Last year, 454 students enrolled into Wilberforce University. At the beginning of the 2023 academic year, enrollment jumped to 617.
As a result, the university is constructing a new 10-building dorm complex at a cost of nearly $6 million. University administrators assert that the complex will be cost-effective — eliminating the need to pay rent for student housing in Xenia-area apartments and at Payne Theological.
Annually, room and board for students living off campus averages $10,400, and an additional $600 is required to cover transportation costs.
The school is also using furniture from other shuttered dorms — reducing the need to purchase new furniture for the complex.
Wilberforce University is launching a capital campaign to pay for this project. After winter break, approximately 30 students will move into the first newly completed dorm.
