A major change is coming to Sacramento State, a campus with one of Northern California’s most longstanding reputations as a commuter school. Starting in August, incoming freshmen will be required to live on campus for their first two years.
The change goes into effect as the 2026-27 academic year starts about a month. Sacramento State traditionally has some of the fewest students living on campus; a California State University study found in fall 2024, just 7% of students lived on campus, much lower than the system-wide average of 13%.
Sac State President Luke Wood announced the change last year, citing his own history with homelessness as a factor in the decision. Wood said he lived out of his car when he went to Sac State, and he’s spoken to current students with the same difficulties.
“When students are coming here, we know that they have a roof over their head and know where their next meal is coming from,” he said last year.
To accommodate the students, a 335-bed new residence hall called Mt. Whitney Hall opens this fall. Some exemptions to the new policy are permitted, such as being a transfer student, being 21 years or older by the first day of class, serving as active duty military, being a veteran or demonstrating financial hardship. Sac State expects about 1,800 first-year students will be living on campus, about half of its total freshmen enrollment.
Also exempt are students who live “with immediate family” within a 50-mile radius of the campus. But in the 2027-28 academic year, that requirement will decrease to a 30-mile radius, meaning residents in places like Vacaville and Yuba City will have to move onto the campus unless they qualify for another exemption.
“Living on campus supports higher GPAs, stronger retention, and better long-term outcomes, and expands access to basic-needs resources such as housing, food, safety, and academic support,” Sac State said.
Students living in campus housing must also purchase a dining plan. A double room with the cheapest meal plan in most dorms will cost around $14,600 for the eight-month academic calendar, or about $1,800 a month. Students living in a triple can cut that down to about $11,900 total. According to Zumper, the median rent right now in Sacramento is $1,795 a month.
A handful of other CSU schools require freshmen to live on site. In 2011, San Jose State introduced the requirement, but they rolled it back in 2019. “It really was causing a lot of anxiety, confusion and one more hurdle for students to jump through,” a SJSU housing department spokesperson told the Sacramento Bee.
Katie Dowd
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