KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — On-campus housing at the University of Tennessee is in short supply as more students are accepted to the university and many students are unable to find available off-campus housing due to high demand and raising rents.

In February 2022, the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees said there was an “immediate need to construct new residence halls.” To help alleviate this need, plans were put into place to build new residence halls. However, UT has created a solution to help provide over 100 additional rooms for the upcoming academic year.

UT is leasing the Holiday Inn Express on Papermill Drive. According to its website, UT said this will “provide an affordable housing option for transfer students in a high-demand housing market.”

The Holiday Inn will act as an additional residence hall with the university taking over operations during the lease. It will have its own on-site hall director and resident assistants. Only UT students will be assigned to stay in the hotel and the front desk will be staffed by UT employees.

In total, UT said there are 34 single rooms and 100 double rooms. Each room has a micro-fridge, desk, desk chairs, closet, trash can and a flat-screen TV. Double rooms will also have two queen-sized beds, an additional deck and an additional wardrobe. Single rooms will have a king-sized bed. In addition, free on-site laundry will be available and housekeeping will clean bathrooms every other week.

To help students get to the university and back, shuttles will run every 20 minutes Monday-Friday from 7 a.m.-10 p.m., and every 30 minutes Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

The plans for new on-campus housing include a new dorm at the corner of Andy Holt Avenue and 20th Street and another dorm being built between Caledonia and Terrace Avenues. Together these dorms are expected to bring an additional 1,275 beds to the 8,258 in UT’s current stock.

Find out more about the changes to UT’s master housing plan.