One of the defining elements of a university is its architecture. Whether a school has ivy-covered brick buildings or modern steel and glass structures, the character of its campus may be largely shaped by its buildings and the atmosphere they create. It is essential for a university to provide sufficient housing to meet its needs, but it is also important for that housing to be attractive, comfortable and functional. Frequently, a significant barrier to developing new housing is cost. Many schools are struggling to make ends meet, and the idea of raising additional funds for new residence halls or student apartments is daunting. A second challenge is timing. No university administrator or planner wants the campus to be disrupted by construction during the school year. One potential solution to these challenges that university officials generally overlook is modular housing. With modular, individual modules are built off-campus in a factory to the specifications of campus planners or architects. When complete, the newly constructed residences are transported to campus and put in place. Two primary advantages to this approach are cost and completion time. If properly designed and constructed, modular housing can be developed for a fraction of the cost of traditional housing and still meet high quality standards. Because the residence halls or apartments are constructed off-campus, the majority of the development process has no physical impact on the campus. Once the completed product is transported to the university, the setup can be completed in a matter of days. Every campus has its own unique atmosphere and needs, and no universal solution will apply to developing new housing. It is essential that campus planners and designers carefully weigh all their options before choosing a development approach.