UK works to accommodate housing for record first-year class and returning students

By Press release submission

Aug 8, 2022

The University of Kentucky is working to accommodate on-campus housing for a record first-year class of more than 6,000 students as well as many returning and transfer students choosing to live on campus, said UK President Eli Capilouto.

“We continue to put our students first, providing our best housing opportunities from both a facilities and operational perspective,” said Andrew Smith, assistant vice president of auxiliary services. “The high number of students who choose to live on campus reflects the outstanding quality of our housing and programming, as we know students do better academically and socially if they live on campus for at least the first year of their college careers.”

Currently, UK has more than 7,800 beds available for students but had 7,880 completed housing applications between first-year students and those who are returning to campus including transfer students, second-year students, graduate students and family housing, said Smith.

To fill the gap, the university has 16 units in three residence halls that are multipurpose rooms designed to be converted on what is anticipated to be a temporary basis. These units are similar to other rooms offered in terms of amenities and basic design.

As housing cancellations occur before and through the beginning of the semester, UK will offer spaces to students as they become available, Smith said.

“As is the case each year, the order in which students select their room is based upon when they completed the housing assignment with June 1 being the primary application deadline to reserve a room and every student who applied by the June 1 deadline has a room assignment,” Smith said. “Overall, nearly 86% of first-year students live on campus and will do so again this year.”

Several years ago, the university invested nearly $450 million in revitalizing our residence halls, constructing more than 6,850 beds and high-tech, high-touch living and learning spaces where students can build and sustain community.

“We know students do better academically — in terms of grades, involvement on campus and retention — when they live on campus,” Capilouto said. “We have tremendous momentum as a campus, reflected by the largest class in our history joining our community this fall. We are excited about what these students and newest members of our Wildcat community will bring to our campus.”

Please visit our move-in website which offers tips to help students plan for an efficient move-in experience.

The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion four years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for" three years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers." We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for five straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.