Financial incentives push UAA on-campus housing to full capacity

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The University of Alaska Anchorage saw its first batch of students move in on Thursday.

“I’m really excited to be here for the first time,” Jowielle Corpuz said. Corpuz, an incoming freshman from Juneau, said she’s excited to be studying at UAA and to meet new people.

About 240 of the 709 students expected to be living on campus this semester moved into their residential halls on the first day, and housing is currently at full capacity.

Ryan Hill, UAA’s Residential Life Director, said the university had a 20% increase in on-campus residents this year compared to last year.

“We actually had to convert to a waitlist this year, for the first time in recent memory, around the beginning of July,” Hill said. “So we’ve had about 150-plus students that have been our waitlist and have cycled through.”

According to Hill, UAA has been seeing an increase of students choosing to live on campus since the university lifted its COVID-19 protocols. Additionally, incentives have also helped to boost that number — Hill said, the university is offering students a $1,000 discount if they choose to live on campus.

For out-of-state students who chose to live on campus, UAA is offering in-state tuition as part of their “Live and Learn in Alaska” initiative. The program, now in its second year, has increased the number out-of-state student residents since implementation.

For many students, living on-campus makes learning and studying easier. According to Hill, it’s one of the best experiences offered by going to a university.

“Living on campus can enhance your college experience like nothing else,” Hill said. “My entire career was impacted by my time living on campus — I thought I was going to be a lawyer, but I’m standing here today as a college administrator because I just had such a great time connecting when I was in college, living on campus,” Hill said.

Before Thursday’s move-in, Hill said the residential housing was already housing 242 residents. That number includes summer, international and student athletes, in addition to students participating in some special programs.

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