<p>A dorm and meal plan on campus can be paid with financial aid. Can an apartment? Could it only be covered with remaining Pell grant money if that was a possibility? </p>
<p>I assume there is no way to do that, but I really wasn't sure.</p>
<p>Yes federal FA can be used to pay for an apartment and the related bills. Both my kids lived off campus after their freshman years. After direct costs (tuition and fees) are paid any remaining aid is paid to them and they use it for rent, bills, food etc.</p>
<p>Some schools may have different COAs for students living off campus so this may affect the amount of aid (my daughter’s school’s on/off campus COA is the same, I think my son’s was slightly different).</p>
<p>The only school I have dealt with that you can’t is Barnard. Their financial aid package is adjusted to remove housing from cost of attendance if you live off campus.</p>
<p>Yes, most schools have a COA for off campus housing and financial aid can be used to pay for that. BUT do remember that financial aid money used for housing (not loans) is considered taxable income for the student.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies!</p>
<p>The way I usually see it work is that financial aid is credited to the student’s account and the money is applied to the tuition and fees first. If the student has signed up for room, board and anything else that is billed by the school, the money goes towards that next. Any excess can be given to the student in form of a check as long as it is not in excess of COA, which each school calculates and has on file. </p>
<p>My friend’s son who commutes got a nice sized check from his school. That was to go towards books, supplies, commuting costs, etc. He could have put it towards an apartment or really done anything with it, however. In his case, he is putting towards a car, he is buying to commute, and he will come up with themoney towards other expenses during the term as they come along.</p>
<p>I didn’t know that any school, like Barnard would regulate funds that way. The only time I saw issues are if a student was commuting from home vs getting his own apartment. The COAs are different amounts for those two categories. You cannot apply for funds as an off campus student paying your own room and board, get those funds, and then live with your parents and pocket the money. At least, you are not supposed to do that. I know someone who ended up in that battle. COAs are calculated for a variety of situations. There are some colleges that do not permit commuters or off campus housing without special permission, or do not permit off campus housing but permit commuters for those living within a certain distance of the school. As with all things, you need to check the rules for your specific school as they can differ widely.</p>
<p>Just curious. Does Barnard remove federal money from an award for those who commute or live off campus? Usually, it’s with their own funds that a school does these things since federal funds have their own rules that are supposed to be universal.</p>
<p>What happens to my financial aid package if I want to live off-campus?
A. Students not residing in JTS or Barnard housing are considered commuters and are given a budget that includes only a lunch budget, not a housing budget. This reduces a student’s budget and consequently their financial aid by approximately $10,000 for the year.</p>
<p>[Barnard</a> College Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.barnard.edu/finaid/jts.html]Barnard”>http://www.barnard.edu/finaid/jts.html)</p>