Living on Campus vs Living off Campus

Everybody has their own reasons as to why they should live on or off campus. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages that make both a viable solution for where to live while at College. Here's a quick comparison to give you the ins and outs of both sides so that you can make an informed decision on what choice is appropriate for your life.

Living on Campus

The biggest advantage of living on campus is that all of your needs are paid for. Whether that means through grants, loans, or your parents is a different story, but here and now it's already covered in the same bill that your tuition is.

• Living on campus means you're right near your classes so waking up late is often not serious enough of an distance to prevent you from sprinting to your class in pajama's before it's too late.


• There's three or more meals a day available to you and a majority of your friends will be all around you instead of being a good distance away.


• The dorms are a great place to meet new people in College. Some of these people will turn into life long friends.

Living off Campus

Living off campus gives you more freedom and more responsibilities.

• You'll be able to decide exactly where to live and what to eat on a day to day basis.


• Your car will be parked right in front of your house, making it easy for you to come and go as you please.


• If you wanted to, you could entertain a large number of people at any point and even drink if you're of age.


• Living in your own apartment or shared house will usually cost you more, but it can be much larger in space and more private (in some cases) than the cramped dorm rooms.


• Your own place means new responsibilities, such as cleaning up around the house, paying utility bills and being a responsible renter.

But both situations have their down falls as well. Consider the fact that if you're not working and living on campus, you can still make do as you don't necessarily need a car or to pay rent but if you were off campus you'd need a job or a loan. However, if you're 21 or older, you might not be able to drink in your dorm if your school is a dry campus and the chances of your car being that close by or even having parking available may be nonexistent. Unfortunately in both situations you'll be presented with the possibility of annoying roommates, moving out just lets you buy your privacy directly.

There are positives and negatives to both sides of the situation, just make sure that you know the full details of what you're getting into and whether or not the benefits out weigh the requirements.