A new UTC program will help students locate off-campus housing more efficiently and assist with other needs they may experience living off-campus—such as finding potential roommates and price and location comparisons.
UTC will launch the new Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS) program for the 2023-2024 academic year. Housed in the Office of Student Outreach and Support (SOS), the program aims to help students find off-campus housing, educate students on their rights and responsibilities as renters, and assist with other needs they may experience living off-campus.
In addition, UTC has entered a partnership with College Pads, which provides an online tool to help students become more educated renters, compare off-campus housing options, and find potential roommates.
“The College Pads platform will offer our students a personalized experience specifically designed to fit the needs of our student renters,” said Brett Fuchs, UTC associate dean of students and director of SOS. “The increased student engagement through this platform will be a valuable resource for students and parents and will increase the flow of traffic to area property owners and housing complex managers who serve our students.”
The link to College Pads’ Chattanooga off-campus housing listings can be found here.
UTC and College Pads will work together to host on-campus and virtual events for partners in the Chattanooga area. College Pads also will invest in actively advertising the platform to students to ensure that UTC students use the new platform to search for their off-campus residential needs.
“While UTC is separate from the off-campus market and not responsible for the management of or endorse specific properties, College Pads understands the values that UTC places providing students with the information needed to make educated decisions about their living environment,” Fuchs said. “Listings on the website are arranged by property owners and managers through the College Pads staff, which will therefore focus on the student population, improving overall listing quality.”
To learn more about listing properties on the new site, contact Kayla Babcock, College Pads’ senior regional market director, at kayla@collegepads.com.
To learn more about the UTC off-campus housing program, contact brett-fuchs@utc.edu.