Edufacts™
September 2005
Housing, food estimates require thriftiness from college students
Food and housing make up almost half the cost of attending a public university in Texas. These costs are not discretionary: students must eat and find a place to live. But students do have some discretion in their choices. And of course they can choose to live a pampered or thrifty lifestyle. But which of these options do institutions' room and board estimates allow for?
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates the average nine-month cost of rent and utilities for a one-bedroom unit in the counties and Metropolitan Statistical Areas where Texas public universities are located to be $4,859, or $540 per month. Sharing housing lowers the cost: a shared one-bedroom costs $270 per person and a shared two-bedroom costs $329. These data indicate that a thrifty student who prepares meals at home and shares a one-bedroom apartment will indeed be able to stay within the institutional room-and-board estimate of $670 per month, as will most students who share a two-bedroom apartment. However, a student who lives alone will probably not be able to stay within the estimate. Single-parent students face additional costs.
For more information on federal student aid, for tips on how to establish high expectations for students as early as middle school, and for assistance in planning for higher education academically and financially, visit www.AIE.org. TG provides this Web site as a public service to help all families and students achieve their educational and career dreams.
Sources: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, (http://www.collegefortexans.com/paying/); U.S. Department of Agriculture, (http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/using3.html); U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), (http://www.huduser.org/datasets/fmr/FY2003F.pdf).
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