Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 23:09     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
Off campus high rise apt building near UMD campus is more expensive for us than living on campus.
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 20:24     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:To spin this negative into a lesser negative - it prepares them: for looking for an apartment, budgeting, deciding what they value most (privacy of having their own space vs cheaper cost to share), looking over a lease, committing to future plans sometimes quite far into the future, being someone others can depend on and identifying others you can depend on. My DS had entered into yearly leases, each year, before graduating college and was well prepared to navigate apartment hunting after graduating, outside in the big wide world.


Are you the poster who assumes that all SLAC students can't handle the real world because they don't live off campus?


NP. I'm not that poster, but to be fair, there are always lots of posts from SLAC parents insisting their child isn't "ready" to live off-campus. So...
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 15:45     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
Anonymous wrote:To spin this negative into a lesser negative - it prepares them: for looking for an apartment, budgeting, deciding what they value most (privacy of having their own space vs cheaper cost to share), looking over a lease, committing to future plans sometimes quite far into the future, being someone others can depend on and identifying others you can depend on. My DS had entered into yearly leases, each year, before graduating college and was well prepared to navigate apartment hunting after graduating, outside in the big wide world.


Are you the poster who assumes that all SLAC students can't handle the real world because they don't live off campus?
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 13:06     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
Cheaper and nicer than the ivy housing, on a month by month rate. Sublet for the summers and it saves compared to campus housing.
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 12:56     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
67 barleycorns / cubit
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 12:56     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
Some of it is the culture of the off campus housing in terms of room sharing. At some colleges, it's generally expected for off-campus housing to be 2 kids to a room/2-3 rooms/apartment; at others, students are in one of 4-6 single rooms within a house etc. So many variations by college. You need to research the specific school. Many have housing facebook groups you can follow to get an idea of the type of housing arrangement and costs.
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 10:42     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
DS paid less living off campus, sharing a townhouse with three other guys. But there were plenty of apartment options that would have cost more.
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 10:13     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
Very much depends on if your kid would be wiling to live in a group house or wants a nice place with their own room and if they share bedrooms, baths and have in-unit laundry. Also factor if they need parking.
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 10:08     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
Ours is cheaper when spread out over a year. It's about equal in price, but we are getting 12 months vs 8.
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 10:05     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
To spin this negative into a lesser negative - it prepares them: for looking for an apartment, budgeting, deciding what they value most (privacy of having their own space vs cheaper cost to share), looking over a lease, committing to future plans sometimes quite far into the future, being someone others can depend on and identifying others you can depend on. My DS had entered into yearly leases, each year, before graduating college and was well prepared to navigate apartment hunting after graduating, outside in the big wide world.
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 09:58     Subject: Re:Off-Campus Housing Costs
Ours is way cheaper. DC lives in a house with 5 other students.
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 09:55     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
College Board's Big Future website was a great resource for us re: costs, including living off campus
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 09:55     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
We've found the price each month (rent, utilities, food) to be about the same or cheaper than on-campus living.

The kicker is that your kid is generally signing a 12-month lease, so you're paying for more time than you would for academic year housing.
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 09:52     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
That is going to depend entirely on the school and location. Some schools have a wide pool of nearby student housing at reasonable rates that are at or even below on-campus costs, others do not and you’ll spend far more.

Any school(s) in particular you have in mind?
Anonymous
Post 06/16/2026 09:49     Subject: Off-Campus Housing Costs
How much more is off-campus housing? One surprise in the college search is factoring in paying for housing privately when 4 years on campus are not guaranteed.

Private or public, what has been your experience?