How Facilities Management Impacts Student Retention

Three people gathered around an outdoor café table on a campus, with one person using a wheelchair, sharing a conversation over drinks in a sunny setting with steps and seating areas in the background.

Learn what today's students and parents expect, the real cost of deferred maintenance and how an integrated approach turns campus care into measurable retention.

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of institutional budgets go to facilities management

National average capital renewal backlog

of students are satisfied with their campus

84%
say campus atmosphere influences their choice
70%
tie the campus community to their retention
82%
retention rate makes each retention gain valuable

Drawing on Sodexo's 2025 Student Lifestyle Survey of 633 U.S. undergraduates alongside national facilities benchmarks, this report shows how the physical campus drives enrollment, belonging and retention.

Where campus care makes the difference

Recruitment
For students, a clean and friendly campus atmosphere is an important factor when choosing a college.
Retention
4 in 5 first-year students return for a second year, and well-maintained facilities help more of them choose to stay.
Belonging
When students feel they belong, they stay, succeed and become advocates for your campus.
The facilities gap
Proactive facilities management unlocks major savings. Sodexo clients average $30 million in deferred-maintenance savings.

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Put comprehensive campus care to work

Download the Comprehensive Campus Care Insights Report for the data behind first impressions, the financial case for reinvestment and a practical framework institutions can use to turn facilities spending into measurable gains in belonging and retention.

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Report cover titled Comprehensive Campus Care featuring images of dining services facility cleaning and studying, with text about how integrated facilities management supports student success and retention.

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Better facilities management drives student success
Well-managed buildings, grounds and spaces take daily friction out of campus life, helping students focus, stay on track and keep their momentum toward graduation.
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A cared-for campus environment builds a sense of belonging
IClean, welcoming spaces tell students they matter, and students who feel they belong are more likely to stay, succeed and recommend their institution to others.
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Getting ahead of deferred maintenance protects enrollment
Staying ahead of maintenance keeps a campus competitive and inviting, protecting the first impressions and everyday experiences that shape whether students choose to enroll and return.
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FAQ

Facilities management accounts for up to 60% of institutional budgets, making it one of the largest cost centers on a college campus and typically the second-highest of all cost centers. Sodexo's Comprehensive Campus Care analysis attributes that spend to custodial, grounds and building operations across the physical campus. Because the investment is so large, how it's managed directly affects institutional finances. Sodexo coordinates these operations through its Keystone CMMS platform, which captures real-time data across custodial, grounds and building operations to allocate resources and support long-term capital planning.
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Campus cleanliness affects learning. Research from APPA and ISSA found that 88% of students say buildings with inattention to cleanliness are a distraction to learning. Facility neglect is therefore an academic and enrollment risk, because visible cleanliness and maintenance gaps signal to students that their environment is not cared for. Sodexo addresses this through 100% Green Seal-certified cleaning and environmental services that use science-based approaches to cleaning, waste and recycling to keep learning spaces healthy and distraction-free.
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The capital-renewal backlog at U.S. colleges now exceeds $140 per gross square foot, according to Gordian's 2025 State of Facilities in Higher Education report, which also identifies a 32.5% funding shortfall between what campuses need and what they spend. Deferred problems compound into critical failures that cost exponentially more to resolve than the preventive maintenance that would have avoided them. Sodexo helps institutions manage total cost of ownership across an asset's full lifecycle, with clients realizing an average of $30 million in deferred-maintenance savings.
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Colleges can increase student retention by investing in the campus environment, because well-maintained facilities measurably influence whether students stay. Roughly 1 in 5 first-year students don't return for a second year, and research through APPA's Center for Facilities Research links the quality of campus buildings, landscapes and spaces directly to recruitment and retention. With national four-year retention averaging 82% (NCES), every percentage-point improvement recovers real tuition revenue. Sodexo's integrated facilities management coordinates custodial, grounds and building operations through a single Keystone CMMS platform to keep campuses welcoming, safe and well-maintained.
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Get the full picture of campus care

Download the Comprehensive Campus Care Insights Report to see what the data reveals about how a well-maintained campus shapes enrollment, belonging and retention — and how an integrated approach to facilities connects everyday cleaning, grounds, and building operations into a single strategy for keeping students. You'll come away a clearer view of where campus care can move the numbers that matter most on your campus.

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How integrated facilities management affect student retention

84%

70%

82%

Where campus care makes the difference

Recruitment

Retention

Belonging

The facilities gap

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Put comprehensive campus care to work

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Better facilities management drives student success

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A cared-for campus environment builds a sense of belonging

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Getting ahead of deferred maintenance protects enrollment

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FAQ

What percentage of a college budget goes to facilities?

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Does campus cleanliness affect learning?

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How big is the capital renewal backlog at U.S. colleges?

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How can I increase student retention at my college?

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Get the full picture of campus care

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Read our latest stories

Campus

Campus

Campus

Campus

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Where campus care makes the difference

Recruitment

Retention

Belonging

The facilities gap

Put comprehensive campus care to work

Better facilities management drives student success

A cared-for campus environment builds a sense of belonging

Getting ahead of deferred maintenance protects enrollment

What percentage of a college budget goes to facilities?

Does campus cleanliness affect learning?

How big is the capital renewal backlog at U.S. colleges?

How can I increase student retention at my college?

Get the full picture of campus care

Read our latest stories

Campus

Campus

Campus

Campus