What Can You Do About The Rising Costs of Student Housing - Are Housing Grants Available?

Housing grants for students are hard to come by and there are not very many housing grants available specifically aimed towards covering the cost of room and board. However, there are many grants awarded each year that can be used towards overall school expenses which includes housing and in some cases on campus food and transportation as well.

When applying for general grants for your college tuition, housing costs should be factored in. Keep this in mind when you are applying for free grants and ask your student advisor or financial aid officer what the costs of room and board are and if they have been included in the projected costs. You can then use a portion of the money from these grants and put it towards your housing. You can further reduce the cost by looking outside of the housing offered by the school and possibly finding roommates to share cheaper housing with.

State and government grant programs are best for getting general grants that can be used to cover a portion of your housing as well, for example a portion of the money awarded by the Pell Grant Program can be used towards your housing costs. There are many grants and scholarships offered privately through corporations, foundations and by certain colleges and universities that are based on either financial need, academic merit or a combination of both. Most of these grants are intended for overall tuition costs and can be used towards housing and room and board as well.

The first step in applying for housing grants, or any grants that will help cover your housing costs is to fill out the FAFSA form and submit it to the government as soon as possible. Almost all grants are based on your financial situation and your need for financial aid, with the exception of some grants based on merit alone. Even private grants base their awards on the information returned from your FAFSA application.

Some areas are harder than others to actually find housing, for example in urban or highly populated areas, student housing can run out quickly and then you are forced to find whatever is available and that can prove to be very expensive. So when looking for housing, it's a good idea to get started as early as possible and find housing that is either provided by the school or allocated for students by either the government or a private landlord. When renting from a landlord that has set housing aside for students, make sure to take a close look and even ask past residents about the landlords willingness to deal with and take care of problems. Sometimes due to the low rent and income the property provides, the landlords tend to neglect issues that need to be addressed.

Student housing costs have risen by about 300% per year over the past 10-12 years, combine that with the rising costs of tuition and supplies as well, and it's no surprise that the need for housing grants has increased dramatically.

Here are some specific grants and scholarships for student housing you can look into:

1. Massachusetts State College Building Authority Housing Grant

If you are enrolled in a community college in Massachusetts and can demonstrate enough financial need, you may qualify not only for a number of scholastic grants through the state government, but the Massachusetts State College Building Authority Housing Grant may also help you with your college housing costs. Funds may only be applied to on-campus housing and are extremely limited.

2. Emerging Leader Scholarship

Eligible candidates for this scholarship to be used towards housing costs must file a FAFSA. Recipients can earn between $1,500 and $3,000 in scholarship award money provided they are undergraduate students at Virginia Polytech Institute & State University and members of the Corps of Cadets.

3. Junior/Senior Grant

The Junior/Senior Grant offers an award maximum of $1,000 to Central Christian College returning juniors or seniors. There are an unlimited number of these grants available and the money must be used for room and board costs.

4. National Oratorical Contest Scholarship

The American Legion funds this scholarship that offers a minimum award amount of $1,500 and a maximum of $19,000 to the high school student who wins the competition. The scholarship must be used for school costs including room and board.

5. Room & Board Scholarship

Jacksonville University in Florida offers this Room & Board scholarship to select students provided the applicants do not receive other scholarship money from Jacksonville University. Award money is based on the student’s financial need.

6. ROTC Room & Board Scholarship

The ROTC Room & Board Scholarship is available to students attending Texas A&M University in Kingsville who are studying at the undergraduate or graduate level. Applicants must have a minimum 2.5 GPA, a minimum combined SAT score of 970 and be enrolled in the ROTC program at Texas A&M.

7. Davidson College North Carolina

Davidson College in North Carolina offers those students who must be on campus for summer assistantships limited housing grants of just a few hundred dollars.

8. Chadbourne Residential College

Chadbourne Residential College, a residence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, extends eligible student residents a modest grant that covers the hall’s yearly activity fee of $300. Applicants must prove financial need as demonstrated on their FAFSA and grant application.

This is just a short list and there are many more grants available. Keep your eyes and ears open and ask your student counselor frequently if anything has become available.