UC Irvine Unveils Oso Tower with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
The University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) will officially unveil its latest student housing complex, Oso Tower, with a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 15, 2024. The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Parking Lot 5 on the university’s campus, located in Irvine, California. While the event is invitation-only, media representatives are welcome to attend with prior registration.
Those interested in covering the event should RSVP to Sheri Ledbetter at 949-230-8962 or via email at [email protected] to secure parking and event credentials. Complimentary parking will be available in Lot 5, accessible off West Peltason Drive.
Event Details and Highlights
The ceremony will commence at 1 p.m. with remarks from university officials and the formal ribbon cutting. Following the ceremony, attendees can participate in guided tours of the new facility from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Oso Tower represents a significant addition to UC Irvine’s commitment to expanding student housing options.
Oso Tower features five floors and provides 424 undergraduate beds, along with a newly established community center designed to enhance student life. This development is part of UC Irvine’s broader initiative to meet the housing needs of its growing student population, ranking third among California universities for housing availability.
Background on Housing Developments
Currently, UC Irvine offers a total of 17,793 student beds across its residence halls, apartments, and graduate housing communities. Although on-campus living is not mandatory, incoming first-year and transfer students are guaranteed housing for their first two years. In addition, newly admitted, full-time doctoral or terminal degree students are assured housing throughout their academic tenure. As a result, approximately 47 percent of undergraduates and 63 percent of graduate students lived on campus in the fall of 2024.
Since 2016, UC Irvine has constructed five new student housing complexes, adding a total of 5,229 beds to its inventory. Oso Tower was partially funded by a $65 million grant from California’s Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program. The revenues generated from this project will enable UC Irvine to offer 486 housing grants, each worth $3,870, to students in need.
Students are scheduled to begin moving into Oso Tower on September 19, 2024. For additional information about housing options at UC Irvine, visit housing.uci.edu.
For ongoing updates and breaking news from UC Irvine, please refer to news.uci.edu.
