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Should I live on campus or should I save money by living in an apartment around the town or city of the university?

I've always been a guy who liked to get the best deal for anything, which inherently causes me to go with the choices that cost the least. I've been wondering if I should live on the campus where I might have more opportunities to be with other students and go to events, or if I should go with the in-expensive route and buy a cheaper apartment. #housing #apartments

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Aneesa’s Answer

Hey Stuart! I agree with Phillip above. If it's your Freshman year of college - DEFINITELY live on campus, at least for one year. You'll be right in the middle of all the action - closer to your classes, special events, your student union, etc. There are so many things that happen on campus and you'll be able to fully take advantage of all of them.


Once you've had that experience for a year then you can head off-campus for the rest of the time you're there and save money.

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Jeff’s Answer

Certain colleges require that first year students live on campus, so the University you select may make the decision for you your freshman year. Otherwise, there are a few things to consider when choosing to live on or off campus. First, do you have your own car. On campus living provides the ability to walk, bike or use university provided transportation to get to your classes versus the potential of having to drive to campus and find parking. The next consideration is food and privacy. If living on campus in a dorm room you will be sharing one room with a roommate and will not have a kitchen or cooking supplies so you will likely need to purchase a meal plan at the University. At an apartment you would likely have a full kitchen and would be able to store groceries and do some of your own cooking. Also, in a dorm you have a communal bathroom that is shared per floor versus the privacy of your own bathroom at an apartment. The last thing to consider is social interaction. If you're going away to school where you don't know anyone, you may feel a bit isolated and find it harder to meet people if living in an apartment by yourself or with one roommate compared to living in a dorm with maybe 50 to 100 residents. You will likely participate in more on campus activities as well if you are living there in the dorms. Overall, I think you need to factor in the cost of rent, food and transportation to get a true cost to compare each lifestyle and from there consider your own personality and whether you may want to sacrifice some privacy in order to have more social interaction on campus.
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phillip’s Answer

It would depend on the size of your campus. In general, I would suggest you stay in the dorm for the first couple of years. It's going to cost less and you can get to know your classmates better. After that you can get an off campus apartment.
Thank you comment icon I will probably be in a medium - large campus and I did not realize that dorms were cheaper than apartments off campus. Stuart
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Teresa’s Answer

Hi Stuart -- speaking from experience, I agree with others' replies --- you should definitely live ON CAMPUS if it's your first year (especially if you're a freshman, but at any level) at the college/university just so you can meet people that you may have life-long friendships with and just learn how to network with. Networking and learning to learn from others is just as essential as book learning!

The cost of living in a dorm vs. the cost of living in an apartment could likely be a wash (with utilities, food, furniture, etc expenses). Dorm living can get old for sure, but it is worth at least one year just for the people you will meet and the experiences you will have access to.

Cheers and Best Wishes!

Teresa recommends the following next steps:

Do a cost comparison between the dorm/food plan/transport costs and the apartment rent/utilities/transport/furniture/food expenses for at least one college (if not two).
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