[3] Accommodation initially consisted of Allen's former home but, under pressure for space, former World War II Nissen huts were soon erected.

Throughout the college's history houses on surrounding Clyde,[8] Dundas,[8] Leith[7] and St David[9] Sts have been purchased in order to provide extra accommodation.

[10] The 1980s saw a downturn in numbers of new students at the university, and the College faced challenges in attracting sufficient residents.

[11] Luckily, by the late 1980s the University of Otago was again in a growth phase, and Arana College truly began to develop into a residential village.

In 2005-2006 Arana College undertook a major upgrade of the central facilities and increased the number of rooms available to students by building two new accommodation blocks, Leith View housing 60 residents[12] and Rawiri (a transliteration of St David) housing 104 residents.