Graduate students will be required to move out of Peabody Hall on July 15 to accommodate undergraduate students following ongoing renovations to Warren Towers, according to an email sent out to residents Thursday.
Renovations to Warren Towers over the next three years will limit the total number of beds available, requiring some undergraduate students to live in Peabody Hall, a five-story residence in Boston University’s Fenway Campus.
The University chose Peabody Hall because it is close to four other undergraduate residences, according to BU Spokesperson Colin Riley.
“[Graduate students] are older, and they may not be continuing straight from a college environment…but have gone into the workforce and live in the area,” Riley said. “[We] don’t anticipate a crisis.”
According to Riley, the University compares Boston housing rates to campus housing rates to “retain as many undergraduate students in university housing as possible.”
For graduate students, Peabody Hall is the lowest-cost option for on-campus housing.
First-year graduate student Jamila Peguero said she chose Peabody Hall for its low rent price, compared to other residences and housing around Boston.
“As someone who is a first-generation student who comes from poverty, I have to really be strategic about what I’m doing in terms of finances,” Peguero said. “I really had to think about what my finances are going to look like … so I incorporated [my housing costs] in those finances.”
BU’s Residence Life agreement allows students to reserve their current dorm rooms for the following year.
“We were under the impression that once we got this unit, we were able to continue to be in that unit,” Peguero said.
Graduate students currently living at Peabody Hall and planning to stay on campus during the 2025-2026 academic year will be given priority to select a new residence, according to Riley. There will be a designated moving transition period, from July 15 to Aug. 1.
“You know when you register for classes and you’re basically, virtually, battling people — that’s what [housing selection is] like,” Peguero said. “It’s a very limited market.”
Peguero said she felt it was unfair the University did not provide information sooner that Peabody Hall would not be available for graduate students the following year.
Graduate student and current Peabody Hall resident Ahmed Zaydan said giving priority to Peabody residents is “not enough,” as many students planned to renew their leases.
“Most leases start Sept. 1 and we’re ending our leases July 15,” Zaydan said. “The only feasible option is to try and get a BU housing unit. If not, there’s 45 days where you don’t know what you’re gonna do.”
Zaydan said currently, the University has not provided any information for students about moving assistance.
“We’re basically being kicked out by the end of the year,” Zaydan said.
Sixth-year graduate student and Peabody Hall resident Christopher Kuffner said off-campus apartments for next year have not been listed yet, and he expects to spend “roughly 1,000 extra dollars per month.”
Kuffner said he originally chose Peabody Hall because he thinks it is the most affordable housing at BU and in the city.
“The odds of [Peabody Hall residents] finding another place for the price that they have is basically zero,” Kuffner said.
“I just think that based on the things BU has done in the past, they’re clearly willing and able to help us out,” Kuffner said. “I think that there’s an opportunity for them to consider better options than the pretty blunt one that they’re currently using.”
