"Students who live on-campus, at least during their freshman year, have been shown to be more likely to complete their degrees than are students who live off-campus." (3)
"Over 75% of the students who did not return to school for their third year lived off-campus; i.e., they were commuter students." (4)
"Students living on campus have greater access to counselors, advisers, and fellow students when faced with an academic problem" (5)
"Guerrero reported that students who attended part-time were nearly 230% more likely to drop out than were full-time students." (3)
“Of those who live on campus 77.3% are involved in one or more organizations, compared to only 61.1% of students who live off campus” (1)
“On average, 79.4% of on campus students go to an event, whereas only 65.3%" (1)
"Students who live on campus are less likely to use university resources than those who live off campus" (2)
"Students who have lived on campus consume less alcohol than students who have not. They also spend more time studying with students in their classes and their roommates" (1)
Almost 60% of on campus students feel engaged on campus while only a 33% of off campus students feel engaged, outside of classes (1)
Excerpt from Resident Assistant at University of Northern Iowa, "I spent two years working as a Resident Assistant (RA) and I saw my residents make friends on the floor, join different organizations, and overall be engaged in all areas on campus. However, I saw that my classmates and friends who lived off campus had a different experience. They went to classes and then left campus to work and go home. When I would ask them if they wanted to go to an event on campus, they often didn’t even know that it was happening" (1)
While Kearney housing options require one to be signed to a lease, UNK allows students to renegotiate and change living arrangements. This can be done to different living arrangements around campus or even moving off campus by canceling a housing contract at the end of each semester with no additional cost throughout their academic year. (6)
There are a variety of living arrangements from dormitory style (CTW, CTE, Mantor, Men's, and Randall) to suite style (Antelope, Nester North, and Nester South) and even apartments in Village Flats. (6)
43.8% of students living on campus have adequate strength conditioning compared to 39.5% of students who live with their parents or a relative. (7)
46.1% of full time students meet healthy strength conditioning requirements as contrasted with 32.4% of those who are part time students. (7)
1 Carlson, Megan. "The Effects of Living On Campus Versus Off Campus on Student Engagement". Honors Program Theses, 910. 2023. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/hpt/910
2 de Araujo, P, Murray, J. (2010). Academic benefits of living on campus. SSRN Electronic
Journal, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1628371
3 Guerrero, A.A. “The Determinants of College Student Retention.” Dissertation published by UMI Dissertations Publishing. 2010, https://www.academia.edu/37727037/An_Analysis_Of_The_Relationship_Between_Distance_From_Campus_And_GPA_Of_Commuter_Students.
4 Lutta, J.M. “Factors that Influence Traditional-age College Students to Re-enroll in their Third Year at a Research Extensive University in the Southern Region of the United States.” Dissertation, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Louisiana State University. 2008, https://www.academia.edu/37727037/An_Analysis_Of_The_Relationship_Between_Distance_From_Campus_And_GPA_Of_Commuter_Students.
5 Nelson, Danielle, et al. “An Analysis of the Relationship between Distance From ...” An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Distance From Campus And GPA Of Commuter Students, International Education Research, Jan. 2016, files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1088600.pdf.
6 “Returning and Transfer Student Housing Options.” Office of Residence Life. University of Nebraska at Kearney, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Jan. 2025, www.unk.edu/offices/reslife/returning-student-housing-options.php.
7 Thede, Samuel, Bartee, Todd Ph.D. "Strength Training: Do UNK Students Meet the Guidelines?", UNK Research Seminar Presentations, Presented May 2nd, 2025.