Undocumented college students, who often live off campus for financial reasons as well as family obligations, cannot take advantage of what is considered to be a primary factor in facilitating student success: the sense of community and of mattering that are provided by residence halls, residential staff, and thoughtful programming. In order to…

As University housing offices seek to maximize use of their available beds, it is valuable to understand the factors that are most important in influencing students to choose to move off campus. This study compares importance ratings on a wide range of housing factors for students who planned to stay on campus and those who planned to move off…

Students from low-income families consistently trail behind their peers in retention and degree attainment. Research on college student experiences suggests that low-income students experience "cultural mismatch" at college--they feel that their backgrounds are at odds with the middle-class values dominant on campus (Armstrong &…

Presents two studies which surveyed college students (N=304 and 448) to examine the impact of living environment on academic performance. Contrary to previous research, students living off-campus reported higher grade point averages than on-campus students. Advantages and disadvantages of specific living arrangements are discussed. (JAC)