NCCU Approves $20 Million Richmond Residence Hall Renovation as Student Housing Demand Grows
North Carolina Central University is expanding its housing capacity as the university continues to experience significant enrollment growth and increasing demand for student housing.
The University of North Carolina Board of Governors approved $20 million in financing for the renovation of Richmond Residence Hall during its September 2026 meeting. Following that approval, the NCCU Board of Trustees selected HCM to provide architecture and engineering services for the project.
The renovation is expected to be completed during the 2028-2029 academic year and will add more than 250 beds to NCCU’s on-campus housing capacity.
The expansion comes as NCCU reaches a major enrollment milestone. The university surpassed 10,000 students for the first time in its history during fall 2026, representing a 9.1% increase from the previous year.
While much of the enrollment growth has come from online, transfer and graduate students, NCCU officials say demand for on-campus housing among undergraduate students is also increasing. The university currently houses 43.4% of its undergraduate population on campus, compared with 24.5% at public four-year colleges nationwide.
Along with expanding university-owned housing, NCCU has also been working with privately owned apartment communities throughout Durham to make off-campus housing more accessible to students.
Over the past year, university leaders have encouraged housing providers to adjust their policies to better accommodate college students and the timing of financial aid. More than 15 apartment communities have responded by reducing or eliminating application and administrative fees, relaxing certain income requirements, adjusting rent payment schedules to better align with financial aid disbursements, or implementing a combination of these changes.
Students and their families remain responsible for selecting their housing and signing rental agreements directly with private housing providers. NCCU assists by connecting students with available properties through housing fairs and other housing resources.
The Richmond Residence Hall renovation and partnerships with Durham apartment communities represent two approaches the university is using to address housing needs as its student population continues to grow.
With enrollment surpassing 10,000 students and additional on-campus beds expected by 2028-2029, NCCU is expanding its housing options while continuing to work with local providers to give students more flexibility when searching for a place to live.
