The University of Iowa is seeing a record number of applications for fall 2024, creating a demand for housing at a time when the University is selling one of its largest dorms, the Mayflower. On Thursday, University officials announced they will continue utilizing the dorm for the 2024-2025 school year to accommodate the influx of students.
The exact number of new applicants is still unknown, as applications are still open for new student housing. “The number is shifting daily,” said Anne Matthes, director of Student Life Communications, in an email to the CBJ.
“We want to provide campus housing for as many students as possible and we are excited to see the strong interest both incoming and returning students are showing in the residential experience,” said Sarah Hansen, vice president for student life, in a statement.
Aside from first-year students, more than 1,500 returning students in their second, third, and fourth years have applied to live on campus. Mayflower can house more than 1,000 students in suite-style rooms that include kitchens and bathrooms, although it currently houses 888 students.
In Feb. 2023, the University announced its intention to sell the Mayflower, citing distance and student dissatisfaction as a factor.
According to University officials, data showed first-year students who live in Mayflower are retained at lower rates than any other residence hall and have lower grade point averages, a statistic tied to distance from the main campus.
The sale is part of a five-year plan to upgrade the University’s housing system. Mayflower has a price tag of $45 million, approximately $14 million above its current assessment.
Part of the five-year plan includes a renovation project at Hillcrest Residence Hall that includes repairs, replacement flooring, doors, and ceilings in student rooms and hallways as well as renovations to restrooms to make them single-user. “The renovation also created more study space within the building,” said Ms. Matthes, and the project is in its final phase.
UI said the Mayflower will remain on the market, but because there is an immediate need for it, any sale would be conditional upon the University occupying the building for the upcoming academic year, said Ms. Matthes.
For the upcoming academic year, additional study spaces and more single rooms are planned for Mayflower, and campus leaders are working with students to determine what additional support and amenities may be offered.
