Some students who attended SAIT this year question why they couldn’t secure a place to live on campus after a long waiting list at the start of the 2023/2024 school year, yet the school has accepted student residents from other local post-secondary schools.  

SAIT Residence, typically reserved for SAIT students, has expanded its housing scope to include students from the University of Calgary, Bow Valley College and Alberta University of the Arts.

“I felt pretty disappointed that I wasn’t able to get housing at SAIT,” said Viancy Salubre, a second-year student who is attending SAIT. 

Residence only accepts full-time students, meaning they’re signed up for nine or more course credits each semester. 

SAIT provides accommodation for nearly 900 students from SAIT, along with students from Alberta University of the Arts, University of Calgary and Bow Valley College.

“While we do have students from these post-secondary institutions currently residing at SAIT, we only accept residents from other schools based on occupancy available after SAIT students have been accepted,” said Kate Laverdure, communications specialist at SAIT. 

Before the start of the school year, SAIT residents had a waitlist prompting some students to search for alternative housing arrangements as the school year approached. 

“There are waitlists when you apply, and eventually it had taken way too long. It didn’t make sense to just wait when I needed housing immediately,” said Salubre. 

More student resources needed: Salubre

After three months on SAIT’s waitlist, Salubre was forced to start looking for alternative housing away from campus. 

“They should probably offer better resources for students to go to or more options for students,” said Salubre. 

“Where they can find resources for housing or where they can find places that would offer necessities for them.” 

According to SAIT’s residence and housing website, students must pay a $50 non-refundable fee, and a $250 refundable security deposit. Their website doesn’t show any easily accessible resources for finding a place to live off campus.

Between 2020 and 2023, rental prices in Calgary shot up by about 40 per cent, or $596 on average, this was the fastest increase among Canada’s major cities. 

By October 2023, the typical cost for a one-bedroom rental in the city hit $1,730.  The posted rate for a one-bedroom unit at SAIT is $11,000 for the 2024/2025 academic year, which is about $1,375 per month. Over an eight-month school term, that’s a difference of nearly $3,000.

“I’d like to stay somewhere with my own school,” said Emma Postill, a Bow Valley College student residing at SAIT.

 “I feel like SAIT students would like that better too, but I’m happy I just get to stay there.”

Bow Valley College does not offer housing options either on or off-campus, which may leave Bow Valley Students searching for alternative housing. They do, however, provide a comprehensive list of resources where students can search for housing. Housing at SAIT isn’t specifically on that list.

“I think SAIT students should be its first priority,” said Salubre.

“That makes the most sense.”