FIU wanted to lower its wait list with this 13-story dorm. Miami’s high rents interfered
For the past six years, since Florida International University started tracking it, its wait list for dorm rooms has topped about 800 a year.
Next week, FIU will open Tamiami Hall, a 13-floor tower with nearly 700 beds. But even with the new dorm, FIU still had a waiting list of more than 500 students in late July.
FIU tried to meet demand by increasing its bed capacity from about 3,700 to about 4,400 between its Modesto A. Maidique campus in southwest Miami-Dade and its Biscayne Bay campus in northeast Miami-Dade. But that wasn’t enough. Miami-Dade’s rising rents sparked a higher-than-usual interest for on-campus housing.
“There was a little bit of surprise, but then I realized that this is the pressure of the external market conditions that we’re facing in Miami,” said Andrew Naylor, FIU’s senior director for housing and residential life. “We are one of the best deals in Miami; we’re a little cheaper than off-campus housing, which makes us very attractive.”
Students struggling to pay off-campus rent
FIU largely remains a commuter school. Only about 9 percent of its students live on campus.
READ MORE: From a former airfield to an education powerhouse — FIU’s first 50 years
FIU considers about 45,900 of its total 56,600 students as “local,” that is, students from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties — or about 81% of its student body. Most stay home at least for a few semesters to save money.
FIU upperclassmen, though, tend to seek on-campus housing as an option, partly because of its prices, traditionally lower than off-campus rents, Naylor said.
Per-semester rents on the Maidique campus, its main campus off Southwest Eighth Street between 107th and 117th avenues, range from $2,450 — for a two-bedroom apartment with two people in each bedroom with a bathroom, kitchen and living room — to $4,800 for a studio single in Tamiami.
Miami-Dade County had a median rent of $3,000 per month as of July, according to data from the Multiple Listing Service and Ana Bozovic, founder and real estate market analyst at Analytics Miami. The median rent applies to all listings in the county, including apartment rentals, condos, single-family homes and townhouses.
READ MORE: Miami-Dade home rental costs explode
Even with FIU’s housing costs lower than most of the market, “many students are expressing difficulty with housing costs,” said FIU spokeswoman Maydel Santana.
“We are encouraging them to complete the FAFSA [financial aid form from the federal government] and apply for any programs/scholarships they may qualify for,” she added. “We’re also highlighting the importance of financial wellness — learn budget strategies and make wise financial decisions.”
FIU housing wait list
As far as the wait list for housing this fall, Naylor said he “feels OK” about it because staffers have communicated clearly to students what to expect.
FIU told students on the wait list that only about 30 students who paid the deposit and registered for housing don’t end up living there for one reason or another. So, only about a few dozen spots could open for those waiting. Rather, the university advised students to rely on off-campus rentals, pointing them to a website that guides them through that process.
The 500 or so on the wait list include students of all levels — from freshmen to graduate students who missed the housing deadlines, Naylor said.
FIU guarantees housing only for first-year students who apply by the May 1 deadline.
Returning students and other students had to apply before Jan. 28.
FIU accommodated all first-year students and, this year, accommodated all returning students who applied by their respective deadline. But Naylor isn’t sure that will be the case next year if the high demand holds.
Newest dorm
FIU broke ground for Tamiami Hall in January 2020; the total project cost $90 million — $87 million for the 13-floor, triangle-shaped tower and the remaining for the road realignment. It will house juniors, seniors and graduate students.
Prachi Llawani, an international student from Venezuela and a senior majoring in international relations, said she looks forward to living there with many of her fellow seniors.
“A lot of my friends are going to live there,” said Llawani, 22. “That will be like the last cool thing we do.”
Flanked on the west side by the FIU Stadium and on the east by a panoramic view, Tamiami Hall sits in front of Tamiami Park, the home of the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair, which FIU has been battling in its quest to expand.
Wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows, Tamiami Hall has become one of the tallest buildings in western Miami-Dade and the tallest on the Maidique campus, surpassing the eight-story FIU Steven and Dorothea Green Library. On Aug. 23, the university will celebrate its opening.
FIU said it doesn’t have any new dorms in the works, but that can change, depending on the South Florida housing market.
“We do not have any current plans at the moment, we’re evaluating to see what our demand is for the next couple of years,” Naylor said. “If the trend continues, and we continue to have a wait list, we’re going to need to explore building new housing.”
FIU housing facts
Last new dorm
FIU last opened a new dorm in 2013: Parkview Hall, across from Tamiami Hall, which added 620 beds. The $45 million project also included a recycled-tire rubber jogging path, outdoor courts, a student-run organic garden, a 290-car adjacent parking garage and a pedestrian plaza.
A 1.5-mile journey
If students snake down Tamiami Hall, walking from the east side to the west then down the stairs, they would walk 1.5 miles in total. “If it’s raining and they can’t get their steps outside, they definitely can inside,” said Naylor, chuckling.
Why Tamiami?
To select a name for Tamiami Hall, FIU organized a contest, asking students to submit names. Then-president Mark Rosenberg picked “Tamiami.”
Miami Herald reporter Rebecca San Juan contributed to this reporting.
This story was originally published August 17, 2022 at 4:30 AM.
