UH proposal requires on-campus living for freshmen

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Twenty-one state universities in Texas require most students to live on campus during their freshman year. The University of Houston is considering joining their ranks.

A proposal on which the university regents will vote next week would require incoming freshmen to live in university dorms. If approved, waivers would exempt students who live at home with their parents within 20 miles of campus, or students who are married or have children. Waivers would also exempt students who have financial hardships, or those with medical needs.

Current, the University of Houston main campus has 8,008 dorm beds, and expects 95 percent occupancy for this year's fall semester. Incoming freshman Catherine Legendre is among those who'll be living on campus. She blames it on the brutal commute from her parents' home in Katy.

"I feel like without commuting, there's more time to study in the dorm and there are a lot of resources on campus here," the communications therapy major says.

Her mother agrees, but notes that she just wrote a check totaling $10,000 to the university. That includes a semester of tuition, parking fees, a dorm room and a meal plan. The dorm and meal plan accounted for at least half of the check.

The rationale for the policy proposal, according to the university, is that freshmen who live on campus tend to have higher grade point averages and complete graduation on time in four years, rather than stretching their attendance over a longer period of time. And as high as dorm fees and a meal plan may be, a study shows that it's cheaper than living off-campus. And that doesn't include the price of gas and cost of commuting.

Still, for another freshman, Kayla Adair, it's better to live at home while going to college.

"That is, if you don't want to add to your student debt," she says.

Should the plan be approved, it would take effect next fall, and the university says it will have enough dorm capacity to handle it.

The vote is set for next Wednesday.

You can read more of the university's highlights on campus living benefits.