The Board of Trustees is considering a plan to construct new graduate residences that would house around 2,400 students, which would increase the number of graduate students housed on campus from approximately 55 to about 75 percent.

The residences would be located in Escondido Village in the vicinity of Hoskins and McFarland courts.

Increasing the number of graduate students housed on campus has been a priority of the Board because of the inconvenient Palo Alto rental market.

“We want to continue to recruit the very best talent to Stanford, and many prospective grad students tell us it is a high priority to live on campus or nearby,” said Vice Provost for Graduate Education Patricia Gumport.

New on-campus housing would open up space in Palo Alto for postdoctoral students.

The design of the new residences encompases 1.6 million to 1.8 million gross square feet and includes studio apartments, two-bedroom apartments and junior studios.

Gumport said she hopes that such a complex would increase the quality of life for graduate students and foster a strong community. To this end, several amenities are under consideration, including a pub, exercise spaces, a cinema, a dance studio and underground parking.

The University intends to schedule meetings with graduate students and nearby neighborhoods to gather feedback on the proposal, and hopes to finalize plans in the near future.

Contact Dhaval Gajiwala at gajiwala ‘at’ stanford.edu.