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Do Scholarships Pay for Living Expenses?

Most of the students today choose to live off-campus during their college days, either due to save money or to have some privacy.

If you are also among them, deciding to live off-campus while attending college for higher studies, then make sure that you are financially capable of covering the off-campus housing expenses as most of scholarships don’t pay for off-campus living.

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Fortunately, there are some scholarships programs and financial aids like federal financial aid etc. that do cover the expenses of off-campus housing. But, you need to qualify to make use of such financial aid to pay your off-campus living expenses.

Moving to Off-Campus Will not Affect your Financial Aid

There are many foreign students who are still wondering, whether moving to off-campus housing will affect their scholarship or financial aid. Luckily, your decision of living off-campus won’t affect the amount of financial aid as the budget for living will always remain the same as if you are living in dorm or on-campus apartments.off campus housing

But, the case varies when you decide to live off-campus while attending your college. When a student chooses off-campus housing then they are liable for paying the rent and other expenses like groceries and daily necessities.

Even if you decide to live off-campus, the financial aid will be estimated in the same way as if you are living on campus. The only difference is that the college authorities will not ask you to pay the housing expenses, which other students will pay if they live on campus (but the on campus living expenses would be included in the scholarship amount for all qualifying students).

So, it is certain that off-campus living will not affect your financial aid, however the students need to pay the expenses if they decide to live off-campus as it is not covered by the scholarships or any financial aid, until you qualify for any special grants or financial aid like Pell Grants or Federal Loans.

Warnings

Students who decide to live off-campus while attending college, may or may not qualify for the same amount of scholarships which they would receive if they are actually living on-campus.

So, it is essential to plan for your living wisely so as to cover the off-campus living during your college days. Most of the colleges ask the new enrollments to live on-campus during the sophomore or freshman years of college. It is not essential that all colleges have the same level of housing needs, thus it is important to check with the specific college before enrolling and making a decision for on-campus living.

Good News  

Fortunately, there are some scholarship programs that do cover the eating and living expenses of the students during their college years.

Full-ride scholarships are one of the finest examples that do take care of the rent and living expenses, even if the student decides to live off-campus. There are many national universities that offer full-ride scholarships to all eligible students from across the world. This includes

Microsoft University,
Westminster University Full Tuition Scholarships,
University of Birmingham Scholarships for International Students,
University of Maastricht High Potential Scholarships for International Students,
VU University Amsterdam Fellowship Programme for International Students
ADB Scholarships at University of Auckland
Adelaide Scholarships International (ASI)

The full ride scholarship also pays for 2-3 meals served by day in the cafeteria of college. Some of these scholarship programs also cover expenses for room and board, supplies and even study abroad programs. These scholarships are limited in number and very competitive indeed. So, be the lucky one to grab such scholarships that cover all the expenses during your college years.

Some of the Full Ride Scholarships

ETH Zurich Excellence Masters Scholarships
Stamps Scholarship
RMHC U.S. Scholarships
The Gates Millennium Scholars Program
The Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship by WGA
QuestBridge National College Match
Hertz Foundation’s Graduate Fellowship Award
CSC Scholarships
UBC International Leader of Tomorrow Award
Utrecht Excellence Scholarships for International Students

Note: All these full ride scholarships mentioned above are usually awarded by universities, trusts or by colleges as a way to attract more international and national students. Students can only apply for these scholarships when they enroll at the indicated colleges or universities. Students who are talented in some specific sports or art need to apply for full tuition scholarship programs from their intended colleges. However, it is not essential that every college or university will offer full ride scholarships to athletics or students who skilled in particular art. So, check with the financial department of the college before enrollment.