The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 2 - 94

Jesse Kokaua * Tasileta Teevale * Jacques van der Meer * Ala Teu * Stephen Scott * Mele Taumoepeau * Ana Hoseit

Pacific students from low socio-economic
schools than there are in the general university
population.
The benefits of first-year student accommodation extend beyond the academic abilities of
the students admitted to the residence. Thus,
it would seem that removing fiscal barriers for
students from economically constrained communities would allow those benefits to extend
to an increased number of Pacific students-
ultimately encouraging greater ongoing
success that will translate to the overall performance of Pacific students attending university.

CONCLUSION
Residential colleges at the University of Otago
provide not only a place to stay but also a vast
array of academic and pastoral support programmes which effectively help many Pacific

students transition from secondary to tertiary
education institutions. Though the benefits
of residential college accommodation in the
first year of study are clear for Pacific students
in terms of grades, pass rates, retention, and
degree completion, relatively few Pacific students have access to residential colleges and
their programmes. Given that the Pacific students who had few or no academic qualifications appeared to benefit more from residential
accommodation, a key strategic investment for
providing many more Pacific students access to
college accommodation seems warranted. This
study found that the benefits of attending a residential college can reduce the gaps in tertiary
educational attainment between Pacific and
non-Pacific students and can help meet both the
University of Otago's and the New Zealand government's equity goals for tertiary education.

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T h e J o u r n a l o f C o l l e g e a n d U n i v e r s i t y St u d e n t H o u s i n g

http://nsse.indiana.edu/pdf/presentations/2015/NSSE%20ACUHO-I%20Presentation.pdf http://nsse.indiana.edu/pdf/presentations/2015/NSSE%20ACUHO-I%20Presentation.pdf

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 2

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