University Housing: Top 7 Must-Have Amenities

Remember the good old days when university housing meant bunk beds, fluorescent lighting, and suspicious stains on the common room carpet? Try telling that to Gen Y. Residents in student housing today are clamoring for top of the line amenities more and more — computer rooms with fast printing, keyless apartment entry, coffee shops, online payment options. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Industry leaders have endearingly termed student housing part of the great “amenities race.” And in many ways, providing for student residents is about just that; today’s students grew up in an age where a tap of the button meant food delivered to their doorstep. More so than other markets, millennials value convenience. They’ll expect that you provide all the amenities they need so they can focus on their studies, not how to hook up cable at their new place. Incorporate a few of these amenities into your community, and you’ll be in your student residents’ good graces.

WiFi, WiFi, WiFi

This one should be a given. These days, studying invariably means a decent Internet connection, which is why students value bandwidth over any other amenity. Don’t make the mistake of providing WiFi just within student units; most students are probably still on Mom and Dad’s data plan, which means they’ll want a strong WiFi connection throughout the entire property, including common areas.

An In-House Computer Room & Printing Facility

It’s 3 AM, and your student resident is putting the finishing touches on their end-of-semester final paper. The problem? It’s due by 8 AM the next morning.

Students more and more are requesting an in-house printing facility so they have everything they need, right when they’re pressed for time. An in-house computing and printing facility will save them a late night trip to the library. Trust us,  they’ll thank you for it.

Got roommates? A Quiet Study Room

We’ve all experienced it: the roommate that can’t quite respect “quiet time.”

Student residents don’t just want to study in their rooms; they’ll want a space where they can buckle down come crunch time. And remember, you’re dealing with millennials, so including mobile and laptop charging stations there are a must.

Online Payment Options

Gen Y grew up in the age of electronic payments, and your residents will expect that you have a process in place to streamline all activity in the resident lifecycle, from paying the rent to renewing the lease.

Help with Their Move

It’s their first day back on campus, and your student residents have a million and one things to do: register for classes, purchase textbooks, catch up with friends, and the list goes on. The last thing that they should be worrying about is how to forward their mail or hook up cable in their new place.

Offering Updater will improve your resident move-in experience because students will take care of all their moving-related tasks before they get there. They’ll set up home services, send digital moving announcements, forward their mail and claim exclusive move-in offers all through Updater. The best part? Updater will ensure that grandma’s birthday cookies are sent to the right address and that their friends know just where to arrive for their back-to-school “housewarming” party.

A Fitness Center

Few students enjoy walking to campus at seven in the morning for their morning workout. Save your student residents a trip to campus and offer a fitness center with up to date machines. You’ll be their ultimate lifesaver.

Bike Storage

If our college days tell us anything, it’s that the average student is, well, broke. Your student resident will want a place to store their primary means of a getting around: a bike. What’s more, you can advertise your bike amenities as part of your community’s effort to “go green.” That’s sure to go over well with student residents who tend to be more environmentally aware.

While solving their caffeine headaches may be beyond your realm of expertise, you can solve common student housing headaches. Incorporate a few of these amenities in your community, and you’ll win big brownie points with your student residents — we promise.