College Students Grapple with Housing Troubles as Costs Soar

Sydney Johnson did everything right.

Still, water poured from her ceiling. 

The now-graduated University of Missouri student spent winter break taking classes and staying at her off-campus apartment. A few weeks earlier, property management sent instructions for how to avoid pipe bursts during cold months, which Johnson followed. 

But her upstairs neighbors were not so diligent, demonstrated by the water that began dripping from Johnson’s ceiling. 

For the next few weeks, Johnson couldn’t catch a break. 

Johnson knew she needed another place to stay after the water was off. Management, while initially unhelpful, offered students a temporary stay at a nearby hotel. But the hotel wasn’t pet-friendly. So Johnson, who had an emergency service animal, opted to find her own living arrangements. 

Then, Johnson received her electric bill. Despite her not using the apartment, it came out three times higher than usual. She attributed the increase to the massive fans that were installed to dry out the water damage.

Johnson still had classes to attend while all this unfolded.

Like many students, Johnson spent her first year living in the dorms. The experience brought some benefits, she said, such as proximity to classes and student camaraderie. But prices for on-campus housing have continually increased, adding to ballooning tuition bills. 

The cost of housing can complicate already challenging college years. Rising rent prices create a barrier for some and growing enrollment has left university-owned housing overwhelmed and students stranded. These factors have led institutions like KU and MU to contract with private housing complexes to mitigate the demand. 

At KU, prices for each type of student housing have increased by around 12% in the last few years, according to prices on the KU website.

At MU, residence hall prices have risen by 17.4% since 2019, according to Missouri Board of Curators documents.

MU spokesperson Christian Basi said the residential life department operates on a zero-sum budget, so students are charged only for the exact costs of necessary housing expenses.

Many students look to off-campus housing for cheaper options so they can prioritize paying tuition. However, this can mean cramming into small spaces, dealing with run-down buildings and fighting maintenance issues. 

Compounding Costs

Braden Strentz, a student at the University of Kansas, is paying his own way through college. That means increased housing costs force him to focus more of his time on work and less on studies and relationships. 

“Being first-gen, and not having any help from my parents, that’s a big factor,” he said.

He spent his first year in Lawrence renting a house with a roommate, which included responsibilities from mowing the lawn to checking the air filter. And the house was far away from campus, which meant more money spent on gas.  

Last year, he moved to a new apartment complex, near downtown and campus. But the location, Strentz said, was the only part of the apartment he enjoyed. He had water leaking from the ceiling and a broken window for the first semester, which led to increased energy costs and confined Strentz to his small bedroom. 

Both the house and the apartment cost Strentz around $500 a month in rent, after dividing between roommates. Outside of school, Strentz spends most of his time working jobs to pay rent on time.

For students like Strentz, who choose to move off-campus to save money, mental health and work-life balance often fall by the wayside. Strentz said that although the housing was cheap, it took a toll on him.

“Housing is important for the overall well-being of yourself,” he said.

Open records requests revealed that both Lawrence and Columbia have seen increasing rental code violation complaints in the last few years. These complaints tend to spike in the fall as college students move into their new housing.

MU Spokesperson Christian Basi said approximately 75% of MU students live off campus. The university has a department that provides information and resources to students looking to live off-campus.  

“We are fortunate that we have a fantastic residential life department that is there to address and adapt to any challenge,” Basi said.

Off-campus housing isn’t a total reprieve from increased costs. Data from rentdata.org shows that the fair market rent in both Lawrence and Columbia has risen by hundreds of dollars over the past decade. 

Hunting for Housing

As Johnson made plans for her senior year, she ditched the apartment and moved into a house near MU’s campus. Her and her peers found a small, older home near campus and split the responsibilities among seven people. 

When they moved in, one parent remarked that the house looked like an old shack. Some of Johnson’s roommates were living in rooms way smaller than their freshman dorms.   

“If you were able to look at the layout of the house, you would definitely say, ‘No, this should not be able to house seven people,’” Johnson said.

Other challenges to independent housing include lack of security and provided maintenance. Older rental homes, like the one Johnson lived in, are mostly reliant on the whims of a landlord. Johnson and her roommates have been victims of theft with items stolen from their cars. Johnson’s landlord was mostly helpful, but she heard of others in similar situations with less luck. 

“I think a lot of people have the mentality of, ‘This is what we can get. This is perfect. This will do,’” she said.

Strentz is excited for a new start this school year. He made the honor roll last year, which helped him win a scholarship that will allow him to move into a nicer apartment.

“It will just result in reduced stress,” he said. “Being able to have better relationships with not only my partner, but friendships as well. You’re able to hang out more and able to just enjoy life a little bit more than you would be working just to pay rent.”

‘Housing is important for the overall well-being of yourself’

Braden Strentz, student at the University of Kansas

He feels grateful to have the chance to get a college education, a goal that was unreachable for many of his family members, even if it means a couple more years of leaking roofs and tight budgets. 

Hundreds of new students will descend on the KU and MU campuses this month, beginning their own student housing journeys. 

Strentz’s advice is to just hang in there.

“I ultimately will look at the big picture because I know that once I’m done with school, I’ll be able to do something I love and that will be able to have secure jobs,” he said. “I think I would rather suffer now a bit more for it to be worth it in the end.”