Aging residence halls are being replaced with gleaming facilities whose technology and other comforts are aimed at attracting students who demand more from college life.

The surge comes as U.S. schools are simultaneously trying to attract students with the comforts of home while fighting perceptions that tuition hikes and other expenses are putting college out of reach for a growing number of Americans.

Fifty-two new residence halls at private and public schools to house 19,000 students opened last year or will open this year around the United States, with a price tag of more than $2 billion. That is according to Paul Abramson, an analyst with New York-based Intelligence in Education who tracks college construction.