Wanted to resurrect this thread with any updates. We are considering Millersville for our rising senior and it seems like either love or hate, with no in-between. Any recent experiences?
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How will the “realignement” impact Bloomsburg?
How is the Millersville Honors College?
Have you visited yet? I liked it. My student didn’t. She was accepted to the honors college and received enough money that it was a very reasonable choice too. Dorms were a cut above.
@Sapphire_G we did visit. The campus is beautiful. My daughter loved the dorms, of course, and the programs, etc. Her concern was that is was in the middle of nowhere, like not even a CVS nearby.
There is a local pharmacy in Millersville (Wiley’s) less than a mile from campus. The closest CVS is 2.8 miles away; not really within walking distance but not that far by car; may be bikeable from campus. I wouldn’t consider Millersville in the middle of nowhere, with downtown Lancaster city ~ 4 miles away.
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Just wanted to give an FYI here for those who may actually be interested. DD west to West Chester University.
She will obtain her BS in Computer Science the end of this year, and will graduate with her Masters in CS in spring of 2022.
She started at WCU as a freshman in Fall of 2018. So a Masters in 4 years! Due to taking classes that satisfied multiple “requirements”, she had room in her schedule to do an accelerated Master’s Degree. Once she entered that program, her advisor pointed out that if she took a few classes over the winter and summer breaks, she could graduate in 4 years!
Savings on tuition and housing, and housing is a real issue at WCU, were huge. So I don’t know what other programs they have where students can do this, but worth looking at.
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Great information, thank you!
What’s the Housing issue - on campus? Post freshman year? Off campus ? Scarcity? High rent? Local ordinances?
I think you hit them all! 
Limited housing on campus. DD was lucky to get traditional dorms for 2 years, but she was a Pell grant student and “supposedly” they were given priority. I read somewhere that there was room for 5600 students on campus. There is clearly not enough for the number that attend that school.
West Chester limits the number of apartments that can be used as student rentals for undergrads, so even moving off campus can be an issue. And parking is also tough, so kids with cars have to be careful when trying to find housing and driving to campus. Or even a place to park their cars.
DD applied for a room at The Edge, an off campus complex. It is within walking distance and very nice. A lot of parents recommended it, but it is very expensive. I think it will cost around $15000 for the year. She got the largest room with a private bath; we had no choice in what was assigned.
I have seen numbers for $800 to $900 per student in 2 bedrooms for 4 students. I know kids can get cheaper places, but they seem limited/inconveniently located. Also issues with some landlords.
Since it is her final year, she is thrilled to have gotten what she did. I shudder when I see that number, but since it is the last year, it is manageable. And she won’t have to leave West Chester when the campus closes for holidays, etc. Also, a benefit.
It is a beautiful campus, really adorable town, and the Masters in 4 years, fabulous, but housing can be stressful. I will be glad as well not to have to deal with it in the future. Probably the only real negative, IMO.
Yes, off-campus student housing in West Chester can be pricey. My daughter and her 3 friends, who just graduated in May, were lucky to get an apartment at Ramsgate Court Townhomes for the 3 years they were off-campus. It was less than $500 per person per month (plus utilities). They are older townhouses and not fancy, but perfectly acceptable student housing.
Had to look that up. Yeah, that’s a good deal. Apparently very small and parking can be tough, but the price would be well worth it. I think the main thing is to look into housing very early and move on it when you can. Also good to have a group ready to go.
DD would have had housing on campus all 4 years if the school didn’t close due to the Pandemic; North Campus, then South. There was actually a chart showing the “points” required for housing, and she had a group to live with. That point system was done away with after closing the campus.
We were told by the school that campus housing would be for incoming freshmen, and the sophomores who never had the opportunity to attend school in person.
Juniors and seniors would need to find other accommodations. Apparently that wasn’t set in stone.
I wonder how it is going to work in the future, but glad we won’t have to deal it!