If you’re planning to live off campus next semester, get ready to cough up some cash.

With approximately 7,300 students, the University of North Georgia Dahlonega campus is experiencing the pressures of the national housing crisis. UNG students are struggling to find affordable off-campus accommodations while competing with other Dahlonega residents.

Dahlonega is home to several options for apartment or townhome-style housing for students, but places such as The Bellamy and HawksNest Commons only have space to accommodate 554 and 96 students respectively.

Bailey Steadman, community manager of The Bellamy and HawksNest Commons, said, “We are seeing a saturation of college students out in the world, when typically, you would see them out more in apartment complexes, so we are trying to help accommodate that to help the area be able to bring in new people, business owners, families while also still having enough housing for college students.” This high demand for student housing has pushed The Bellamy to expand and build “phase two” which will create more apartment options for students.

Options for privately owned rental homes are limited. Marti Smith, a sophomore elementary education major at UNG says that she pays roughly $500 for her rental and has three roommates. Situations like Smith’s are not easy to find.

For places such as The Bellamy, residents are seeing an average of $700 a month for rent, but, depending on certain floor plans, that price quickly rises. Steadman said rent has gone up over the last couple years because of the rise in prices for upkeep. “I would say, and this is the first market I’ve said this in, that [rent] is less about the competitive rate and more about what it takes to upkeep the properties. The cost of utilities – electric and water – has even gone up. We are trying to find ways to save money for the residents, but we are coming up empty because everything on every scale has gone up.”