Graduate Junction Licensing Center opens in Stratton Student Center

In anticipation of the new Graduate Junction residence opening for the Fall 2024 semester, MIT’s partner American Campus Communities (ACC) has opened a licensing center on the first floor of the Stratton Student Center (W20). Graduate Junction is a new MIT-affiliated housing option that offers the convenience of on-campus licensing terms, pricing, and location, and the experienced building management of ACC. With a new space to showcase accommodations, students are invited to stop by W20 to preview Graduate Junction apartments. ACC staff will begin outreach to graduate students to license units for the next academic year.
Fulfilling a commitment to expand graduate student housing
In October 2017, MIT made a commitment to add 950 on-campus beds for graduate students as part of the Volpe zoning agreement with the City of Cambridge that allows the Institute to develop a 10-acre parcel in Kendall Square. To help fulfill the Volpe commitment, MIT entered into an agreement with American Campus Communities (ACC) to build and operate a graduate housing complex on Vassar Street, adjacent to Simmons Hall. “As housing prices continue to rise in Cambridge, we had to find an innovative way to meet the growing need for graduate student housing,” says David Friedrich, senior associate dean for housing and residential services. “We view this as a pilot to see if partnerships with companies like ACC can help the Institute manage the demand for graduate housing.”
The complex—named Graduate Junction in reference to the adjacent Grand Junction Railroad—will comprise 676 beds for graduate students in two buildings framing a gateway to Fort Washington Park and the Cambridgeport neighborhood. Flanking a central plaza and green space, the buildings will rise in five- and six-story sections and then step up to 10-story sections beyond the park. Housing options will include furnished efficiencies and one-, two-, and four-bedroom units that will be rented by ACC to individuals, couples, and families. These new beds, along with the addition of Site 4 and reconfiguration of 70 Amherst, exceed the Institute’s earlier commitment with a total of 1,076 new beds.
Partnership adds a new option for students
ACC, the company that will operate Graduate Junction, has built or managed more than 100,000 beds on over 90 campuses across the US, including at peer institutions. With the convenience of on-campus licensing terms, pricing, and location, and ACC’s experienced building management team, Graduate Junction is a new “MIT-affiliated” option that provides off-campus-style living with on-campus convenience.
Following a careful study of student housing preferences, the Graduate Housing Working Group—made up of students, staff, and faculty—helped inform the design that includes unit styles and amenities that fit the needs of MIT graduate students in an increasingly expensive regional housing market. “Innovative places struggle to build housing fast enough, which limits who can access them. Building housing keeps our campus’ innovation culture open to all students. Additionally, new housing for students reduces price pressure on the rest of the Cambridge community,” says Nick Allen, a member of the Working Group and a PhD student in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. He noted the involvement of students from the outset: “A whole generation of graduate students has worked with MIT to match Grad Junction to the biggest gaps in the local housing market.” For example, the building adds affordable 4 bed / 2 bath apartments, expanded options for private rooms, and new family housing.
New licensing center will be staffed by ACC representatives
In preparation for the opening of Graduate Junction, ACC staff will be on-site at the licensing center from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Friday to provide tours of a sample unit, answer questions, and guide graduate students through the licensing process. Students interested in learning more about Graduate Junction are encouraged to stop by the licensing center on the first floor of W20 or visit American Campus Community’s Graduate Junction website.