UT to Break Ground on Law School Housing Complex

New 14-floor residence hall to house over 300 law students annually starting in 2028

Mar. 13, 2026 at 3:55pm

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The University of Texas School of Law is set to begin construction on a new 14-floor housing complex directly across from the law school. The 216,000-square-foot building will house more than 300 law students annually starting in August 2028 and will include amenities like a gym, roof decks, a reading room, and a coffee shop. The project is a public-private partnership between UT, a UT-affiliated real estate foundation, and real estate company Greystar.

Why it matters

The new housing complex aims to address the rising cost of living in Austin, especially near the UT campus. It will provide law students with affordable and convenient housing options, helping to remove barriers to completing their law degrees. The project is part of UT's broader efforts to make a UT education more accessible and affordable.

The details

The total cost of the complex is still being finalized, but it will be funded through multiple sources as a public-private partnership. The UT Law School Foundation donated the land for the residence hall, and the UT Board of Regents approved the project in November 2024. Austin-based Lemmo Architecture and Design is leading the project's design. The new housing facility is the third graduate student housing complex built at UT since 2015 as part of the university's plan to add more graduate housing east of campus.

  • In November 2024, the UT Board of Regents approved the project.
  • Construction on the 14-floor housing complex is set to begin in August 2028.
  • The new residence hall is expected to open and house over 300 law students annually starting in August 2028.

The players

Bobby Chesney

The dean of the University of Texas School of Law who pledged to take affordability, access, and opportunity more seriously than other top law schools when he became dean four years ago.

Mike Rosen

A spokesperson for the University of Texas.

UT Law School Foundation

A foundation that donated the land for the new residence hall.

Greystar

A real estate company that is part of the public-private partnership to build the new housing complex.

Lemmo Architecture and Design

The Austin-based architecture firm leading the design of the new housing complex.

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What they’re saying

“It's the opening of a great chapter for the school, and it's going to have a lot of great benefits for everybody.”

— Bobby Chesney, Dean, University of Texas School of Law (statesman.com)

“It takes what was becoming a bit of a threat to us, the difficulty of finding a reasonable place to live in Austin, and it turns it into a huge advantage nobody else (has).”

— Bobby Chesney, Dean, University of Texas School of Law (statesman.com)

What’s next

The university is still finalizing the total cost of the complex, and the rent prices for the new housing units have not yet been set.

The takeaway

The new law school housing complex is part of UT's broader efforts to make a UT education more affordable and accessible. By providing law students with convenient and competitively priced housing, the university aims to remove barriers to completing a law degree and cement its reputation as one of the most affordable top-tier law schools in the country.