Need for Student Housing at UConn's Stamford and Hartford Campuses Growing

Housing – or the lack thereof – has increasingly become an issue seeking solution at Connecticut’s flagship university, with increasing focus on UConn’s campuses in Stamford and Hartford.

The number of first-year students in Stamford is expected to be 975 for the academic year that begins next month, a more than 50% increases from the 622 who started at the downtown university last year, the Stamford Advocate reported. 

Mike Enright, deputy spokesperson for the university, told the Advocate that there are roughly 70 students on the waitlist for student housing, and another 120 returning students were told in the Spring that they may not have access to campus dorms.

The Advocate reported that UConn is working on adding more housing, with the university’s Board of Trustees approving three two-year leases totaling $2.47 million for the next school year that would add 130 beds.

Also this past Spring, the UConn Board of Trustees approved a plan to lease space at 242 Trumbull Street in downtown Hartford, across the city from the campus where UConn has been conducting classes since 2017,  with the property owner planning to develop about 50 four-person units in the building’s rear area facing Pratt Street and known as the Annex.

The units would be available for rent to UConn Hartford students starting in August 2026 if needed approvals are achieved and plans remain on track.  UConn would lease the space and offer it as student housing with a hall director and resident assistants, similar to the master lease and partnership in place at UConn Stamford.

In both cities, housing can’t be identified fast enough to keep up with student interest in starting their UConn years on an urban campus, even as the vast majority of students seek acceptance to the Storrs campus for their housing and classes.

Incoming UConn students are accepted to various campuses in the state, and those not accepted to Storrs but one of the school’s other campuses traditionally take courses for two years at that campus before transferring to the Storrs campus to complete their degree requirements.  But the housing crunch is also reflected in that sequence, as in some instances students can live on the Storrs campus and commute to classes on the campus to which they were accepted.

The UConn website now notes that “first time, first year students at the UConn Hartford and UConn Avery Point campuses who meet stated deadlines and eligibility criteria will be guaranteed housing at Storrs.”  The site goes on to explain to prospective students that “your academic campus is either UConn Avery Point or UConn Hartford and it should be treated as such. The majority of your coursework must be taken at the campus in which you were accepted. Your academic advisor, who will reside at your accepted campus, will work with you to create an acceptable class schedule.”

UConn’s Hartford campus had about 544 first-year students who entered in fall or spring this past academic year, according to the university; in the coming academic year that starts next month, the University has projected that number will grow to about 595.  UConn surveyed undergraduate students at the campus in 2023 to assess their potential interest in student housing, and about 70% of the respondents expressed interest.

UConn’s four regional campuses are in Stamford, Hartford, Avery Point and Waterbury.  In Waterbury, the UConn website points out, there are “a variety of rental options for UConn Waterbury students in the city of Waterbury and surrounding communities.”  A featured property is The Brown Building, described as a “private rental option located across the street from UConn Waterbury’s campus which offers a unique student living experience.”  Prospective students are told they can begin their “UConn career at Waterbury and seamlessly transition to UConn’s main campus in Storrs to complete your degree, or begin your academic journey here and stay for four years.”