By Crystal Price, University Communications and Marketing
As the start of the fall semester approaches, thousands of students will move onto the ÐÜèAVÃâ·Ñ’s campuses this week. Residence halls are again expected to be at full capacity with approximately 7,500 students living on campuses —nearly 6,500 in Tampa and about 1,000 in St. Petersburg.
Throughout the years, USF has strategically focused on increasing housing capacity as part of an overall commitment to student success. Studies have shown that a vibrant on-campus environment can have a direct impact on improving the academic performance of students.
Student housing statistics:
- More than 600 student volunteers have signed up to help their peers move in through USF’s signature Bull Haul program on the Tampa campus.
- Including students, families and other volunteers, USF estimates 10,000 people will be on the Tampa campus Thursday to help welcome and move students into the residence halls.
- USF has a total of 47 residence halls on the Tampa and St. Petersburg campuses.
- USF features 19 Residential Community Programs, including three new communities this year: AI & Cyber, First-Gen, and Exercise Science: Bulls in Motion, which are residential communities designed to provide a cohort experience with peers who share similar academic, career and co-curricular interests.
This fall at USF, students will be able to take advantage of various new additions, including:
- The newly expanded 42,000-square-foot USF Health College of Nursing facility has opened on the Tampa campus. It includes modern clinical training spaces, flexible learning labs and the Tampa General Hospital Nursing Simulation Center.
- At the Tampa Library, students can now take advantage of additional study space on the third and fourth floors, furnished with new seating and work areas funded by Student Government.
- A partnership between USF St. Petersburg and the City of St. Petersburg has brought an industrial-sized to campus. The initiative will divert tons of food waste each year from landfills, incinerators and sewage systems while creating compost for community gardens, urban farms and landscaping. 
- On the Tampa campus, students can expect to see weekly rotating local food trucks and new vending concepts such as California Pizza Kitchen and Just Baked Smart Bistro. On the St. Petersburg Campus, Sushi by Kazoku will provide fresh grab-and-go sushi rolls, bowls and appetizers in the University Student Center.
Additional information about what is new at USF can be found here.
USF’s annual Week of Welcome also kicks off this week, which is packed with activities to get students engaged in campus life. This includes the WOW Kick Off event on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m. featuring the traditional balloon drop in the Yuengling Center. Fall semester classes begin on Monday, Aug. 24.