Graduate school is offering on-campus housing for graduate students

By James Fay

The Hood College graduate school is offering on-campus housing for graduate students who can’t find an affordable house or apartment off campus. 

In a partnership with Residence Life, the graduate school is looking to make graduate living arrangements comfortable and affordable.

The application process is on a first-come, first-served basis due to limited spots as Residence Life needs to accommodate undergraduate students first.  The graduate school is limited to 11 spots right now, but that number is expected to grow in the next year, according to the graduate school’s website.

The current plan is for graduate students to be dispersed among various residence halls across campus, mixed in with undergraduate students. 

Vanessa Solis, assistant director of graduate admissions, has been trying to advocate for graduate housing since 2021. In 2022, the first graduate student to live on campus was a female student from Ghana.

 “We had a really good experience with her, she was living with other graduate students,” Solis said. “That’s when we thought that it was time to open a new opportunity for graduate students who need a little help from us.”

Currently 12 graduate students are living on campus in houses on Seventh Street and on Rosemont Avenue. These houses provide a more affordable alternative to apartments that are available off-campus.

“If you are a first-year graduate student and just moved here, you don’t know anyone. It can be hard to find a roommate to split the cost of living off campus,” Solis said. “Living on campus allows you to make it more affordable and easier to find a place to stay.” 

“My main goal for right now is to let all the grad students know that they have a place to stay here on campus,” Solis said.  

Graduate students interested in on-campus housing may contact Vanessa Solis by email: solis@hood.edu or go to the Hood graduate school website.