AUGUSTA — Applications for student housing this year at the University of Maine at Augusta were nearly double the capacity of the school’s residence halls, prompting administrators to house some students at the Best Western Plus Augusta Civic Center Inn.

Students who live at the hotel at 110 Community Drive will receive typical hotel services, including clean towels and continental breakfast, according to UMA officials.

Living at a hotel, however, will take some adjusting for students who were expecting to live at a UMA dormitory.

Mimi Kennedy, a first-year nursing student from the Bangor area, moved into the hotel Thursday afternoon.

When Kennedy and her father, Ian Hagelin, arrived at the hotel, they had to run to the nearby Walmart Supercenter at the Marketplace at Augusta to make some unplanned purchases.

“It’s obviously temporary housing, and she was the second student, but we thought it would be set up for two,” Hagelin said. “It’s really a hotel room. There is nothing wrong with that, but with two students in the room and where her courses are mostly online, she needs a place to be. We got a desk at Walmart and a chair as well.”

Housing is not guaranteed for UMA students, but Kim Kenniston, director of residential life and student engagement, said the university still wanted to give students the option of dormitory-style living.

About 20 students were expected to move into the hotel Thursday, in time for the start of classes Tuesday. Like Kennedy, the students jumped at the opportunity to live near campus.

Ian Hagelin, left, helps daughter, Mimi Kennedy, roll her belongings into her room Thursday during the University of Maine at Augusta’s move-in day at the Best Western Plus Augusta Civic Center Inn at 110 Community Drive. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Central Maine Community College in Auburn took a similar approach when the school reached record enrollment last year. The college housed students at Center Street Value Inn at 170 Center St. in Auburn.

UMA’s enrollment has increased steadily over the years, and the incoming class has 300 students, or 17% more than last year’s class, according to information the university released this week.

Ashlyn Rendle assembles a vanity Thursday during move-in day at University of Maine at Augusta’s Cleveland Hall in Hallowell. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

The university has traditionally admitted commuter or online learners, but in fall 2020, to house the growing number of campus-based students, the university opened two dormitories off Coos Lane in Hallowell, a 10-minute drive from campus. Then, last year, the university opened another 20-person dorm in the same area.

Kenniston said 200 students applied for 102 spots at UMA’s Stevens Commons in Hallowell. She believes the increase in students interested in university housing is not only because more students have enrolled at the school, but because of the difficulty in finding affordable housing in Greater Augusta.

“I believe it’s a combination, where more and more traditional-age students finding affordable housing in Gardiner, Augusta, Hallowell and Farmingdale is hard,” she said. “I also think families like that the students are a part of the UMA community, and someone has an eye on their kids, where we know if something goes wrong.”

The rooms with double beds at the Best Western Plus Augusta Civic Center Inn are priced similarly to the double bedrooms at the Stevens Commons dormitories, which cost $3,373 per semester.

The hotel will also have a community adviser, similar to a residential adviser at a college dormitory, to supervise the students who, on average, are between 18 and 22 years old.

The hotel is about a 13-minute walk or three-minute drive from UMA’s campus at 46 University Drive.

“They are in double rooms, they will get their sheets and bathroom cleaned every week, they are able to enjoy the continental breakfast and they are that much closer to the campus,” Kenniston said.

Chloe Farrar, left, a first-year student from Charlotte, and her mother, Jennifer Farrar, unpack belongings Thursday during the University of Maine at Augusta’s move-in day. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal