ALMOST 2000 university students will be offered accommodation at the University of Canberra thanks to two multi-million dollar grants from the Commonwealth and ACT Governments.

The grants include, $96m from the Commonwealth Government and $32m from the ACT Government. The Com

An additional 1580 students will be offered accommodation at the University of Canberra after three new projects were given the go ahead in an announcement of the biggest grant won in the University’s history, involving $96 million from the Commonwealth coupled with $32 million worth of support from the ACT Government.

Under its National Rental Affordability Scheme, the Commonwealth Government has agreed to a multimillion dollar subsidy to support various student accommodation projects, totalling $128 million.

Negotiations are under way for accommodation for 500 students to be built in collaboration between the University and one of its existing accommodation providers, Campus Living Villages, which currently operates accommodation for more than 1400 students on campus.

A further 860 bed accommodation complex will be built on the campus in a further stage.

The University is already working on converting one wing of the Cameron Offices into accommodation, which will be ready for 220 students in January 2012.

University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker said the new developments would ease the pressure on rental accommodation across the capital.

“Currently there are students competing for the same homes as young families,” Professor Parker said.

“That drives up rents on houses which are not ideal student accommodation in the first place.“The new accommodation built under this scheme will take 1580 students out of the competitive rental market and free up homes for working families and people moving to Canberra for work.”The payments will be made over a number of years and will allow the University to build additional accommodation to 2016. Financial assistance will then continue from the Commonwealth until 2025.“Students from regional Australia and overseas make a huge economic and social contribution to our city. Increasing the quantity and quality of accommodation available to them makes Canberra an even more attractive destination and supports the unprecedented growth we have seen at the University of Canberra in recent years.”