By Cesar Rivas, December 9, 2025
With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics just over three years away, it is confirmed universities such as Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills and UCLA will be housing athletes and staff.
Using university student housing in the LA area will save the city $1 billion in construction costs, according to the Los Angeles Times. Furthermore, since new infrastructure built for the Olympics are occasionally abandoned after the Games end, using student housing further minimizes this risk.
“Everything is existing infrastructure, and so the premise of this was to make it as economical to the Southern California area as possible,” said CPP Executive Director for University Housing Services Jon Merchant. “And so, I think that was one of the draws, is that we have numerous athletic facilities and venues on college campuses for housing programs.”
The partnership began in 2016 when Los Angeles put in a bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times,. Then, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach took a tour of the UCLA student housing.
Now in 2025, UCLA Housing and Hospitality confirmed it will be using student housing as the Olympic Village. Due to security reasons, UCLA Associate Vice Chancellor of Housing & Hospitality Pete Angelis would not disclose which dormitories will be used to house some of the world’s greatest athletes, but he said UCLA will have an informational website established next year.
It is also confirmed part of University of Southern California’s University Park Campus will serve as the “Olympic Media Village, where all accredited media covering the Games will stay.”
The CSU’s partnership with the biggest sporting event in the world was all done through the CSU Chancellor’s Office, according to both Merchant and Deborah Wallace, vice president and chief financial officer of administration and finance at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
“In partnership with the California State University, (the Olympics) initially reached out to the CSU Chancellor’s Office,” Wallace said. “From there, they engaged multiple campuses, including CSUDH, to develop a baseline agreement establishing the intent to become a partner.”
Both Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Dominguez Hills will have Olympic venues near their respective campuses, including the Pomona Fairplex for Cricket and four venues near Cal State Dominguez Hills. Dignity Health Sports Park will be used for field hockey, archery, rugby and para archery. The Carson Courts and Carson Velodrome will be used for both Paralympic and Olympic Games, according to LA28.
Despite proximity to the housing accommodations, it is still unclear which type of personnel each university will be housing. Merchant said no matter who CPP hosts, they will be accommodated using the Residential Suites.
“They are going to be using our suites communities, so all the suites buildings will be occupied starting the beginning of June, several weeks before the Olympics start, and then through the Olympics,” Merchant said.
This is not the first instance Southern Californian universities have aided in the Olympics, as they were also called upon for the 1984 Summer Games.
“Yes, Dominguez Hills was an official site for the 1984 Summer Olympics, with the Olympic Velodrome constructed for the track cycling competition of the Games,” Wallace said. “Additionally, our on-campus student apartments were originally built to house the athletes competing in the 1984 games.”
While there are still roughly 945 days until the Summer World Games in Los Angeles, there are still details that are being worked out, including the financial benefit universities will gain from supporting the Olympics, whether that be reimbursement for facility use or using a global event to promote the schools’ image and likeness.
“While details of the direct monetary compensation have not been fully outlined at this early stage, the campus will seek reimbursement for expenses tied to requests such as space usage, staffing, catering, housing and operational support,” Wallace said. “Also, the partnership does offer visibility and recognition through our involvement in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
No matter the case, all parties are excited to provide a helping hand to the biggest sporting event in the world, which is the Olympics.
Feature image courtesy of Arturo Gonzalez-Garcia