Off-campus student housing preferences: a case study in Selangor / Nor Ain Mohd Mustafa Kamal

The burgeoning number of student enrolment in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) has outnumbered the available on-campus accommodation hence, leaving students with no other options than having to dwell in privately rented units. These privately rented units are not under the management of the universities and are converted units that are not meant to house students nor do these units fulfil the student’s needs and preferences for housing. Malaysia is still far behind as opposed to a country such as the UK which has taken a proactive measure to govern the students’ interest by regulating the Housing Act that includes student housing and country such as Ireland where investors had shifted their investment trajectory to venture into this untapped or niche market of student housing by developing Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA). Prevailing studies have emphasized the importance of a conducive learning environment which influences academic performance. Thus, it is essential that these off-campus students be provided with student housing that caters to their needs and preferences in order to attain a conducive environment during their study duration. Though students may have peculiarities in housing preferences yet they are indeed clients and should be treated as a sub-market group in the housing market. Further, students’ expectations of housing have been said to evolve relative to their parents back in the day. Henceforth, this research aims to explore off-campus student housing preferences. The research questions are in line with the aim of the research which is what are the off-campus student housing preferences? What is the relationship in the context of off-campus student housing preferences between those studies in public and private universities? Which housing aspects influence off-campus student housing preferences? and how to develop a conceptual framework of off-campus student housing preferences. A case study has been carried out in Selangor state involving off-campus students from selected public and private universities. The research design set out has incorporated a quantitative research approach and 735 questionnaires were distributed.