Determinants of Students’ Residential Choice and Implications for Academic Engagement and Achievement: Evidence from a Ghanaian University

Abstract

Student residential environments constitute a critical dimension of higher education experience, shaping engagement, psychosocial well-being, academic persistence, and achievement. This study investigates the determinants of university students’ residential choice and examines how residential environments influence academic engagement and achievement using empirical evidence from a Ghanaian private university. Drawing on data from 100 students, supported by contemporary African and international scholarship, the study explores socio-economic, infrastructural, psychosocial, and institutional factors shaping housing decisions and evaluates the mediating influence of residential conditions on learning behaviour and academic outcomes. The study integrates Tinto’s Student Integration Theory, Astin’s Student Involvement Theory, and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory to conceptualise pathways connecting residence choice, integration, behavioural involvement, and academic performance. Findings reveal that affordability, proximity to campus, security, electricity stability, internet connectivity, privacy, and peer accessibility significantly shape residential decisions. Residential environments further influence time management, social integration, study consistency, academic motivation, and perceived performance. The paper concludes that student housing is not merely a welfare issue but an educational quality and equity policy imperative in Ghana and wider Africa. Policy recommendations, implications for practice, limitations, and areas for further research are articulated.