As Pitt’s student population has grown in recent years, long-term Oakland residents and businesses have experienced the effects of that growth.

Pitt’s Oakland campus received more than 72,000 first-year applications for fall 2026, with the number of applications growing by 149% from 2016. In 2025, Pitt’s enrollment increased by 4.5% with 1,300 more students than the previous year. The Plan for Pitt 2028 aims to have 22,000 students enrolled by 2028.

Andrea Boykowycz, executive director of Oakland Planning and Development Corporation, said that from a planning perspective, changes in student population have not been drastic over the last five years but contributed to ongoing problems affecting long-term residents.

According to Boykowycz, when students rent houses in Oakland, the result is that more students will live together in one house than if it were occupied by a single family. Boykowycz said these houses are not meant to house large groups of people, particularly when it comes to parking.

“You can really tell when the students are in session and when they’re not based on how much street parking there is pretty much anywhere in Oakland, because as soon as the students arrive, then the streets are over-parked,” Boykowycz said.

When prices in the housing market increase, Boykowycz said more students live together to afford housing, making it less affordable for single families.

“That has had the effect over time here of meaning that Oakland is full of housing that is incredibly expensive and also not terribly desirable,” Boykowycz said.

Boykowycz said there’s a “weird kind of gentrification,” making housing for working-class families unaffordable.

“[They] are units that are then placed outside of the reach of working families, and that means then if you work in Oakland at a job that doesn’t pay you terribly much, it’s really hard to find housing here,” Boykowycz said.

As Pitt’s student population increases, more beds will be needed for students, Boykowycz said.

“There needs to be intelligent investment by private properties [and] private developers in Oakland to deliver more different kinds of rental housing,” Boykowycz said.

Boykowycz said the problem with housing in Oakland lies in the cost of newly constructed apartments.

“So as a consequence, a lot of these buildings are built without a lot of attention to design and not a lot of attention to longevity, and the kind of unit that they offer is expensive,” Boykowycz said. “Because the product that you’re providing isn’t necessarily affordable to the overwhelming majority of the market.”

Boykowycz said developers need to get creative about developing new forms of housing that are profitable while also being more affordable for students.

“If the price per unit drops to where the students can afford it, no one can afford to build that,” Boykowycz said. “In Oakland, [we need] things that can be built more economically and strategically to meet the needs that students have.” 

Todd Reidbord, president of Pittsburgh real-estate development and property management company Walnut Capital, said he’s excited about increased enrollment at Pitt.

“When we saw this, we at Walnut Capital wanted to obviously take advantage of this opportunity,” Reidbord said.

Walnut Capital owns University Commons, “an undergraduate student housing hub,” with properties near Pitt, Carlow and Carnegie Mellon. According to Reidbord, University Commons currently includes properties on McKee Place and Dawson Street, with more projects in the works.

“We have been acquiring property on McKee Place for many years and really believed it was the time to really start a development process that permitted us to build significant student housing opportunities,” Reidbord said.

One major project, the Caroline, is expected to open in 2027, with others soon following, Reidbord said. The Caroline will house 480 beds, with units that will house two to three people each.

“Then, we have the opportunity with the remainder of the block to do two additional buildings, so we have another approximately a thousand beds that we can add in the future,” Reidbord said.

Reidbord said Oakland needs to adapt to the present times as Pitt continues to expand.

“We need to have density, and we need to have the opportunity — opportunity to build high-quality housing so that students have a place to live safely and conveniently,” Reidbord said.

Pitt students are integral to many businesses around Oakland, according to business owners. Nila Messenger, manager at Pamela’s Diner in Oakland, said students represent a large majority of Pamela’s customers, even before they enroll.

“A lot of it begins when kids are looking for the college they want to attend,” Messenger said. “They’ll come in and have some breakfast, and usually it translates into moving weekend, and then when the parents are here [to visit], and the kids come in and out constantly throughout the year.”

According to Messenger, there is a noticeable difference in business when students are gone for summer break.

“When the kids come back, it’s definitely 100% busier,” Messenger said. “Right now, it’s a little early to tell for this year, but we definitely have been busier.”

Sal Puccini Jr., one of the owners of Puccini Hair Design, said that for some stylists, students account for 50-80% of their clientele.

“Every year, with a new influx of students, it’s an opportunity to make a new impression,” Puccini said.