Implications of Mass Off-Campus Student Housing at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria

Abstract

There has been steady growth in the student population in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Nigeria. Efforts to accommodate most of students in various HEIs within the campuses have been very challenging. In this regard, this study examined the attendant implications of mass off-campus students housing at the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. The study adopted a survey and archival research approaches and used descriptive statistics to analyse the data collected. The study revealed that the total available bed spaces in the hostel on campus was about 5,000 with the private hostels contributing about 2,150 bed spaces to accommodate the undergraduate students whose population currently stood at 38,950 (excluding students of the College of Health Sciences-Basic Medical Sciences and Clinical Sciences) as at 2016/2017 academic session. Over 75% of these students lived off-campus. This situation has given rise to the mass off-campus student housing phenomenon. Identified implications of this mass off-campus student living included the ever-increasing house rents in the proximate neighbourhoods, inadequate security of students’ life and properties, lateness to lectures due to poor transportation network, compounding academic stress, and lack of basic infrastructure in the host communities compared to the university’s campus. In conclusion, student housing at the University of Ilorin was grossly inadequate and there were associated consequences which required immediate attention.