Similar issues have also been reported in 2022 and 2023.

Parents of first-year students said they were reassured by the University of Guelph that residency would not be an issue. Then they were later told they would not be guaranteed a place in residence for the fall.

In June, the school sent emails to 1,365 first-year students to let them know they had been placed on a residency waitlist.

At the time, Gwen Chapman, the school’s dean and vice-president of academics, told CTV News the university had planned to house students in residence, but it was impossible to know exactly how many students would ultimately choose the university as their school of choice.

“The challenge is that many students apply to multiple universities, five or even more. So we know that probably most of the students that we make offers to may not accept our offer and decide to go elsewhere.

Chapman explained that the school had made predictions based on acceptance rates in previous years, but this year the numbers threw them off track.

“As early as April, we realized that the responses and requests for residency were becoming numerous and we weren’t sure we could accommodate everyone,” Chapman said. “That was about two or three percentage points more than last year, which actually translates to a significantly higher number of students.”

She added that in the week leading up to the June 3 deadline, the school began to worry about the final tally. Then they realized they had a very real problem.

“Many students, many more than last year, accepted our offer last weekend. A week before the deadline we knew we were doing well, but it wasn’t until the deadline that we got all those numbers,” Chapman said.

Add more beds

In a statement, the school said University of Guelph Student Housing Services is attempting to add up to 250 additional beds for first-year students for the fall 2025 semester.

The school also said it has changed its communications process regarding residency guarantees.

“This year, residency will be guaranteed for Ontario high school students who receive an offer of early admission by March 1, 2025,” the release said. “To obtain this guarantee, these students must complete their residency application no later than April 15, 2025. Previous residency guarantees for international and out-of-province students as well as for those who have deferred their offer of admission from school year 2024/25. remain in force. »