UBC Student Housing and Hospitality Services

What UBC Student Housing and Hospitality Services does

UBC Student Housing and Community Services (SHCS) is an administrative department of The University of British Columbia, the public research university, that administers on-campus accommodation for nearly 14,000 students at the UBC Vancouver campus. It operates 17 distinct residence areas spanning traditional first-year residences (Place Vanier, Totem Park, Orchard Commons), year-round residences for upper-year and graduate students (Ponderosa Commons, Marine Drive, Walter Gage, Thunderbird), family housing at Acadia Park, the Commuter Student Hostel, and the Ritsumeikan-UBC House joint residence. The unit also provides Visitor Housing through the West Coast Suites hotel and Shared Apartments, plus a Residence Meal Plan All Access Dining product and UBCcard Value Plan meal plan managed via UBC Food Services.

The underlying operational platform is the UBC Online Service Centre, a web-based portal where students submit housing applications, manage room assignments, file maintenance requests, and administer account balances. ResNet internet service is provided to residents. Distribution is product-led and pipeline-driven: prospective students apply through the UBC admissions process or directly via the portal, with first-year students receiving a housing guarantee. Pricing is subscription-based and approved by UBC's Board of Governors, ranging from roughly $9,110 (Ritsumeikan-UBC House winter session) to $19,179 (Ponderosa Commons studio large) per academic term, with mandatory meal plans bundled at traditional residences. Front-desk operations run 7 am-11 pm daily at each residence.

SHCS's revenue model rests on recurring semester-based residence fees from UBC students, supplemented by ancillary services including visitor and conference accommodation (West Coast Suites), paid commuter hostel nights ($72.50/night), parking fees, and meal plan revenue. Beyond housing, SHCS's operational mandate extends to UBC Bookstore, UBC Food Services, UBC Conferences and Accommodation, UBC Parking, UBC Campus Mail, and UBC Child Care, positioning it as a multi-service campus operations platform rather than a single-line housing landlord.

Name

UBC Student Housing and Hospitality Services

Legal name

The University of British Columbia

Website

https://vancouver.housing.ubc.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UBC Student Housing and Community Services is an administrative department of The University of British Columbia that administers on-campus accommodation for nearly 14,000 students across 17 residence areas at UBC Vancouver, also overseeing campus food, bookstore, parking, mail, and child care services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Housing Services

NAICS

Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (721310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

University Dorms & Affiliated Summer Housing (THAMAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student & Academic Term Monthly Housing (THAMAFAH), Guest, Visitor & Conference Housing Services (Summer/Break Housing) (EDAEAFAN)

Keywords

• Student housing services
• Residence accommodation
• Campus meal plans
• University residence programs
• On-campus housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Student Residence Fees: Semester-based or year-round residence fees charged to students. Fees vary by residence type, room type, and contract length. Includes rent and mandatory meal plans for certain residences. Additional fees for parking, early arrival, and extensions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UBC Student Housing and Community Services (SHCS) administers on-campus accommodation for nearly 14,000 students at UBC Vancouver, operating 17 residence areas with diverse room types ranging from shared rooms to family apartments. The department provides Winter Session and Year Round residence contracts, mandatory and optional meal plans through UBC Food Services, family housing at Acadia Park, a Commuter Student Hostel, and visitor accommodation. SHCS also oversees complementary campus services including the UBC Bookstore, Conferences and Accommodation, Parking, Campus Mail, and Child Care as part of its broader campus operations mandate.

Product overview

UBC Student Housing and Community Services (SHCS) administers accommodation for nearly 14,000 students at UBC Vancouver, operating as a unified student housing platform offering multiple accommodation types. The core offerings include Winter Session Residence for first-year students, Year Round Residence for upper-year and graduate students, and Student Family Residence at Acadia Park. Supporting services include required and optional meal plans (Residence Meal Plan All Access Dining and UBCcard Value Plan), Visitor Housing with West Coast Suites, and the Commuter Student Hostel. The portfolio includes 16 distinct residence buildings across campus, various room types from shared rooms to one-bedroom suites, and supplementary services like the Online Service Centre and Residence Virtual Tours. A new 1,500-bed Lower Mall Precinct residence is under construction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Winter Session Student Residence
• Year Round Residence
• Student Family Residence (Acadia Park)
• Commuter Student Hostel
• Visitor Housing (West Coast Suites)
• Residence Meal Plan (All Access Dining)
• UBCcard Value Plan

