PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — For the first time, Temple University will require its freshmen to live on campus.
Starting next fall, Temple freshmen under the age of 21 will be required to live on campus. It’s an effort to reverse a declining rate of students who leave after their first year, according to Temple University President John Fry.
“It’s really sort of focused on improving the quality of the first-year experience, which we think is going to result in greater retention to the second year,” he said.
Fry said that emphasizing the residential aspect of Temple’s North Philadelphia campus should improve safety.
“It is very much tied into safety because the denser the campus, the more people living on the campus, the more activity on campus, the safer the campus,” he said.
Penn and Drexel require students to live on campus for their first two years. Temple will allow exceptions for students with financial hardships, medical issues, or those living with their parents in Philadelphia.
