UC San Diego has been forced to place about 400 students in temporary quarters because it underestimated the number of people who wanted to live in permanent housing during the fall quarter, which started last week.

The problem primarily affects transfer students, who are assigned housing last, after freshmen have been accommodated.

The university is experiencing rapid growth that’s made it difficult to keep up with housing. Enrollment grew by more than 6,000 over the past five years, and will increase by another 600 or so this year.

The 400 students caught in the housing pinch were diverted to the West and North Mesa residences, older housing on the health sciences campus, on the east side of Interstate 5. At the moment, the students have access to food trucks instead of a permanent dining hall.


The students will be placed in permanent housing by Nov. 1, said Christine Clark, a UC San Diego spokeswoman.

Most transfer students prefer to live in the Village, a popular neighborhood on main campus that’s highlighted by a pair of residential towers that face the ocean.

In a statement, the university said Wednesday, “The demand for on-campus housing continues to outpace availability, compounded in part by San Diego’s expensive rental and housing market.

“Living on campus is a choice for students and it continues to be a popular one: this year, we had more new and returning students opting to live on campus than previous years, combined with lower than normal cancellations that occur throughout the summer leading up to fall openings.


“The campus starts with commitments extended to various groups, including students with disabilities and continuing students with existing guarantees to live on campus.”

Although living on campus is a choice, Chancellor Pradeep Khosla has been pushing hard to build residential housing to create a deeper sense of community at the university.


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