AUSTIN, Texas – A new affordable graduate student housing development is headed to East Campus after The University of Texas at Austin broke ground on the multistory building at 21st Street between Comal Street and Leona Street. The project will include 784 beds in studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, and will feature public courtyards, an outdoor classroom and amphitheater, a fitness center, private and group study spaces, and a flexible multipurpose room available for graduate student and community events.
The project will offer graduate students a residential option adjacent to campus in the historical Blackland neighborhood in East Austin. The vision for graduate student housing in this area was established as part of the 2015 East Campus Master Plan, and the building is scheduled for completion for fall 2024.
“UT Austin is committed to attracting and developing talented, high-impact graduate students, and to do so, we are working to provide more affordable housing options that also promote a sense of community,” said President Jay Hartzell. “I am grateful for our ongoing conversations with the Blackland Neighborhood Association, and I am excited to collaborate as we go forward so our graduate students are both contributing to and benefiting from the vibrancy of the neighborhood. I also look forward to continuing our great work with the City of Austin as we explore and implement future affordable housing solutions together.”
As part of a public-private partnership, American Campus Communities will develop and deliver the graduate student housing project. Brailsford & Dunlavey, a national development advisory firm focused on the higher education and municipal sectors, is serving as the development adviser. Upon completion, the project will be managed and operated by UT Austin’s University Housing and Dining.
This announcement follows recent news of the university’s purchase of Dobie Twenty21, a 27-story residential building at 2021 Guadalupe St. These two projects will increase the inventory of university-managed affordable student-housing options by 1,700 beds, making it possible for more students to live close to campus.
