Alysha van Cleef and Elena Moore haven’t met, come from different countries and are enrolled in different programs. But both agree that choosing to live in residence was a great decision.

Moore is studying Advertising and Marketing Communications at Humber Polytechnic’s Lakeshore Campus. Van Cleef is an exchange student from Avans University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands, where she is a third-year student in the Human Resource Management program. She spent a semester at the University of Guelph-Humber (UofGH) and, during that time, lived at the residences at North Campus open to Humber and UofGH students.

Both had plenty of good things to say about living in residence – from the sense of community, fun and friendship they found while there, to the close proximity to classrooms and campus amenities. Needless to say, it was a memorable experience for both.

“I’ve definitely made some life-long friends here,” said Moore, who’s from London, ON. “I especially love Lakeshore Campus – I find it so pretty by the lake – plus you’re living in this fun Toronto community. I’m so glad I chose to live on residence for the last two years.”

‘Everyone was really welcoming’

At North Campus, there are three residence buildings offering single rooms and suite-style accommodations with 1,019 beds.

At Lakeshore, there are currently 753 on-campus beds with 328 of those beds located in the recently opened Humber Cultural Hub (HCH). Students at Humber Downtown are eligible to apply for on-campus housing at Lakeshore.

Getting to live on campus was a tremendous experience for van Cleef, who lives with her family while attending post-secondary back in The Netherlands. She was ready to make new friends but what she wasn’t initially prepared for was the friendliness of those she met.

“Everyone was really welcoming and when I was talking to my parents the first thing I said was ‘they are so nice here,’” said van Cleef. “I’ve made a bunch of friends living in residence – we get together to eat and hang out or have a movie night. I also really like that my friends can just walk down the hall and knock on my door.”

Van Cleef fell in love with the Humber Arboretum and has seen a variety of wildlife during her frequent walks through the area. She also greatly appreciated the Baking and Culinary students who would, every now and again, leave out trays of freshly made cakes, cookies or pastries for everyone to enjoy.

“It’s one of those little things that make living in residence feel extra special,” said van Cleef.

More affordable than you might think  

Susan Miller, associate director, Residence Operations, says that Humber strives to keep residence rates low for students, with the average room rate at Humber for 2024-25 coming in at about 10 per cent lower than similar room types in other GTA residences. Miller noted that Humber residence fees include all of the things that typically cost extra in an off-campus rental. For example, highspeed internet, utilities, unlimited laundry access and tenant insurance are all included in Humber residence fees.

Humber’s academic year residence agreement is for eight months, to align with the academic year, with the option of extending into the summer. Many off-campus leases are for 12 months, so for students who only need accommodations during the academic year, living on campus can mean saving four months of rent.  

Humber’s residence buildings provide a safe, supportive, and fun environment for students to live in while they’re studying. Residence staff and student staff who work and, in some cases, live in the buildings, ensure that students have access to supports that contribute to their success.   

Miller said that about 65 per cent of beds are designated for first-year students with the remaining 35 per cent for returning learners.

When it comes to on-campus housing, Humber Residence works closely with other campus departments to ensure that spaces are allocated equitably, taking into consideration diverse needs of various populations so students have the options they’re looking for in their living environment. For example, Indigenous learners have the ability to note if they prefer to share their suite with another Indigenous student.  

Gender-inclusive housing is also a priority and all students are asked if they prefer same gender or gender-inclusive accommodations if they will be living in a shared unit.   

Anyone who will be sharing a suite or semi-suite can use the roommate matching option to answer a series of questions about what they’re looking for in a roommate and provides a list of possible matches. Students can communicate with their potential matches through the residence portal and mutually decide if they want to room together.

More information can be found at the Humber Residences website.