FGCU housing costs will increase starting in fall of 2024

Housing costs are going up for students at Florida Gulf Coast University.

FGCU’s Board of Trustees has approved raising student on-campus housing costs by 5% a year over the next four years.

The school has kept its housing costs steady for 10 years until the vote was passed. Student housing is currently priced at around $3,118 per academic school year.

Incoming freshmen, meanwhile, can expect to pay $6,360 and have their rent increase by over $300 for the next three years.

WINK News spoke to in- and out-of-state students about the rent increases. Neither feel like they can afford to pay more money.

“You said 5%, so any increase is an increase, but 5% and then you said over the next four years, so it’d be 20% from when I was living there. It’s crazy,” said FGCU student Colin McNarma.

Laurelee Hartnett, a freshman at FGCU, said a scholarship pays for her school.

“If I weren’t able to pay for living, I wouldn’t be able to even go here. I would probably not go to college,” Hartnett said, “but then, you got me thinking about like, if it’s getting raised, am I still gonna be getting like some of that scholarship back? Like, I’m getting paid to go here.”

FGCU’s website shows that 80% of first-year students live on campus. Students will pay more for campus housing starting the fall term of 2024.

Professor Jennifer Sughrue at FGCU said, “You know, previous generations, several generations ago, college was reasonable, and it’s not anymore.”

WINK News spoke with the university’s housing department Wednesday to talk about where the money from the increase will go. New roofs, appliances, flooring and furniture are some items that need revamping for FGCU housing.