Rick Benbow
Regional Vice President of Western Governors University
The moment when a student learns they’ve been accepted into college, especially one on their shortlist, can be filled with excitement and pride. Those emotions can soon shift to frustration and panic when they ask, “Where will I live?”
Across the U.S., student housing availability and cost continue to move in opposite directions. According to a 2022 survey by StudentBeans, about one-fifth of U.S. students have experienced housing insecurity, which makes them “twice as likely to want to drop out of college.” With the rising cost of tuition and increasing enrollment rates, universities and colleges have not kept up with the demand for on-campus housing. Communities cannot totally fill the gap, with limited off-campus housing pushing rental costs beyond what many students can afford.
While nearly 45% of U.S. students continue to live with their parents, an option not universally available, too many students resort to long commutes, substandard housing conditions, couch surfing or even sleeping in their car. Over 200,000 students across America consider themselves homeless. Housing insecurity across this spectrum can profoundly impact students’ mental health, physical well-being and academic performance. This crisis disproportionately affects low-income, minority and LGBTQ+ students, threatening their ability to pursue higher education and fulfill their dreams and limiting the traditional higher ed pathway to the elite.
Amid this challenge, many students are looking beyond traditional location-based schooling to consider the merits of online, hybrid and non-linear university education. Major online accredited universities, which adhere to the highest educational standards today, offer students the chance to earn a college education wherever they might live. While providing access, convenience and affordability, online education also alleviates student parking concerns, local traffic and carbon emissions and the stress of full-time, in-person education. Giving learners more flexibility to work while pursuing a degree benefits the nearly 77% of U.S. graduate students over 25 years old, with half being parents.
While government, academia and the private sector continue to seek collaborative solutions to the chronic student housing shortage, online education can serve as another viable pathway-one that can lead to better and more equitable outcomes for students in the long term.
Rick Benbow is regional vice president of the nonprofit Western Governors University, America’s first and largest competency-based university offering online learning. Since 1997 WGU has grown into a national university, serving more than 120,000 students from all 50 states.