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ritsumeikan-UBC HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint residence partnership between Ritsumeikan University (Japan) and UBC. Located within Orchard Commons complex. Single room shared unit accommodation with winter session and term-based contract options. Total 2026/27 fees of $9,110 for winter session.
• Musqueam NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcknowledged as traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. SHCS and UBC located on Musqueam land. Collaboration on indigenous-named residences including tə šxʷhəleləm̓s tə k̓ʷaƛ̓kʷəʔaʔɬ (Houses of Ones Belonging to Saltwater) and Musqueam plant naming initiatives.
• Carey CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUBC partner property providing furnished rooms with private bathrooms and meal plans. Studios and two to three-bedroom units available. Not operated by UBC Student Housing.
• leləm̓minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContemporary rental homes developed in partnership with UBC, connected to Pacific Spirit Park. Not operated by UBC Student Housing.
• MBA HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraduate student housing partnership for singles and couples. Not operated by UBC Student Housing.
• St. Andrew's HallminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRental units including studios, one bedrooms, four bedrooms and townhouses. Students only. Not operated by UBC Student Housing.
• Wesbrook PropertiesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWide range of rental units from studios to four bedrooms in residential buildings across campus. Not operated by UBC Student Housing.
• UBC BookstorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHCS oversees operations for UBC Bookstore as part of its broader campus services mandate.
• UBC Food ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHCS oversees operations for UBC Food Services, including dining halls at Place Vanier, Totem Park, and Orchard Commons that serve mandatory and optional meal plans.
• UBC Conferences and AccommodationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHCS oversees operations for conference accommodation services including West Coast Suites hotel and summer visitor housing.
• UBC ParkingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHCS oversees parking services for campus, including residence parking facilities.
• UBC Campus MailminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHCS oversees campus mail operations as part of its service mandate.
• UBC Child CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHCS oversees child care services as part of its campus operations mandate.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Places4Students: Canadian student housing marketplace connecting student renters with landlords near Canadian universities including UBC; relevant indirect competitor for off-campus demand.

Broad incumbents

• American Campus Communities: Largest US private student housing owner-operator with ~200 properties serving 100+ universities; provides a commercial benchmark for student housing operations, pricing, and development economics against which a university-owned portfolio can be evaluated.
• The Scion Group: US student housing owner-operator managing on- and off-campus communities for major universities; comparable to UBC SHCS in delivering managed residence life programming at scale.
• Campus Living Centres: Canadian student housing operator managing residence operations for multiple universities including on-campus buildings; closest Canadian private-sector parallel to the SHCS operating model.
• Greystar Real Estate Partners - Student Housing: Global real estate operator with a major US student housing division managing purpose-built student accommodation; relevant scale and operational benchmark.

Direct peers

• UBC Okanagan - Student Housing: Sister-campus housing operation under the same UBC institutional umbrella, operating similar residence types, application systems, and pricing structures at the Kelowna campus; directly comparable operating model.
• Stanford University Residences & Dining: US research university housing department operating a comparable scale of on-campus residences, first-year guarantees, and integrated dining services for ~16,000 students.
• Queen's University Residence: Canadian university residence system operating traditional dormitories, suite-style housing, and meal plans under a similar first-year guarantee framework.
• University of Toronto - Student Housing Services: Largest Canadian university housing portfolio with comparable first-year guarantee structure, multi-residence inventory, and bundled meal plans serving ~16,000 students; closest geographic and structural analog to UBC SHCS.
• McGill University - Student Housing: Another large Canadian research university housing department with multiple residences, first-year guarantees, and bundled meal plans serving a comparable domestic and international student mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ubc-student-housing-and-hospitality-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UBC Student Housing and Hospitality Services