College Students’ Living Arrangements
Living alone or with someone has both pros and cons. No matter what your living arrangements are it will affect your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
Knowing what your situation will be prior to filling out the paperwork will ensure that you receive the full benefits. Living alone or with someone can affect your student grants, student loans, and possibly your scholarships.
FAFSA
Regardless of who you live with, you may still be considered a dependent until the age of 24. Your custodial parents, grandparents or legal guardians that will be able to claim you as a dependent will need to report to FAFSA their finances via tax return.
If your parents refuse to share this information, then you will need to check the box that states that you don’t have access to this information. Special considerations are made for students in this situation. That doesn’t mean that you will be considered independent.
These special considerations relate to why your parents can’t or won’t share their information. Such as are they incarcerated? Did they leave home due to an abusive family environment? Do you know where your parents are and are you able to get in touch with them? Are you older than 21 but not yet 24, are unaccompanied, or homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless? If for any reason you are in doubt or have questions talk to the financial office at the college of your choice.
Crash Course in Living Alone
Can you live alone while attending college? Yes, you can, provided that your college or university of choice has this option. Don’t get your hopes up if you’re planning to live alone on-campus.
Most universities require that students live on-campus during their entry level years. Universities believe that your education is of upmost importance and should be your primary focus.
On-campus housing is mostly a shared space; a shared dorm room, bathroom, kitchen and living area. Once you’ve reached enough credits to be considered a sophomore or a junior, according to the requirements of your college or university, then you can think about living in your own space on-campus.
Living alone certainly has its perks, but also has its payments. Some people consider it to be solitary confinement, those people are the social butterflies that graces everyone with their presence. They don’t know what they’re missing by living with a peaceful easy feeling.
Let’s talk about some of the perks and payments that living alone comes with.
No more dreaded curfews
Curfews are now null and void! Go to bed whenever you want, there’s nobody around to tell you differently. Payment: Setting a bedtime schedule and sticking to it because you’re adulting now.
Buying food for only you
There’s nothing better than buying all the food you want and know that no one else is going to eat it. Payment: Healthy meals tend to cost a tad bit more than junk food, so college students generally grab the cheaper meals. How do you like ramen noodles, the dinner of college student champions?
Watch whatever you want to watch on tv
Marathon days are here. Favorite show, anytime. You don’t have to fight anyone for the remote control. Payment: Binging is great until you must give up time to work and study.
Just you are paying the bills
You don’t have anyone to blame for the electric bill being so high because you control it and set the temp for however cold or hot that you want it. No worries about how many times you flush the toilet or how many lights you turn on. Payment: If your fortunate the adult(s) in your life may have yelled at you a time or two so that you have built up some great budget-friendly habits.
You make adult decisions on your own
No one tells you how to budget, when not to eat out, or not to buy that cute little red dress even if it is on sale. It’s great! Payment: Now, for that budget, the average cost room and board per semester is $11,832 not including other living expenses.
Crash Course in Living with Someone
The ugly truth of the matter is that millennials are either moving back home or haven’t yet moved out. The latest poll shows that 40% of college students are living at home with their parents; 80% are living with someone whether its on-campus in dorms, or off-campus with roommates, grandparents, or other relatives.
Living with someone has its perks and payments just as living alone does. These perks and payments will depend on who you live with.
Living with Parents
Cheaper
Income taxes is one reason that college students live at home. Parents are still able to claim you as a dependent if you are enrolled in an undergraduate accredited program and you are still 24 years of age on Dec. 31.
The IRS works from year to year; therefore, it requires that scholarships, grants, tuition, and other qualified educational expenses be claimed in the tax year that it was received or expensed.
Parents who choose to pay for college then don’t have to turn in any scholarships or grants as income and just get to write off the expenses. This lowers their adjusted gross income which means that they will pay less taxes and could possibly receive a tax refund.
