Dorm occupancy is increasing as a large group of freshmen move in to Ohio State University

On Wednesday, families in Smith-Steeb Hall removed bedding, bookcases and clothing from SUVs and trucks and loaded them onto canvas carts to move the items into the dormitory.

It was the first day of student move-in season at Ohio State University, which marks the start of the 2024-2025 school year. This year will likely feature one of the largest freshman classes ever at the university.

Akron parent Gina Khalil helped her sophomore daughter, Anna Khalil, move into Smith-Steeb. She said it’s easier the second time around.

Khalil said she had also heard about the large incoming class, but she didn’t think it would affect Anna’s experience in the dorm.

“I think there are more people living in other dorms. There used to be two dorms, but now there are four,” said Gina Khalil, who added that her daughter only has one roommate.

At Lincoln Tower it was a different story.

“I live with 15 other girls, so it’s new,” said incoming freshman Farah Leblanc of Southern Maryland. “I have a lot of stuff. So it’s going to be tough to fit it all in. But we’re going to make it. It’s going to be okay.”

Ohio State University received about 80,000 applications for this school year. The university’s largest freshman class to date was in 2020, with 8,600 freshmen starting at the main campus in Columbus and another 2,700 freshmen starting at regional campuses.

Last year, the new class totaled approximately 10,550 students across all of Ohio State’s campuses.

Spokesman David Isaacs said the university won’t have an exact count of this year’s freshmen until a census is conducted in mid-September, but the incoming class appears to be large. Isaacs said the dorms can handle the influx.

“We have built in the flexibility to accommodate this. We are ready,” Isaacs said.

Ohio State’s main campus has approximately 40 student residences.

Matt Brown of Tiffin, Ohio, helped his daughter Brooke move into Lincoln Tower. He described her suite this way: “So, they have four girls, and there’s 16 of them in that total space and there’s like four quads. So I checked it out. I think it’s pretty cool.”

The suites also have a bathroom with multiple toilets and sinks.

Brown said space might be “tight.”

“But I mean, it is what it is. Yeah. It’s okay. It should be okay. I mean, you’re going to meet a lot of people,” Brown said.

Leblanc said that even though she had hoped for a dorm with fewer people, she is still excited to start the new year.

“No student housing is going to be perfect. And certainly not at a school with this many people, and they have to have this many people. They’re going to have to make adjustments,” Leblanc said. “So, I mean, just make the best of the situation that you’re living in and just try to be positive.”