REXBURG — BYU-Idaho is recording yet another record-breaking number of students enrolling this fall, leaving some students wondering if they will be able to find student-approved housing.
BYU-Idaho is going on 25 years as a university and is seeing incredible growth, with a projected 25,000 student enrollment this fall – an increase of 9% compared to last year.
“The surge highlights the remarkable nature of BYU-Idaho,” said BYU-Idaho President Alvin F Meredith III. “With this exciting growth comes a real challenge. Approved single housing is nearly full, but its not gone. To our male students, about 500 spaces remain. Now is the time to clear your holds, register and secure your housing. To our female students, options are very tight, but housing contracts continue to open up.”
President Meredith says the surge of enrollment is exciting for the school. Since President Meredith became president in 2023, Brett Sampson, the managing director of University Relations, says the university has accelerated its efforts to show what BYU-Idaho has to offer.
“University Relations has worked with President Meredith to go around the country to put as many messages and ad campaigns out there about what happens at BYU-Idaho, including the quality of education it has on top of its mission to develop disciples of Jesus Christ,” Sampson said.
This also brings to light a shift in momentum across the other Church Educational System (CES) institutions, showing young adults are choosing faith-based learning in greater numbers than before. Deseret News reports that this fall, a record total of 117,204 students are enrolled by colleges and universities sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There are more students enrolled this semester than were attending classes at this time last year at each of the CES schools.
But it also brings a serious challenge for students like Ellie Butler who is looking for approved student housing. Butler is an incoming freshman who is looking to study nutrition at BYU-Idaho. After recently returning from her mission for the Church of Jesus Christ in Louisiana, she has struggled to find any housing options.
“I got off my mission just almost two months ago and I remember trying to coordinate things with friends that were home or things like that but with mission rules, I couldn't message them on messenger, and it's just harder to get in contact with people,” Butler said. “And so it's kind of like, okay you know what, I get home in May, there’s still a lot of time until fall. I’m sure things will be fine if I get home and get on it. And now it's like, okay everything is filled, and I know that I am not the only one with the problem of finding housing.”
The record-breaking enrollment is bringing in a higher demand for student housing. A news release from BYU-Idaho says the school is “expanding housing tools, increasing communications and exploring both immediate and long-term support for impacted students.” Sampson says the school is working closely with local property owners and reaching out to students facing some of these housing roadblocks to do just that.
“This increase in enrollment over the last two years has happened at such an accelerated rate,” Sampson said. “It's happened a little quicker than people could build for and understandably, they're also a little bit cautious because they don't want to overbuild.”
While it may seem that there are no housing options now, especially for women, there is still time until the start of the fall semester. Contracts and plans change, making it important to stay up to date with those changes.
“The best answer for students who are wrestling with finding a place to live for fall semester in particular would be to call the Housing Office, or even better the BYU-Idaho Support Center,” Sampson said. “They’re able to talk with a student about their situation and even work with them on such things as holds, options for housing, get them to the right place and get them on the right waiting list so, they'll have the most resources.”
Transferring your contract as a student is often times a hefty task with transfer fees tacked onto the end of your contract. But Sampson said the school is ready to help students with that too.
“We recognize that that's a little bit discouraging, but we want to be able to help them by giving them some credit to use for that transfer fee to cover it if they are, in fact, interested in transferring or selling their contract to somebody else,” Sampson said.
A "Campus Experience Package" is also available for students with family members in Rexburg. The packages could include free campus parking passes and various tickets and vouchers to make sure students are still able to connect to campus culture, a culture that students like Audrey Curtiss crave on campus. Curtiss is a sophomore from Grantsville, Utah studying biochemistry with a minor in business management who is struggling to find a way to be on campus this fall semester.
“All the students on campus are amazing. They all carry that spirit,” Curtiss said. "I live in a small town in Utah and it’s very much a bubble. It’s a safety place. And Rexburg is also like that. I’ve always, ever since I was a kid, wanted to come to BYU-Idaho. I remember my dad telling me about it, my friends' parents talking about it, and it really encouraged me to go. I just love the people there and I love the people that I've met.”
While there may be some who can’t quite cross housing off of their list of to-do’s for the coming fall semester, President Meredith gave his advice to those students.
“Be proactive,” President Meredith said. “Join the Housing Office waitlist and reach out directly to apartment complexes you're considering to be added to their waitlist and share this Information with other students. If you have questions or need more information, please contact the BYUI Support Center. There's still hope, and more options are coming. We're excited for an incredible fall semester with each of you."
For updates and housing resources, you can visit BYU-Idaho’s Housing website or call the BYU-Idaho Support Center at (208) 496-1411.