Hello, My daughter received merit aid. I read the conditions in just the merit aid letter and there was no mention of required housing. But in the financial aid award letter that includes loans, it states this award is dependent on the student residing in university housing. So, does this mean she can’t liive in off campus apartments that are not under Northeastern housing umbrella? If so, does anyone know if the Northeastern off campus apartments are good? I don’t want her to be forced to not be able to live in an apartment with friends to keep her scholarship. I am confused to because the merit aid letter makes no mention of this requirement. Does anyone know?
I haven’t heard of this before (I have merit and have lived off campus with no issue) - can you post the exact text of the award letter? It would also be worth contacting the admissions office about it directly, probably over phone to make it easiest.
I suspect that the calculation of need-based aid is premised on the total cost of attendance, including on-campus housing. If, for example, she were commuting from home her “need” would be calculated differently. But the merit scholarship is not need-dependent. So I would expect no reduction in her merit-based aid if she were to live off campus but possible reduction of the need-based component. You might call the financial aid office to ask for a hypothetical estimate about how much reduction there would be, if she were to live in non-university housing. Also find out if any decrease in aid would come from the loan or grant portion.