The college that you are enrolled in will provide you with this tax information. With that being said, if you live away from home and plan to return home between college semesters, your parents can still claim you as a dependent.
Payment: If your parents are claiming you on their tax return then it’s likely that they will claim the expenses; only one tax return can claim the qualified educational expenses.
Convenient
Groceries, utilities and transportation; Oh My! Most of the time college students living at home do not have to purchase their own food, nor do they pay the utility bills. It’s a coin toss on who pays for the transportation cost. Some students work just to pay a car payment, insurance and general upkeep on their vehicle so that they’ll have reliable transportation. Payment: Even though you are going to college and possibly working, you are still seen as dependent and not independent.
You don’t have to pack up all your belongings and move to a new location. This will also give you time to buy necessity items for when you do finally get to move out. Payment: You still reside with your parents, live in their house, and sleep in your old room.
Living with a Dormmate or Roommate
Are you thinking about living with a roommate? This can be a daunting decision. Finding a roommate can be easy, finding a great roommate, on the other hand, can be tedious.
Statistics show that one out of every three roommates report having problems with their roommate. New research by Pew Research Center, states that almost one in every three adults have a roommate. 79 million people, last year, shared living arrangements with relatives while only 18% lived with someone who was not a romantic partner.
Provided that you don’t plan on moving home during the semester, then filing your income taxes could be profitable. You are not having to check the box that confirms that someone else can claim you as a dependent, which means that you could get a lot more back on your tax refund.
College students look forward to receiving their tax refund; it makes budgeting a whole lot less stressful. Under FAFSA you are still considered a dependent. FAFSA will require your parent’s financial documentation. You will be awarded financial eligibility accordingly.
Decide what kind of roommate you want
Much like living with your parents, there are going to be good times and bad times. Decide before hand what you’d like your living arrangements to be like. Do you want a new best friend to hangout with and chill? Do you want someone to just pay their part of the rent and leave you alone? Maybe even take into account each other’s schedules. Will you be home while they are gone?
A roommate doesn’t have to be your new best friend, or they can be. Depending on what you want out of the situation. Even if they are not your best friend try to have a connection, something that’s of mutual interest like coffee. Meet up just to have a cup of coffee and chit chat.
Experts say that living with someone is much easier when you have some similar interests. Of course, having someone there just to help pay the rent is A-Okay also. And this is something that you may notice straight up and both of you may be grand with this ideal arrangement.
Compatible schedules
Can your roommates schedule clash with yours? Sure! All you want is some privacy and your roommate is intent on laying on the couch and binge-watching Netflix.
Rolling your eyes into the back of your head isn’t going to help much; close your bedroom door, take a hot shower or bath, or go out and get some coffee. If it gets to be too much step up and communicate your frustration. Although, you can discuss schedules and pencil in when they are supposed to be gone and adjust your schedule accordingly, if you can.
Communication
Communication is vital. Have you ever talked to someone about something that was bothering you and they just rolled their eyes and walked away? People do this when they are the ones that bother you with their bad habits or irritating ways.
Establishing an open communication from the very beginning can help solve a lot of problems. One idea is to have an ‘issues’ jar. If you have an issue with your roommate(s) then you can write it down and at the end of the day or week the issues can be discussed and resolved.
Conflict negotiation
Rent is due! Your roommate waited until the last minute to tell you that she doesn’t have her share of the rent; your blood pressure rises and sweat glands overreact.
Pinpoint exactly when they will have their share of the rent because you may have to dig into your savings and pay all the rent due. Your landlord doesn’t care if you only have half of your rent; they want all of it at the appropriate time. Before you decide on a roommate, you should be clear and upfront on when you expect the rent to be paid.
Ask the important questions. Do you have a steady job? Can you afford to pay the rent and share of the bills? Why are you looking for a new place or somewhere else to live? The bottom line is not everyone takes the responsibility of paying rent serious. Keep an open mind because there may come a time when you need a little help making ends meet. If paying rent late becomes habitual then you may want to consider a new roommate.
