Colleges Are Closing Dorms—This Town Wants To Turn Them Into Housing

Roughly 3,000 dorm beds at four universities identified by Realtor.com® are being closed, left vacant, or demolished in 2026 as colleges grapple with falling enrollment and weaker demand for campus housing.Those changes are emerging just as the traditional college-age pipeline is poised to shrink. The number of U.S. high school graduates peaked at roughly 3.9 million in 2025 and is projected to fall 13% by 2041, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.For colleges already losing students, it's equal part opportunity and challenge: As they find themselves with buildings and land they no longer need, could any of it help address the country's shortage of 4.03 million homes?Waukesha, WI, is about to test that idea.After a 65% drop in enrollment at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee's Waukesha campus forced the school to close, Waukesha County is trying to clear the way for the nearly 76-acre property to become a residential neighborhood.The dorm boom was built on students filling the bedsThe potential glut follows decades in which colleges built for growing student populations.Enrollment at U.S. degree-granting institutions reached roughly 21 million in ...