The University of Texas System Board of Regents has given the University of Texas at Austin the go-ahead to move forward with plans for an estimated $145 million, 1,000-bed undergraduate student housing complex.
The Austin American-Statesman reports that the project would be the first newly built undergraduate housing development at UT-Austin in nearly two decades.
The goal is to open the housing complex in fall 2027, said Jim Davis, the university's chief operating officer. The complex is proposed to be built on the site that now houses Whitis Court residence hall, which consists of six buildings with about 200 beds.
Davis said it's still unclear when the Whitis Court complex will be demolished because it will have to be evaluated first.
UT-Austin has insufficient available and affordable housing for undergraduate students despite growing enrollment and need. The university has since taken steps to address the need.
Davis said the cost to live in the new building has not yet been decided but will be in the university’s current on-campus housing cost range.
Students in Whitis Court paid $13,111 each for a bed in a double or triple room this year.
