University Park, Pa. -- The University's Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 17) received an update on the state of Housing and Food Services at Penn State, and approved a modest increase of 4.82 percent to Penn State's average room and board rates, effective for the 2007-08 academic year at all nine of the University's residential campuses, including University Park.
The room and board schedule is part of the 2007-08 Housing and Food Services budget of $145.1 million authorized by the board. Housing and Food Services at Penn State is an auxiliary enterprise, operating independent of tuition and state subsidies received by the University.
"The Housing, Food Service and Residence Life programs are entirely self-sustaining enterprises of the University and receive no direct financial support from tuition or state funds," said Gail A. Hurley, associate vice president of auxiliary and business services. "The room and board rate proposal supports normal increases in annual operating expenses, and subsidizes an ongoing program of updating existing facilities with new amenities and safety features, such as sprinklers."
Penn State operates the largest housing and dining system in Pennsylvania and the second-largest in the nation, operating 74 undergraduate and graduate residence halls and five apartment complexes accommodating more than 18,000 students. Together with the food-service operations, these facilities represent six million square feet of living and dining space.
Undergraduate residence halls are located at University Park, Altoona, Beaver, Berks, Erie, Harrisburg, Hazleton, McKeesport and Mont Alto. Graduate housing is available at University Park, Erie, Harrisburg and Hershey.
"In Housing, Food Services and Residence Life, and at Hershey, we continue to take seriously our duty to provide reasonably priced, high-quality housing and dining options and related programs and services to enhance students' overall educational experience," Hurley said.
On average, room charges for an undergraduate student living on-campus in a standard double room -- the most typical living arrangement at the University -- will increase by $100 per semester, from $1,810 to $1,910. The cost for meal plan three -- the most common plan of 12 to 13 meals per week -- will increase by $65 per semester, from $1,615 to $1,680. These increases bring next year's average annual room and board cost to $7,180, an increase of 4.82 percent or $330 over the previous year. The room and board rate proposal encompasses the normal changes in annual operating expenses as well as the cost of life-safety initiatives and the expense of renovations and upgrades to existing facilities. Other housing rate changes specific to various campus living units include the following (all rates include utilities):
-- Room rates for Nittany Apartments at University Park will increase by $115 to $140 per person, for a range of $2,190 to $2,690 a semester, depending on the type of apartment selected.
-- Monthly rates for the White Course graduate housing will increase by $25 to $35 a month, with one-, two- and three-bedroom family units costing $770, $885 and $1,000, respectively, while single graduate student housing will increase $30 to $605 a month per person for a four-bedroom apartment.
-- At Penn State Erie, apartments will increase by $120 to a rate of $2,305 per person each semester for two-person garden units.
-- At Penn State Harrisburg, four-bedroom apartments will increase $150 to a rate of $2,750 per person per semester.
-- At the College of Medicine in Hershey, room rates for University Manor East Apartments will increase by $28 to $31 per month for a range of $738 to $970 a month per unit, depending on the number of bedrooms and included furnishings. Furnished four-bedroom apartments in University Manor West will increase by $56 a month to a rate of $1,712.