Dirtiness leads to foulness. There’s nothing worse than coming home to a sink full of dirty dishes, laundry still in the washing machine and dirty plates and clothes all over the house. Be upfront about your expectations of cleanliness and hygiene (you’d be surprised).
College criteria
Now-a-days, 70% of colleges and universities let students have a choice in who they share a dorm with, or they also have random pairing. They should have questionnaires that you can fill out and hopefully find a great match.
Something that should be considered before you decide on a residential arrangement is that most colleges require that students that have less than 30 credits live on campus. Check with your local college or university of choice and ask what their housing requirements are.
If considering the University of Dallas in Irving, TX, as a full-time student with less than ninety earned credits, you will be required to live on campus and will be billed standard housing charges. Most of the housing halls have double rooms and you will be expected to share this space. Except the O’Connell Hall and it does have single rooms, however that is dependent on enrollment numbers.
UNT, University of North Texas in Commerce, TX, also requires that undergraduates under 30 credits, live on-campus. Their housing, dorms, are double and triple occupancy; therefore, you will be rooming with someone.
Living with Other Relatives
You may find yourself married before you enroll in college. Of all the college students that are under the age of 24, 7% of them are married. These 7% of students, when they file for FAFSA are no longer considered dependent and do not have to have their parent’s financial information. Therefore, the financial award eligibility is based on the income of the college student and their spouse.
You may find yourself living alone but have children of your own. Most colleges do not have family housing on-campus, but they may have college apartments for families that are close to the college campus. 4.8 million college students are raising children of their own.
When filing your FAFSA, you can claim yourself as independent and having dependent children. This will affect how much financial aid you will receive and it’s usually more beneficial for the parental college student. The more children you have the more financial aid you will receive.
Living with grandparents and other relatives will be a lot like living with your parents, not so much like living with a dormmate or a roommate that is your age and has the same interest. You will still have the same perks and payments as you did when you were living with your parents; maybe even more so because each living situation will call for different considerations.
For whatever reason you have found yourself living with grandparents or other relatives. Maybe you have moved to a different state to go to college. Maybe you are going to help them by being a caregiver. Maybe you were raised by relatives that were not your parents.
One interesting fact is that there are fourteen scholarships for grandchildren of veterans. You will be required to fill out the appropriate paperwork and provide documentation.
- ScholarshipPoints
- Legionnaire Insurance Trust Scholarships
- Daniel E. Lambert Memorial Scholarship
- ALA Department of Texas Scholarship
- AMVETS National Scholarship Program
- William D. & Jewell Brewer Scholarship
- Guy M. Wilson Scholarship
- Children of Warriors National Presidents’ Scholarship – Oregon
- Junior Scholarship
- Florence Lemcke Fine Arts
- Illinois AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Memorial Scholarships
- Erman W. Taylor Scholarship
- Marguerite McAlpin Nursing
- M.D. Jack Murphy Scholarship
There are also scholarships and grants for caregivers seeking a college education. Most often you will just need to write an essay, fill out a few forms and submit the paperwork. Here are a couple of these scholarships:
- Hope for the Warriors Military Spouse and Caregiver Scholarships
- Road Scholar Caregiver Grant
- UCB Family Epilepsy Scholarship
- SeniorHomes Caregiver Scholarship
- SeniorCare.com’s Aging Matters Scholarship
- Teens for Alzheimer’s Awareness College Scholarship
- Caring.com Caring Scholar Scholarship
No matter of who you live with, FAFSA will need to know if you are a dependent or independent. They will need to know if you are single or married, and if you have dependents. They will also need to know your living arrangements.
While you don’t have to say for sure where you’re going to college, you can list colleges that you’d like your financial aid report to go to. FAFSA will send you a Student Air Report (SAR). If you have an email address, they will send you a copy of your SAR within 3-5 business days. Otherwise, they will send a copy to you through the mail.