New York University students will be moving in with seniors in a pilot project designed to make college more affordable for students.

The university’s “intergenerational homestay option,” beginning in fall 2017, hopes to cut the cost of student housing in half for participating students, according to an online update from the NYU Affordability Steering Committee and the Affordability Working Group. “Mature” juniors, seniors and graduate students will live with older adults who are residents of a nearby seniors housing complex and have a spare bedroom, the group reported.

Average yearly housing rates at NYU residence halls total approach $13,000, according to the university.

Approximately 10 students will participate in the project the first year, Ellen Lovitz, senior adviser to the university president for policy analysis, told Washington Square News, the independent NYU student newspaper. The university plans to adjust the program as needed and then expand it to include more students and older adults in 2018, she added.

Lovitz said that service will probably not be required of students participating in the pilot, although certain academic programs will let them help and socialize with their elderly neighbors.