Current freshmen in the local service area (and their parents) may have been caught off guard by the new Sophomore Success program that requires all non-local service kids to live on campus for the first two years. We recently found out the local service area students have been given lower priority for housing. The local kids who want to live on campus (at least 2nd year) don’t find out until much later (mid May) if they will receive any housing. The situation gets messy when anyone selects a local student as a roommate preference too since that preferred roommate might not even have housing.
Fortunately my D found off-campus housing with other local students for 2nd year. I just wanted future students / parents to be aware that the policy impacts both local students and non-local students who want to live on-campus with a local kid.
Yes, having the extra capacity should help somewhat for future freshman going through this next year. It makes sense with the current shortfall to give the local kids lower priority this year and perhaps it’s temporary. I just know that my D wanted to live with her current non-local roommate and neither was happy. We signed last weekend for my D. The off-campus rates are pricey and D will have to adjust to the reality of shopping and making meals on a budget next year.
I think over the next couple of years, SDSU will figure out a way to allow locals to have equal priority with sophomore year housing. There always seems to be a learning curve with them and new programs like this, and the first couple of years are the hardest. SDSU/Aztec Shops/Foundation have slowly been buying apartment buildings/properties next to campus over the years as they saw a need and had the financing. Once they see what the consistent demand is for locals and housing for sophomore year on, they’ll figure out a way to supply it.