College Housing Grants
Do You Really Have to Pay to Stay?
The types of college housing vary from campus to campus and even within a campus. Then there is on-campus and off-campus housing and in some cases colleges that even own some of their own off-campus residences. With all this variety there is comparably varied cost.
At the University of Virginia on-campus room and board runs you close to $7,000 per academic year. Compared to the real world where figures are considered by monthly rent that figures out to about $750 a month, which could be argued for its value. Remember though, this includes food and utility costs, maintenance and upkeep. But to prove how costs have escalated, compare this to the housing cost at UVA in 1995: students paid right around $4,000 for room and board; $2,000 for dorms, and $2,000 for a year’s worth of dining hall privileges. Over 10 years these costs have risen by about $300 every year. Is this inflation or out of control college costs?
Where Housing is Premium
In some cases, college housing is a problem. On campuses in urban areas, there is little area to develop and when housing runs out, there are no other options, but off-campus residence. And everyone knows that many landlords who pander to the student population often get away with operating on the cheap because students don’t have the clout to complain and often just don’t know enough when something is amiss.
More and more students are seeking grant and scholarship money to help defray college expenses outside of basic tuition, including housing and transportation costs, especially when they are forced to move outside campus borders.
Sources for Grant Money
Money for college housing is not easy to find and there’s just not much of it earmarked on its own merit. Most of the time you will receive assistance through general grants that also cover living and transportation expenses. State governments are a solid source for college grants like this.
If you are enrolled in a community college in Massachusetts and can demonstrate enough financial need, you may qualify not only for a number of scholastic grants through the state government, but the Massachusetts State College Building Authority Housing Grant may also help you with your college housing costs. Funds may only be applied to on-campus housing and are extremely limited.
Look to your campus financial aid office for any available housing grants. You may find that these monies are included as part of larger tuition grants. In cases where an actual housing grant is offered there are usually limited funds, but every little bit helps:
- For example, Davidson College in North Carolina offers those students who must be on campus for summer assistantships limited housing grants of just a few hundred dollars.
- Chadbourne Residential College, a residence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, extends eligible student residents a modest grant that covers the hall’s yearly activity fee of $300. Applicants must prove financial need as demonstrated on their FAFSA and grant application.
