Debt (Details Textual) - Mortgagae Loans [Domain] - Subsequent Event Type [Domain] - Entity [Domain] $ / shares in Units, CAD in Millions		1 Months Ended				3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
		Jan. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2013 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2013 CAD	Jan. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2015 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Mar. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line Of Credit Facility Covenant Terms, Fixed Rate Debt and Debt, Subject To Hedge Agreements To Total Debt Minimum, Percentage						66.67%
Line Of Credit Facility Covenant Terms, Secured Recourse Debt Ratio, Maximum, Percentage						20.00%
Line Of Credit Facility Covenant Terms, Tangible Minimum						$ 330,788,250
Line Of Credit Facility Covenant Terms, Percentage Of Net Proceeds Of Additional Equity Issuances						75.00%
Line Of Credit Facility Covenant Terms, Percentage Secured Debt Ratio Description						secured debt ratio of not greater than 47.5%
Line Of Credit Facility Covenant Terms, Percentage Of Distributions Of Funds From Operations						95.00%
Line of Credit Facility, Increase, Additional Borrowings						$ 46,000,000	$ 72,500,000
Proceeds from Unsecured Notes Payable			$ 33,400,000	CAD 35.0
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate During Period								1.30%
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate								2.50%
Long-Term Line Of Credit	[1]					$ 263,500,000		$ 217,500,000
Debt Instrument, Covenant Description						On February 25, 2015, the Company received a unanimously approved waiver under its amended credit facility that provides relief from certain financial covenants during a relief period that runs from December 31, 2014 until and including September 30, 2015. During the relief period the following new measurements will apply to covenant tests: maximum leverage ratio of not greater than 0.65:1.00; maximum secured debt ratio of not greater than 47.5%; minimum fixed charge ratio of not less than 1.30:1.00; and a dividend payout ratio of not more than 105.0% calculated on a pro forma basis that applies the current quarterly dividend of $0.09 on a trailing twelve month basis.
Amortization		$ 1,000,000
Other Long-Term Debt						$ 6,888,000		$ 2,827,000
Exchangeable Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Increase, Additional Borrowings						2,400,000
Debt instrument Operating Partnership issued						$ 100,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage						4.75%
Debt Instrument Shares Initial Exchange Rate | shares						79.602
Debt Instrument, Face Amount						$ 1,000
Debt Instrument, Common stock Percentage Of Exchange Price | $ / shares						$ 12.56
Amortization of Financing Costs						$ 200,000	100,000
Description On Exchangeable Senior Notes						(i) during any calendar quarter beginning after December 31, 2013 (and only during such quarter) if the closing sale price of the common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of the Company is more than 130% of the then-current exchange price for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) in the period of the 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the previous calendar quarter; (ii) during the five consecutive business-day period following any five consecutive trading-day period in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of notes for each trading day during such five trading day period was less than 98% of the closing sale price of the common stock of Campus Crest, or Campus Crest common stock, for each trading day during such five trading-day period multiplied by the then current exchange rate; or (iii) upon the occurrence of specified corporate transactions described in the indenture governing the Exchangeable Senior Notes. On or after July 15, 2018, and on or prior to the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, holders of the Exchangeable Senior Notes may exchange their notes without regard to the foregoing conditions.
Long-Term Line Of Credit						$ 97,600,000
Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Leverage Ratio For Base Rate Based Borrowings						2.64%
Long-Term Line Of Credit						$ 50,000,000
Credit Average One [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Other Long-Term Debt		1,500,000
Credit Average Two [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Other Long-Term Debt		1,500,000
Credit Average Three [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Other Long-Term Debt		1,500,000
Copper Beech [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Amortization of Financing Costs						600,000,000	700,000,000
Amortization						$ 13,000,000	$ 13,000,000
Other Long-Term Debt		$ 4,500,000
Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line Of Credit Facility Covenant Terms, Leverage Ratio, Maximum						0.65
Line Of Credit Facility Covenant Term, Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio, Minimum						1.30
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate During Period						3.25%
Minimum [Member] | Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Leverage Ratio For Eurodollar Rate Based Borrowings					1.70%
Leverage Ratio For Base Rate Based Borrowings					0.70%
Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line Of Credit Facility Covenant Terms, Leverage Ratio, Maximum						1.00
Line Of Credit Facility Covenant Term, Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio, Minimum						1.00
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate During Period						3.59%
Line of Credit Facility, Commitment Fee Percentage						105.00%
Maximum [Member] | Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Leverage Ratio For Eurodollar Rate Based Borrowings					2.45%
Leverage Ratio For Base Rate Based Borrowings					1.45%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Leverage Ratio For Base Rate Based Borrowings						2.69%
Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity						$ 36,500,000
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity					$ 300,000,000	$ 3,400,000
Line of Credit Facility, Borrowing Capacity, Description						(a) the lesser of (i) 60.0% of the "as-is" appraised value of the Companys properties that form the borrowing base of the Amended Credit Facility and (ii) the amount that would create a debt service coverage ratio of not less than 1.5, and (b) 50% of the aggregate of the lesser of (i) the book value of each of the Companys development assets (as such term is defined in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement) and (ii) the "as-is" appraised value of each of the Companys development assets, subject to certain limitations in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement
Future Commitment Line Of Credit Facility Maximum Borrowing Capacity					600,000,000
Description of revolving credit facility , average borrowings, interest rate						(i) 0.30% per annum if the Companys average borrowing is less than 50.0% of the total amount available or (ii) 0.25% per annum if the Companys average borrowing is greater than 50.0% of the total amount available.
Long-Term Line Of Credit						$ 213,500,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Line of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-Term Line Of Credit					250,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Current Borrowing Capacity					$ 50,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Leverage Ratio For Eurodollar Rate Based Borrowings					1.75%
Leverage Ratio For Base Rate Based Borrowings					0.75%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Leverage Ratio For Eurodollar Rate Based Borrowings					2.50%
Leverage Ratio For Base Rate Based Borrowings					1.50%

[1] As stated in Note 6, on January 30, 2015, the Company and certain of its affiliates completed the acquisition of substantially all of the Sellers’ remaining interests in most of the Copper Beech properties. This acquisition represents $220.5 million of the increase in the fixed-rate mortgage loans, $37.9 million of the increase in the construction loans and $4.5 million of the increase in other debt related to Copper Beech letters of credit.