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CWU Student Housing
Analysis
2014
ANDERSON AND ASSOCIATES
ADNAN SALAKA

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TO: Adnan Salaka
FROM: Darlene Anderson, President
DATE: Dec. 11, 2014
SUBJECT: Off-Campus Student Housing at CWU
On my latest return flight from London, I read an article discussing the off-campus housing
needs for university students. The article, coupled with the research you have been conducting
on student housing, caught my attention.
The survey you conducted of CWU students should help you answer the overall question:
Should Anderson and Associates build a complex of private hotel-like rooms (sleeping and
sitting area and private bath but no kitchen; private one-room efficiency apartments; one-
bedroom, two-person apartments; or four-bedroom, four-person apartments? Remember that
because of cost issues, Anderson and Associates can only chose ONE configuration type for the
apartment complex.
To answer this overall question, the following four research questions would need to be
answered: (1) What is the ranking of the response for the configuration of the apartment
complex, (2) How much are students willing to pay for rent of each configuration, (3) Do
students want furnished or unfurnished apartments, and (4) In general, what social activities do
students want access to in the complex. The data you collected in your survey should help you
answer the first 3 questions (your primary data); a literature review (your secondary data) will
help you answer the 4th question.
As this study is timely for Anderson and Associates, please submit your final report to me by the
date we discussed last week.
Your analysis of Off-Campus Student Housing at CWU, and your recommendations, will help
determine the success of this very important project!

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Contents
Executive Summary......................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction
Problem Statement............................................................................................................. 4
Purpose Statement ............................................................................................................. 4
Research Questions ............................................................................................................ 4
Methodology....................................................................................................................... 5
Data Findings................................................................................................................................... 5
Conclusions
Conclusion........................................................................................................................... 8
Recommendation................................................................................................................ 8
References ...................................................................................................................................... 9
Appendix A.................................................................................................................................... 10
Graphs
1. Configuration Preference............................................................................................................ 5
2. Rental Costs................................................................................................................................. 6
3. Furnished/Unfurnished Preference............................................................................................ 7

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Executive Summary
As the owners of a large land lot located two blocks away from the Central Washington
University campus at Ellensburg, Anderson and Associates want to build an off-campus housing
complex for students. In order to ensure the most successful outcome of this project, relevant
data was collected from in person surveys of current students as well as from the National
Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), J Turner Marketing Research for the Apartment
Industry, and the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at the Higher Education Research
Institute at UCLA. Analysing this data allowed us acquire a comprehensive understand what we
need to provide in order to make it as attractive and practical as possible for the students, as
well as ensure positive returns for our company. Building such a complex is the best option for
development of that lot.
We set out to conduct in person surveys of current students addressing specific questions
related to the construction of this complex, particularly; 1) type of apartment configuration, 2)
monthly rent occupants would be willing to pay, 3) whether to provide furnished or
unfurnished apartments, and 4) what sort of social activities/amenities do students want access
to in the complex.
It is important to note that we would not be undertaking this project without substantial
reference. As it turns out, Edmonds Community College, a CWU partner, has already built such
a housing complex in 2009 with a successful outcome. In the construction of the EDCC complex,
a furnished, four-room, four-person apartment with private bath and shared kitchen/living area
configuration was used; exactly the same layout as the data we collected for our project
suggested to use. Hence, this is a proven configuration for student housing that has been used
and has yielded successful results.

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In an attempt to better address the housing needs of students at the Central Washington
University campus at Ellensburg, Anderson and Associates is conducting an analysis to better
understand those needs as well as to ensure the success and feasibility of this housing project.
We surveyed 1,124 individuals of the student body in order to get a better sense of what the
students themselves would prefer in future off-campus housing apartments. Using those
findings as well as data from a number of national research institutes gave us a clear picture of
how to pursue this project further.
Problem Statement
Should Anderson and Associates build a complex of private hotel-like rooms, sleeping
and sitting area, and private bath without kitchen; private one-room efficiency apartments;
one-bedroom, two person apartments; or four-bedroom, four-person apartments?
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this report is to determine which floor-plan configuration Anderson and
Associates should build for the Off-Campus Student Housing project at CWU.
Research Questions
1. What is the ranking of the response for the configuration of the apartment complex?
2. How much are students willing to pay for rent for each configuration?
3. Do students prefer furnished or unfurnished apartments?
4. What social activities do students want access to in the complex?

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Graph 1
Methodology
Analysis data for the first three research questions was collected from a total of 1,124
students who were identified as living at nearby apartment complexes as well as on the campus
itself. In addressing the question of which social activities and amenities to make available to
students in the complex, consideration of the amenities offered by Edmonds Community
College at their student housing facility would be good model to follow because relevant data
collected from the National Survey of Student Engagement and J Turner Research seem to
support the choices that were used at that particular housing complex.
Data Findings
In addressing our primary questions, we surveyed 1,124 students as to which apartment
complex configuration they would prefer. The data clearly shows that the majority of the
students prefer one of two options. Please refer to last paragraph of executive summary for
further discussion.
Since we are limited to choosing only one configuration, building a four-bedroom, four-person
configuration is the best option, not only was it chosen by the majority of the surveyed
students, it would also offer an element from the second highest configuration preference;
14%
30%
16%
40%
Configuration Preference
Private, hotel-like rooms
(sleeping/sitting area and
private batch, no kitchen
Private one-room efficiency
apartments
One-bedroom, two person
apartments, shared bath
Four-bedroom, four-person
apartments with private bath
and shared kitchen/living

