Academic success
Residential Life, Housing and Food Service strives to provide an on-campus atmosphere that promotes academic success. On average, students who live in our residence halls earn higher Grade Point Averages (GPAs) than students that live off campus. In addition, students who live in our residence halls are more likely to enroll in coursework the following academic year than students who live off campus. The average semester GPA of on-campus residents for Spring 2023 was 2.94. The Spring 2023 average GPA of Living Learning Community students was 3.24.
Retention and living on campus
Living in the residence halls also has a positive impact on a student's retention at the university. Students living in the residence halls in Fall 2022 returned to the university at a rate of 93.4% for Spring 2023 (compared to a rate of 90.2% of all students). Those same students returned to the university at a rate of 83.3% for the Fall 2023 semester (compared to a rate of 82.1% of all students).
For students in a Living Learning Community, retention rates to the university are even higher. Students in learning communities in Fall 2022 returned to the university at a rate of 95.6% for Spring 2023 (compared to a rate of 90.2% of all students). Those same students returned to the university at a rate of 89.7% for the Fall 2023 semester (compared to a rate of 82.1% of all students).
Academic mentors
Every residence hall has at least one Academic Mentor, with most halls having two. These are student staff members who are trained to focus on promoting academic success in the residence halls through weekly study hours, academic conversations with residents, and connecting residents to academic resources through events during the semester. During Spring 2023, the Academic Mentor staff provided over 2,300 study hours serving 445 unique residents (17% of the residence hall population).