Purdue holds WL campus room and board rates flat

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University’s Board of Trustees on Saturday (Dec. 20) approved a 0.1 percent weighted average reduction in room rates on the West Lafayette campus for the 2015-16 academic year, and board rates will remain flat. This marks the third consecutive year that overall rates have decreased.

The board also approved rates for Purdue’s Calumet and Fort Wayne campuses.

“Our commitment to keep Purdue affordable for students and their families is an ongoing process, and we’ve been very fortunate to couple three straight years of tuition freezes with three consecutive years of an overall decrease in room and board rates,” Purdue President Mitch Daniels said.

Those living in residence halls are required to carry one of five meal plans, ranging from $2,998 to $5,398, and dining dollars can be used in all Housing and Food Services retail locations. Depending on the type of campus housing students select, the price per academic year for room only, minus a required meal plan, will range from $2,446 for a room with two beds in Cary Quadrangle to $9,500 for a single-bed unit in First Street Towers. There also are options at Purdue apartment complexes where no meal plan is required.

“Several of the low-cost room options have been reduced an additional 3 to 5 percent,” said James Almond, senior vice president for business services and assistant treasurer. “We have several different housing and meal plan options to fit our students’ needs.”

Purdue's on-campus residence program houses 11,932 students, and all campus housing is voluntary. The system is financially self-supporting, and no state funds or general student fees are used for construction, maintenance or operations.

University Residences offers a comprehensive package that includes furnished rooms with utilities and cable TV, and next year wireless high-speed Internet will be offered in all rooms. Meals are available 18 hours a day.

University Residences hires professional staff members who live in residence halls to provide support to students and their communities. In addition, access to buildings is monitored and security policies are enforced to help ensure student safety.

Trustees also approved room rates at Purdue Calumet and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Rates for both four- and two-bedroom suites at Purdue Calumet will increase 2 percent. The Calumet campus has nearly 750 rooms that offer apartment-style housing accommodations. Board contracts are not provided on campus.

At IPFW, housing rates will increase an overall 0.3 percent. Rates will range from a decrease of 2 percent to an increase of 3 percent, based on a room's configuration and length of contract. In addition, the campus has instituted a new three-month extension rate that, when combined with the academic-year contract, will replace the fiscal year or 12-month contract. The change will simplify the billing structure for students so that housing and tuition bills will be received at the same time during the year. Student housing capacity is just over 1,200. Board contracts are not provided on campus. 

Writer: Jim Bush, 765-494-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu 

Sources: Mitch Daniels, president@purdue.edu

James Almond, 765-494-9706, jsalmond@purdue.edu

Beth McCuskey, associate vice president for housing and food services, 765-494-1022, bmccuske@purdue.edu