One year in, NSCC says Dartmouth student housing has transformed campus life
Built during a province-wide housing crunch, NSCC’s new student housing is helping ease pressure on rentals, while creating a new community of students in Dartmouth.
One year after opening its first student housing at the Ivany Campus in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Community College said the 200-bed facility has fundamentally changed the rhythm of campus life.
The $58.6-million provincially funded housing opened in September 2025 as part of a broader effort to expand student housing across Nova Scotia, and reduce pressure on the province’s strained rental market. Along with new housing at the Akerley and Pictou campuses, the project added 348 student housing spaces across the province.
For Lisa Boyle, vice-principal, the biggest change has been cultural.
“It’s been a really great year. We have almost 200 students living and learning on campus, so that was new for us,” she told the Post.
The addition of student housing has shifted the campus from a place primarily active during regular class hours, into a more connected, around-the-clock community.
Previously, most NSCC students treated the campus as a commuter school, arriving for classes before heading home or to work. Now, evenings and weekends are filled with students studying, socializing, using the library and fitness spaces, and participating in campus activities.
“It really has sort of brought our campus to life,” Boyle said.
While the housing transformed life inside the Ivany Campus, the first year also saw students begin to build connections beyond its walls. For many residents, moving into housing meant becoming part of the Dartmouth community for the first time.
Boyle said students quickly began finding their place in the surrounding neighborhood, taking jobs nearby, supporting local businesses and exploring the amenities around the campus.
Housing Coordinator Julie Goudie said the response has been “overwhelmingly positive,” with students embracing the sense of community that comes with living on campus.
“I think students really enjoy that kind of 24-7 community feel,” said Goudie.
While NSCC’s new housing is smaller than other universities in the HRM area, Goudie said students “ really enjoy having just a little taste of that community here at NSCC.”
Community assistants, NSCC’s version of resident assistants, organize events including movie nights, trail walks, and therapy dog sessions, all aimed at helping build lasting connections between students.
Beyond community, staff say the housing has also provided stability for students facing housing insecurity.
“We’ve had a number of those students who didn’t have a place to live or didn’t have a safe place to live,” said Boyle. “And now this is their safe place.”
Meeting those basic needs, Boyle said, allows students to focus more fully on their education.
While the first year has been largely smooth, operating student housing has required a shift in mindset.
“Studying and being in a campus environment, and having a housing environment are two different things,” said Boyle.
“Its always thinking about lenses; this is their home, this isn’t just another building,” adds Goudie.
The first year also highlighted the importance of support beyond housing, including access to food. While a new No Frills grocery store opened on nearby Pleasant Street in February 2025, housing staff say access and affordability remain a challenge.
In response to these needs, NSCC launched the FAIR Market this past spring, a student-run affordable grocery initiative. Boyle said the college hopes to expand the program and continue building supports that make affordable food more accessible for students.
Although NSCC has no immediate plans to expand the Ivany residence, Boyle said the project has achieved its broader goals of supporting students while easing pressure on the surrounding housing market.
“It’s really created a safe, comfortable space for 200 people.”