When two new residence halls opened in the fall of 2013, the University of Houston went from 6,000 students living on campus to having enough space for 8,000. It made UH the second-largest university campus in Texas in residential capacity.
"It's awesome. Each floor has a study lounge," said Kimberly Foster, a UH accounting student who lives in one of the new halls, 'Cougar Village II'.
"More students have the opportunity to live closer to their courses, faculty offices, academic advisors and to services that support student success like the health center and career resource center," said Don Yackley, executive director of UH Student Housing and Residential Life.
Foster says a big selling point is being able to avoid Houston traffic, which allows her to get more sleep.
"Commuting in the morning is the worst," said Foster. "Houston traffic is not something you want to deal with when you're trying to get to school, because school should be your main priority. So, living on campus you don’t have to worry about that. You don't have to worry about when the next bus is coming."