Enrolments and accommodation update

Work has begun on preparing a site on Waimairi Road to build a 60-bed student accommodation block as an extension of the Bishop Julius hall of residence at the University of Canterbury.

The new accommodation facility will be finished in time for the first semester next year. The new accommodation project comes a year after Deputy Prime Minister Bill English opened the new 60-bed Waimairi student accommodation village.

The university has proactively eased pressure on the Christchurch housing market by addressing the urgent need for student accommodation over the last few years with the temporary Waimairi Village and making available 70 beds at its Waitakiri Village. College House is in the process of building a new kitchen, dining room and accommodation for 15 students. The project is due for completion in May 2015.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Rod Carr says the university has taken positive steps to help alleviate the Christchurch housing market.

``We are sensitive to the city’s housing situation and we see projects like the new Bishop Julius extension and the Waimairi Village as exciting developments for Christchurch, for the university and for students,’’ Dr Carr says.

As student numbers were likely to rise to pre-quake levels by 2018, there was a need to take positive action. The university has almost filled all its 2065 beds for single full-year students at its halls of residence and halls has never accommodated more students than it is right now.

The University of Canterbury is expecting a similar number of students studying this year compared with last year. By late last year, 14,725 students were studying at Canterbury, and though final figures will not be confirmed for some time the head count for 2015 is expected to be more than 14,600, virtually unchanged from 2014.

Latest figures show new to university international full time equivalent numbers are up 24 percent year on year with increases in science, arts, engineering and business and law.

Domestic student numbers are stable or slightly down overall (1.8 percent), however new to university students from the Christchurch region are up slightly, despite the number of Year 13 students in the Canterbury region decreasing.

New domestic full time equivalent numbers may be slightly down on last year (1.5 percent) but this more than offset by the surge in international students (23.6 percent).

Retention rates are positive and with the exception of 2011, retention rates have exceeded pre-quake levels for domestic and international students.

ends

© Scoop Media