The University of California, Hastings College of the Law is a public law school in San Francisco, California and enrolls approximately 950 students. The campus is centrally located at the nexus of the Tenderloin, Civic Center, Mid-Market neighborhoods in downtown San Francisco.
Background
The University engaged The Scion Group to complete a Market and Demand Study for the development of new campus housing, as part of the execution of a larger vision to create a hub of interdisciplinary activity and engagement. Through collaboration among institutions and community partners, the University sought to transform and enhance the academic experience of graduate students at UC Hastings and upper class undergraduate and graduate students at other higher education institutions in the area. Of critical importance was to provide students some relief from San Francisco’s affordability crisis and to create a supportive environment for social and academic outcomes and minimize barriers to enrollment for prospective students.
Analysis
The analysis began with a review of UC Hastings’ strategic objectives and vision for the project. Stakeholder meetings, student focus groups, meetings with potential participating institutions, an off-campus market analysis, a review of upcoming student housing projects in the Bay Area, and web-based survey, rounded out data collection. This information was synthesized and reviewed through Scion’s lens of an advisor experienced in analyzing demand for campus housing on over 220 campuses. Through these conversations with multiple potential partner institutions and community groups, Scion learned the Project has garnered significant interest and support from various constituents across the Bay Area -a factor that will be critical in its ultimate success.
Results
The study concluded there is sufficient multi-institutional demand and interest to support the Project. The waterfall analysis considered several data points including survey results, enrollment and current housing capacity across potential partner institutions. The increase in beds on-campus is intended to provide more students with a reliable and cost-effective option in a location that is more proximate to their respective campuses than other similarly priced housing options. Therefore, it is expected to provide some relief for current students while also increasing the likelihood that the cost of housing will be less of a barrier for prospective students to attend an institution in the Bay Area.