Crisis by Design: Student Housing and the Hidden Cost of Higher Education by Shanshan Jiang-Brittan, CSHE 1.25 (July 2025)

The student housing crisis surrounding large public universities remains underexamined in education scholarship. This paper fills a gap in literature by analyzing how PurposeBuilt Student Accommodation (PBSA) adds to the hidden cost of attending these institutions and examines the broader implications of commodifying studenthood for students, local communities, and higher education itself.University enrollment growth—particularly the influxof outofstate and international students—combined with the financialization of student housing, has created a 'crisis by design,' transforming student housing from a basic need into a profitdriven asset classWhile local housing conditions and municipal policies vary, the general student housing market is shifting away from longterm
commitments to affordability and toward shortterm, marketdriven solutions. To understand the affordability crisis in higher education, housing must be reframed as central—not peripheral—to educational equity.