More on-campus housing for Vancouver Island University (flickr.com)

Media Contacts

Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training

Media Relations
250 508-5030

Jenn McGarrigle

External Communications Manager
Vancouver Island University
250 619-6860

Backgrounders

Student housing investments provide homes throughout province

The Province is investing in student housing as part of Homes for BC, a 10-year housing plan that includes building 8,000 on-campus student housing beds (5,000 provincial funding, 3,000 institution funding) by 2028.

To date, 7,615 new beds (4,584 provincial funding, 3,031 institution funding) are complete or underway, enabling more British Columbians to have affordable housing alternatives to pursue post-secondary education and taking pressure off local rental markets.

Provincially funded projects include:

Interior:

New student housing already open

  • 533 beds at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. Total project cost is $38 million ($25.5 million provincial funding).
  • 220 beds at University of British Columbia Okanagan in Kelowna. Total project cost is $24.9 million ($18.7 million provincial funding). Opened September 2020.
  • 100 beds at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook. Total project cost is $19 million ($12.9 million provincial funding). Completed December 2020.

New student housing underway

  • Okanagan College campuses in Vernon (100 beds), Salmon Arm (60 beds) and Kelowna (216 beds). $66.5 million provincial funding.
  • Selkirk College in Castlegar (112 beds) and Nelson (36 beds). $23.3 million provincial funding.

Lower Mainland:

New student housing underway

  • 398 beds at University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford. Total project cost is $73.7 million ($62.3 million provincial funding).
  • 362 beds at Capilano University in North Vancouver. Total project cost is $58.2 million ($41.5 million provincial funding).
  • 469 beds at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Burnaby. Total project cost is $114.5 million ($108.5 million provincial funding).
  • 386 beds at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. Total project cost is $103.5 million ($73 million provincial funding).
  • 368 beds and an academic space at Douglas College in New Westminster. Total project cost is $292.5 million ($74.0 million in provincial funding for the academic part of the project, $128.3 million for the student housing from the BC Student Housing Program).

Northern B.C.:

New student housing already open

  • 108 beds at Coast Mountain College in Terrace. Total project cost is $21.6 million ($20.6 million provincial funding). Opened Oct. 14, 2021.
  • 12 beds at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George. Total project cost is $5.3 million, fully funded by the Province. Opened Sept. 17, 2021.

 Vancouver Island:

New student housing already open

  • The first 398-bed building with dining facilities opened on Sept. 1, 2022, at the University of Victoria. The second 385-bed building is under construction and is scheduled to open in September 2023, for a total of 783 new beds (621 net new and 162 replacement beds). Total project cost is $229.2 million ($127.9 million provincial funding).

New student housing underway

  • 217 beds at North Island College. Total project cost is $65.9 million ($63.9 million provincial funding).