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Graph 2
mainly that it would offer a private room for all four inhabitants. Also, 76% of student residents
reported that having access to their own bathroom is among the most desirable features of an
apartment, something that this configuration would satisfy (Batdorf, 2013).
In terms of addressing the rental costs students would be willing to pay, again the four-
bedroom, four-person configuration yields the highest monthly profit while still having a
relatively low per student cost of $375. According to J Turner Research, “a full 80% of students
are already living off campus, where the average monthly rent is $620”, which makes our
projected pricing extremely competitive.
Next we asked the students if they preferred furnished or unfurnished apartments, and
clearly providing furnished apartments would be the option to adopt in the planning of this
project. The extent of the furnishing should be as follows; bedroom with bed, desk, chair,
bookcase and dresser. Living rooms should include a couch/or lounge chair, kitchen chairs and a
coffee table. Kitchen equipment will have to include stove, oven, microwave, refrigerator,
dishwasher and garbage disposal.
$250
$400
$650
$1,500
$0 $200 $400 $600 $800 $1,000 $1,200 $1,400 $1,600
PRIVATE, HOTEL-LIKE ROOMS (SLEEPING/SITTING AREA
AND PRIVATE BATCH, NO KITCHEN
PRIVATE ONE-ROOM EFFICIENCY APARTMENTS
ONE-BEDROOM, TWO PERSON APARTMENTS, SHARED
BATH
FOUR-BEDROOM, FOUR-PERSON APARTMENTS WITH
PRIVATE BATH AND SHARED KITCHEN/LIVING
Rental Cost

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Graph 3
The final research question we addressed was, which social activities students would prefer to
have access to in the apartment complex. According to the Cooperative Institutional Research
Program at the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, nearly 70% of students report
spending more than 5 hours per week socializing with their friends, nearly 50% reported
participating in some sort of sport/game activities, and nearly 25% engage in watching TV. As
such, Anderson and Associates should offer the following amenities; in addressing the
socializing desirability a community room that will provide students with a game area and a
media center offering access to desktop computers, TV and video game access, and a study
lounge. Giving the occupants a proper setting to come together and interact is very important
especially considering that 87% of first year students report that their peers are friendly,
supportive, and give them a sense of belonging (NSSE, 2014). This will significantly increase the
satisfaction of the student body. Also it is very important to mention that two other amenities
seemed to be extremely important to students. According to Houston based J Turner Research,
79% of students report having access to washers and dryers is very important, and 54% say
having extended Wi-Fi as well as strong cellular reception is extremely important to them. That
is something we need to take note off as the project moves forward.
749
334
FURNISHED UNFURNISHED

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Conclusion
This configuration was also selected by Edmonds Community College, a Central
Washington University partner, for their student housing facility which has seen positive results
from it. As such, this is a tested configuration that has shown to work for other developers, this
reduces our risk factor as well as reducing the number of unexpected problems we can expect
to face as we proceed forward with this project.
Also, there is considerable indication that off campus housing is a highly popular choice
for students, giving them the complete college experience that the majority are so fond of. This
trend further supports the development of this complex.
Recommendations
All of the data collected strongly suggests that Anderson and Associates should build
student housing in a four-bedroom, four-person apartments with private bath and shared
kitchen/living configuration and the apartments should definitely come furnished since 70% of
respondents prefer it that way. Considering that this configuration will provide the highest
rental rates, $1,500, it is also the most lucrative option.
As the research data suggest, particular attention needs to be paid to the amenities that
are most desirable. Providing exactly what students want will only solidify their already strong
predilection for an off-campus living experience, an experience that 69% of students say is
worth paying a modest premium for. How much more? According to J Turner Research,
students are willing to pay $215.77 more per month on average, to live off campus.

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References
National Survey of Student Engagement. (2014). Lafayette college. National survey of student
engagement results. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from
http://www.lafayette.edu/about/lafayette-at-a-glance/national-survey-of-student-
engagement/
Liu, A., Ruiz, S., DeAngelo, L., Pryor, J. (2009). Findings from the 2008 administration of the
college senior survey (css): National aggregates. Cooperative Institutional Research
Program at the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. Retrieved December 10,
2014, from http://www.heri.ucla.edu/PDFs/pubs/Reports/CSS2008_FinalReport.pdf
Batdorf, J. (2013, August 5). Exclusive research: 7,000 students reveal their housing wants and
needs. Multifamily Executive. Retrieved December 11, 2014, from
http://www.multifamilyexecutive.com/property-management/apartment-
trends/exclusive-research-7-000-students-reveal-their-housing-wants-and-needs_o

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Appendix A
Primary Data Collection for Student Housing
Survey and Survey Results
NOTE: Results for each question are shown in red.
1. In off-campus housing, what type of apartment complex configuration would you prefer (chose one
answer only)?
157 Private, hotel-like rooms (sleeping/sitting area and private bath but no kitchen).
336 Private one-room efficiency apartments.
183 One-bedroom, two-person apartments with shared bath.
448 Four-bedroom, four-person apartments with private bath and shared kitchen/living.
2. How much monthly rent would you be willing to pay for each of the above configuration (averages
of answers will be reported)?
$250 Private, hotel-like rooms (sleeping/sitting area and private bath but no kitchen.
$400 Private one-room efficiency apartments.
$650 One-bedroom, two-person apartments with shared bath.
$1500 Four-bedroom, four-person apartments with private bath and shared kitchen/living.
3. Do you prefer a furnished or unfurnished apartment?
749 Furnished
334 Unfurnished
A total of 1,124 students, you identified as living off-campus, were surveyed. The sample was a
convenience sample –students on campus and at nearby apartment complexes were asked to
participate.
Of the 1,124 students surveyed, approximately half were female and half were male. About 15 percent
of the students were freshman; 23 percent were sophomores; 50 percent were juniors, and the rest
were seniors.
Approximately 75 percent of the students surveyed were traditional college age (18-24); the rest were
non-traditional (ages 24 and over).