College · Family Resources

Compare where you'll live,
all four years

The first-year hall is what you see on the tour; years two to four are what you plan for. Rate each college's housing, enter the yearly rate and the years guaranteed, and see the cost gap and how many years you would be looking for an apartment.

Start a comparisonWhat you get

Comparisons

The worked example is made up: three colleges where housing is guaranteed for four, two and one year, for a student who counts the guarantee and cost as must-haves. Use initials or a code.

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What you get

College · Family ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A saved comparison per decision: how much the housing guarantee, room types, cost, location and hall life matter; each college rated 1 to 5 with its yearly housing rate and years guaranteed; seven questions such as the live-on requirement and break housing marked answered or still to ask; and a next step. The flags rank the colleges, give the yearly and four-year cost gap, count the years you would need off-campus housing and flag a must-have rated 2 or lower. A side-by-side table prints.
Who it is for
High school seniors comparing offers and their families, and students weighing a transfer.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per decision. Prints a side-by-side table with the scores, the full record, every comparison in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Family Resources space in Caveat College.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Find each college's housing page.
  2. Enter the rate and years guaranteed.
  3. Weigh guarantee, cost and location.
  4. Rate each college.
  5. Print the side-by-side table.

Start a comparison

Kinds of college housing

Common kinds of campus housingUsuallyAsk aboutTraditional hallDoubles, shared bathFloor size, quiet hoursSuite2 to 4 rooms, own bathWho cleans the bathApartmentKitchen, upper yearsLease length, meal planThemed floorShared interestHow to applySingle roomCosts moreWaitlist, accommodationsCommon kinds of campus housingTraditional hallUsually: Doubles, shared bathAsk about: Floor size, quiet hoursSuiteUsually: 2 to 4 rooms, own bathAsk about: Who cleans the bathApartmentUsually: Kitchen, upper yearsAsk about: Lease length, meal planThemed floorUsually: Shared interestAsk about: How to applySingle roomUsually: Costs moreAsk about: Waitlist, accommodations
Names and room types differ by college; the housing office lists what first-year students can choose.

The guarantee matters

Some colleges guarantee housing for all four years; others only for the first, and students find apartments after that. Off-campus rent, a lease that runs twelve months and furniture can change the cost of a degree. Ask what share of upper-year students live on campus.

Housing is part of the cost

A college's cost of attendance includes an allowance for housing and food, and financial aid is based on it. If you will live off campus after year one, ask how the college sets that allowance, since it shapes how much aid you can receive.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid. Cost of attendance (budget), including housing and food (studentaid.gov).
  2. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. College Navigator: tuition, fees and estimated student expenses (nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator).
  3. Common Data Set Initiative. Common Data Set, sections F (student life: housing) and G (annual expenses) (commondataset.org).
  4. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Fair Market Rents (huduser.gov).

The worked example, its colleges and its rates are made up. Housing rates rise most years; the four-year gap uses today's rates. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.