Do u Miami and Tulane have available housing for all four years (seems not to). What is the quality of the housing? How difficult is it to get off-campus and how complicated is to get to campus if you are off site (esp without a car)?
Do Clemson, FSU, Elon and Alabama all guarantee housing?
Alabama does not guarantee housing for all 4 years (except for Presidential Elite winners and NMF I think) - this will be similar for all the large state schools on your list.
Bama housing ranges from suite style with your own room, to traditional halls, some with en suite and some communal. Its best to look on the housing pages.
Most people move off campus after freshman year - lots of apts and houses nearby
My experience as both a student and a parent is that most students want to move off campus and have a full apartment at some point. I get that having 4 years of guaranteed on campus housing would be important in high cost of living areas but it’s often cheaper for students to live off campus than on, and in many campuses, even closer to academic buildings than some of the far out dorms (depending on campus).
Personally I wouldn’t make a college decision based on on campus housing all 4 years.
At Elon most live on campus the first 2 years, then move off campus to bigger and cheaper apartments that are still within walking distance of campus. Everyone in those apartment complexes is an Elon student.
Clemson doesn’t appear to guarantee housing after freshman year, I’m assuming my freshman will go off campus next year, seems like there are a lot of options (we’re from the northeast so rents are definitely cheaper than what her siblings paid).
D20 pays 425/mo for a furnished 4bd/4ba townhouse in a complex with 2 pools, small clubhouse, dog park, gym, etc; it includes all utilities except water and is on the red line. It’s so much cheaper off campus!
As @Mjkacmom said Clemson doesn’t guarantee housing after Freshman year, BUT most kids don’t want to live on campus after freshman year, except for RA’s and GA’s. There are many complexes within walking distance of campus, many others within a short shuttle ride (many complexes have their own shuttles) and still many more a little further out, but on one of the bus lines. Clemson was designed as a walking campus, so most of the parking is around the perimeter; it’s not much closer than some of the apartment complexes. There are on-campus and off-campus transit services as well.
Rents in the area range from 350-1200/month depending on location, age and amenities. They can find apartments that match their dorm choices, for example D20s is in honors college, but preferred the RISE LLC; this year she and her roommates chose a complex that has a higher concentration of engineering and other stem majors. It’s quiet without a lot of partying, which they like. Others have higher greek concentrations or athletes, etc. Some are known for partying or huge tailgates.
DD and her friends still attend social events and clubs on campus. Tiger Transit has a nighttime safety system available (there’s an app for that) and commuters are allowed to park in employee spaces close to buildings in the evenings. They also zipcars, which are a fleet of ride-share vehicles if a student occasionally needs a car, and the buses run into the early morning (2 or 3 am depending on the route).
I was on a Florida State parent page for a bit before my daughter made her college decision. My impression was that housing was not a 100% guarantee even for freshmen (although there are many apartment options surrounding campus, so it’s almost like you’re on campus). It seemed to be a very competitive process, with a “housing deposit day” shortly after admission decisions are released, where students clamor to put down a deposit and get in a virtual line to pick dorms later in the spring. It forces a quick decision to either say “Yes” to FSU or put down the housing deposit anyway and risk losing a portion of it if your kid decides not to go (which many people do). Also, the pick list moves as those who put down deposits but weren’t sure about FSU, decide on other colleges.
I also noticed (and someone with a kid at FSU can correct me, if I’m wrong), that when picking a roommate, FSU recognizes the later of the two lottery pick numbers. So if one kid is #70 in the room pick and wants to room with some one who has pick #4,017 they both have to drop down to #4,017. I thought that was odd and that it must be hard for kids with bad lottery numbers to find roommates.
Upperclassmen/women can stay on campus (although I think the choices and spots are limited) - they have their own pick/lottery before the incoming freshmen pick.
My impression is that 4-yr on campus living guarantees are few and far between, and may be limited to much smaller schools than the ones you are looking at.