From August 2018, SMU will offer its undergraduates the experience of living in a campus. Students will be housed at Prinsep Street Residences where at least half of the slots are reserved for Singaporeans. The Prinsep Street Residences will have 23 shared apartments, with living rooms and communal spaces for 255 students. They will pay monthly fees of $590 for a twin-sharing room or $772 for a single room. Students can start applying for places next month. Students living at the residences will be able to make use of a multi-purpose lounge and work-play lounge for projects, meetings and seminars.
SMU Provost Lily Kong said, “It’s more than a roof above their heads. It’s building a community (of students) for the community. Very often, learning is not a five-hour, three-hour, two-hour activity... You work until 11pm, midnight, and you go home." She added that students had, over the years, expressed a desire for campus living. "It's one thing that SMU hasn't offered to a large extent," she said, because of the high cost of city accommodation.
SMU Dean of Students and Professor of Sociology Paulin Straughan said it will link students with relevant project ideas for the community to other voluntary welfare organisations and associations. "We want to encourage like-minded students to get together and make things happen," Prof Straughan said.