UW Tacoma’s on-campus housing accepts students all year
Applications for on-campus housing at Court 17 during summer quarter are open.
By Kai Lee
While UW Tacoma is a commuter campus, many students at this campus use on-campus housing.
Court 17 Residence Hall offers housing to students around the year, including summer. It is university owned. It houses students who have classes or work on campus to provide a place for them to live.
Court 17 typically houses about 290 students during each autumn quarter, according to Ryan Davidson, the Director of Housing and Residence Life. Davidson is responsible for managing the housing on campus. This includes working with staff and ensuring facilities work. Court 17 has a maximum occupancy of 300 student residents. However, the number of residents decreases during the summer due to students graduating after spring quarter and others leaving campus for home, according to Davidson.
Most Financial Aid awards pay for living on campus.
“We work closely with the financial aid office on campus, so it’s a little bit more organized than if you sign an apartment lease elsewhere,” Davidson said. “They might ask first and last month rent. They might not fully grasp that students are dependent on financial aid and might not get a monthly check, and they might have to wait an extra month until financial aid is disbursed to be able to pay their bills. But you don’t have to deal with that here.”
Additionally, Court 17 has a resident advisor team that helps students at Court 17. They connect students with resources to address challenges in their lives and mediate student disagreements, according to Davidson.
Summer Housing
While there is housing during the summer, the number of residents decreases from about 270 students in spring to between 50 to 60 during summer. The UW Tacoma’s Housing & Residence Life department receives between 50 and 70 applications to become residents during summer quarter.
There are multiple sets of housing sessions students can choose from when applying to Court 17. Students can move in and out at different times, depending on the schedules of their summer and autumn quarters.
Davidson noted that there is not as much community space. He adds that this is because it was built to be an apartment complex but was later converted into a residence hall once it was owned by the university.
“Instead of having to do a new build, they acquired something,” Davidson said.
Other Resources
If students would prefer to live off campus, the UW Tacoma has a partnership with CollegePads to provide students with an off-campus housing marketplace. This marketplace lets students find off-campus housing and roommates.
The Metropolitan Development Council also has housing resources. While they are not affiliated with UW Tacoma, they offer various types of housing, including affordable and permanent supportive housing.
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services has a Housing Resources webpage that offers a list of specific housing resources.
Summer housing applications for Court 17 are due May 15.
