With many of the 75 million "Echo Boomers" born between 1976 and 1994 headed to college this decade, student housing is becoming one of the apartment industry's most important niche opportunities.  This report, Student Housing 101: Where are the Opportunities? provides a snapshot of the current market conditions for off-campus, privately owned student housing in 64 college towns across the country. 

It identifies at least 27 markets that have experienced housing shortages within the past two year, and documents substantial development, ownership and management opportunities for private apartment firms.  Key points from the research appear below.

• Click here for the Table of Contents. 
• Click here for a list of the 64 markets studied.

PRICING AND ORDERING INFORMATION

Student Housing 101: Where are the Opportunities?  (This title is currently out of print, however, Xerox copies of the original report can still be purchased)

• $400 for NMHC/NAA members
• $600 for non-members. 
• To order the report, click here.
  • NAA Members: Online orders cannot be processed for NAA members.  Please click here for an order form.

• $1,700 for NMHC/NAA members
• $2,500 for non-members
• To order the package, click here.
  • NMHC Members: Be sure you are logged in to receive the member price.
  • NAA Members:  Online orders cannot be processed for NAA members.  Please click here for an order form.

KEY FINDINGS IN STUDENT HOUSING 101

• University enrollment is generally on the rise across the nation.  From 2000 to 2003, only seven of the 64 universities studied experienced negative enrollment trends. 

• The greatest increases in enrollment between 1990 and 2003 were concentrated in warmer states, including Florida, California and Arizona.   The top growth schools for undergraduate enrollment were not the same as the top growth schools for graduate students enrollment, which could have meaningful implications for the type of housing needed at individual universities. 

• One of the most common amenities in student properties is the inclusion of some sort of “utilities package” in the base rent.  Most of these packages include water, and 11 percent include electricity and high-speed Internet access.  This suggests that “bundling” may be a more important amenity for students than adult residents. 

• The availability of high-speed Internet access was much higher than expected -- 87 percent of the properties surveyed say they are either wired for Internet access or that high-speed Internet is readily available in their markets via DSL or cable providers.  Anecdotal evidence from property owner interviews suggests that 80 to 90 percent of students who have access to high-speed Internet actually take advantage of it.  This is significantly higher than the 22 percent of all U.S. households that currently have high-speed Internet accounts.

ADDITIONAL NMHC STUDENT HOUSING RESEARCH

• Off-Campus Student Housing: 2011 Income and Expense Benchmarking Survey. Expands on NMHC's 2010 Off-Campus Student Housing: Income and Expense Benchmarking Survey, providing more in-depth state and regional data for operating and line-item expenses for 341 properties. (2011)

• NMHC Special Off-Campus Student Housing: Income and Expense Benchmarking Survey.  Provides information on total operating expenses as a percent of rent along with seven expense line items within operating expenses for 197 properties. (2010)

• NMHC Special Student Housing Report: Has the Recession Had an Impact? Seeks to determine whether the dramatic U.S. economic downturn has had an impact on enrollment and on-campus dormitory vacancy rates.
  
  
• On-Campus Housing Costs: More than Meets the Eye.  Researches 181 universities and offers current enrollment, basic demographic data for the locality (from the 2000 Census) and baseline on-campus housing price data and billing practices.
  
  
• What Do Students Want: Understanding Today’s Off-Campus Student Housing Market.  Explores explores what students look for when selecting an off-campus apartment based on in-depth focus groups at nine universities.
  
  
• Student Housing 201: 2004-2006 Rent Growth in 64 College Towns. Tracks rent growth in student housing properties over a two-year period. 
  
  
• Student Housing 103: A Survey of 184 University Housing Departments. Examines enrollment trends, existing on-campus housing stock and each school's own prediction of its need for future on-campus housing.
  
  
• Student Housing 102: An In-Depth Look at Properties Leased By-the-Bed.  Examines the smaller subset of properties that lease their apartments by the bed instead of by the unit.