For first time, UCLA will guarantee 4 years of housing for incoming freshmen

In a first for both UCLA and the University of California system, four years of university-owned housing will be guaranteed to incoming freshmen, along with two years for  transfer students this coming fall.

UCLA announced on Thursday it will guarantee up to four years of university owned-housing for incoming freshmen and two years for transfer students, the first time a UC campus has made such a commitment.

"Living on or near campus contributes greatly both to students' educational experiences and to the richness of our community," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement.

The housing guarantee has been a goal for UCLA since 1986, and is made possible now — even in the midst of a historic housing shortage throughout California — because the Westwood campus will open a 17-story high-rise housing facility called Gayley Heights this fall, along with the Laurel and Tipuana apartment buildings. Together, all three buildings add 3,125 beds for undergraduates. That's in addition to the Centennial and Olympic residence hall, which added 1,800 beds, that opened last fall.

Pete Angelis, UCLA's assistant vice chancellor for housing and hospitality, says the university is also expanding its graduate housing, starting with the opening of the Palo Verde apartments this fall. The new building will add 300 more beds.

"We want our students to know that if they wish, they have a home with us when they're enrolled at UCLA," Angelis said in a statement.

UCLA housing is typically priced below market value, a major benefit in tony Westwood, where the campus is located. The university currently houses 14,500 undergraduates on campus and another 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students, some with families, in off-campus apartments in Westwood Village other nearby neighborhoods.

Previously, UCLA freshmen could access university housing for just three years, while transfer students were only guaranteed one year of housing.