Higher learning institutions play a vital role in our communities because they are responsible for educating tomorrow’s innovative thinkers and global leaders. In San Francisco, the role of these institutions is being threatened by the lack of affordable housing to support their students. Of the city’s 30 higher learning institutions, only nine provide housing for students. This leaves an estimated 60,000 students to find housing in one of the most expensive markets in the United States. Faced with this daunting task, many prospective students are choosing schools outside of the Bay Area because they cannot afford housing in San Francisco. For the prospective students who do choose a school in San Francisco, they often crowd into housing better suited for families, turning a living room into an extra bedroom to offset the high housing cost.