Sacramento State wants to offer low-cost living to students. Here's the plan

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State is beginning construction on a new student housing facility. The building will provide beds for 335 students, with 285 classified as affordable housing, said Samuel Jones, the executive director of housing.

The facility, which will open in June 2026, will cost the university $69 million, with $41 million covered by a state higher education housing grant. Students will also be eligible to qualify for affordable units across the university’s residence halls.

Sacramento State’s housing project will provide housing to students who earn no more than 30% to 50% of the average income level for a household in Sacramento, according to a news release in August. These 335 units will accommodate 7% of the university’s population.

“By bringing in a specific rate that is going to be catered for the affordable housing students who qualify through financial aid, that rate would allow them to live in any building, so that you don’t have the haves and the have nots,” Jones said.

Eligibility for affordable units will be tied to a student’s financial aid status. Based on a student’s expected family contribution and overall financial aid package, the university will determine if they meet the criteria to be a “most needed student.”

“We’re looking at the students with the most need for them to be a part of affordable housing,” Jones said. “We’re not looking at a student who doesn’t have a financial need. We’re not looking at a student who’s not Pell (Grant) eligible.”

Those 285 students will have to go through an additional application process, Jones said. Sacramento State will then determine which students qualify for an affordable housing price. From there, a student can move into any residential hall with a low income housing price.

If a student isn’t eligible for financial aid, they are unable to qualify for this program, unless rules and regulations change, said Jones.

Housing insecurity for California State students, Sacramento

In a survey conducted by the California Student Aid Commission, more than 50% of California State University students said they have faced housing insecurity.

Housing insecurity is prevalent in areas with a high cost of living in California, including Sacramento. The median monthly rent in Sacramento is $1,620 according to U.S. News & World Report, which is within the top 20 of most expensive cities in the country. Residents in Sacramento experience roughly a 20% higher cost of living than Americans elsewhere.

For students who don’t commute to campus, Sacramento State has a variety of housing options within its North Village neighborhood, with seven residence halls for first year and upperclassmen. These residence halls currently houses approximately 2,100 students.

For the total academic year, housing costs students around $10,000 to $12,000 depending on the room style. For students staying on campus during the winter break, this rate is slightly lower at $8,000 to $11,000 per academic year.

Students can also live in affiliated off campus housing, like Hornet Commons, Lark Sacramento and Element Student Living. Monthly rent for a room or apartment at these facilities range from $700 to $16,000.

Finding housing while attending a California university has been a challenge for students across the state. Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that would allow university housing to be exempt from an environmental report mandated by the California Environmental Quality Act.

Developers and universities are also now able to build low-income student housing projects and push back development restrictions in California.

This May, Sacramento State had 600 upper division students on a housing waiting list. A news release from the university stated this project plans to “help alleviate that need” for housing in Sacramento college students.

“Students will be a lot happier because now they’re not locked into I have to live in a triple (unit) because that’s their price point, or (choosing) to live in one of the older buildings because that’s all that they are able to afford with all of (their) financial aid,” Jones said. “Now they’ll get a chance to live in our newest buildings as well, knowing that their price point is going to be at that affordable rate.”

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