Does FAFSA ask about on/off campus housing plans? Can't remember this question!

Yes, the FAFSA does ask about housing plans. It's one of the questions when you select the colleges you're sending the FAFSA to. For each school, you indicate whether the student plans to live on campus, off campus, or with parents/relatives. This matters because each housing option has different costs in the school's Cost of Attendance (COA) calculation, which affects the total financial aid package the student might receive.

Yep they def ask! My son just did his and had to pick for each school: dorms, off-campus apt, or with parents. Makes a big difference for $ too!

Housing plans are definitely on there! When you list each college, you'll select the housing plan. Each option (on-campus, off-campus, with family) changes the Cost of Attendance calculation, which can significantly impact the final aid package. Even though your SAI (Student Aid Index) won't change based on housing, the amount of need-based aid offered might vary because each housing type has different estimated costs associated with it. If your daughter isn't 100% sure yet, don't worry too much. She can always update this information later by contacting each school's financial aid office directly. Most schools have a process for updating housing plans that might affect aid packages.

I had the WORST experience with this exact housing question last year! I marked "on campus" for my son, then he decided to rent an apartment off campus with friends. His financial aid got all messed up and we had to spend WEEKS trying to get it fixed! The financial aid office kept putting us on hold forever and transferring us around. Totally frustrating process.

Thanks everyone! This is really helpful. I just want to make sure we get everything right the first time since there's so much riding on her financial aid package. Looks like I'll wait until she gets home so we can decide what to put for each school she's applying to.

One important thing to note: the 2025-2026 FAFSA streamlined some questions, but housing status remains because it's critical for each school's Cost of Attendance calculation. The housing question appears when you select each college in the "College Selection" section, not in the main FAFSA form questions. Also, while the housing selection does impact your total financial aid package by changing the COA, it doesn't affect your federal aid eligibility (like Pell Grants or Direct Loans) which is determined by your SAI score.

Just want to add that it's totally normal to feel overwhelmed by these FAFSA details! I went through this with my oldest last year and now helping my second kid. One tip: if your daughter ends up changing housing plans after acceptance, most schools are pretty understanding about updating the financial aid package. The key is to contact them as soon as the housing decision is firm. Don't stress too much about getting it "perfect" right now - you can always adjust later if needed!

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last month, I can confirm that yes, the FAFSA does ask about housing plans for each school you select. It's in the college selection section where you pick on-campus, off-campus, or with parents. Don't worry if you're not 100% certain right now - we changed our answer twice and the school's financial aid office was very helpful in updating everything. The main thing is just getting the FAFSA submitted on time. You can always refine the housing details later once your daughter has made her final college decision. Good luck with everything!

As a parent who just went through this process, I can confirm that yes, FAFSA definitely asks about housing plans! It's in the section where you add each college - you'll see options for on-campus, off-campus, or living with parents/relatives. Don't stress too much about getting it perfect right now though. My daughter changed her mind twice about dorms vs. off-campus housing, and each time we just contacted the school's financial aid office directly to update it. They were super helpful and adjusted her aid package accordingly. The important thing is just getting the FAFSA submitted on time - you can always fine-tune the housing details later once she knows which school she's attending!

Just wanted to jump in here as someone who's been through this process with three kids now! Yes, the FAFSA absolutely asks about housing plans - it's part of the school selection section where you indicate on-campus, off-campus, or living with family for each college. The good news is that this isn't set in stone! All three of my kids changed their housing plans at least once, and every financial aid office we dealt with was really accommodating about updating the Cost of Attendance calculations. My advice? Don't let the housing decision hold up your FAFSA submission. Pick your best guess for now and know that you can easily adjust it later once your daughter has more clarity about her college choice and living situation. The most important thing is getting that FAFSA filed on time to maximize her aid opportunities!

As a financial aid counselor, I can confirm that yes, the FAFSA does ask about housing plans! It's in the school selection section where you'll choose between on-campus housing, off-campus housing, or living with parents for each college your daughter is applying to. This choice affects the school's Cost of Attendance calculation, which can impact need-based institutional aid, but it won't change federal aid like Pell Grants (those are based solely on your SAI). Don't stress too much about getting it perfect right now - most schools are very flexible about updating housing status later, and it's a common change students make. The key is getting your FAFSA submitted on time rather than delaying it over housing uncertainty. You can always contact each school's financial aid office directly if her plans change after she's been accepted!

Just went through this exact same situation with my son's FAFSA last week! Yes, the housing question is definitely there - it shows up when you're adding each college to your list. You'll see three options: on-campus, off-campus, or with parents/family. I was also second-guessing myself because it had been so long since I did my own FAFSA! What really helped us was knowing that this choice mainly affects each school's calculation of total costs (which can influence need-based aid from the school), but federal aid like Pell Grants stays the same regardless. And honestly, don't let this question slow you down - we ended up changing our answer for two schools after my son visited campuses and changed his mind about dorms vs apartments. The financial aid offices were super helpful with updating everything. Better to get the FAFSA submitted on time with your best guess than to miss deadlines overthinking it!

As someone who just finished helping my daughter with her FAFSA renewal this year, I can definitely confirm that yes, the housing question is there! It appears when you're selecting each college in the school list section. You'll see three options: on-campus housing, off-campus housing, or living with parents/relatives. What I've learned from going through this process is that the housing choice affects each school's Cost of Attendance calculation, which can impact need-based institutional aid, but your federal aid eligibility (like Pell Grants) remains the same regardless of housing choice since that's based on your SAI score. My advice? Don't let uncertainty about housing plans delay your FAFSA submission! It's much better to make your best guess now and update it later if needed. Most financial aid offices are really accommodating about housing changes - it's a very common adjustment students make, especially between acceptance and enrollment. You can always contact each school's financial aid office directly to update the housing status, and they'll recalculate the aid package accordingly. The most important thing is getting that FAFSA submitted on time to meet all the deadlines!

As a newcomer to this whole FAFSA process, reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a very similar situation with my son - we're working on his FAFSA and I kept staring at that housing question wondering if I was missing something important. It's such a relief to hear from so many experienced parents that this isn't something to stress over too much. The distinction between federal aid (which stays the same) and institutional aid (which can change based on housing costs) really clarifies things for me. I think I was overthinking it because everything feels so high-stakes when it comes to college financing. Going to follow everyone's advice and just submit with our best guess rather than delay any longer. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's so reassuring to know that schools are flexible about housing updates and that this is a common thing students change their minds about!

As someone who just completed their first FAFSA experience with my daughter, I can definitely relate to that feeling of "did we miss something important?" Yes, the FAFSA does ask about housing plans when you're selecting colleges - you'll choose between on-campus, off-campus, or living with parents for each school. What really helped ease my anxiety was learning that this choice primarily affects each school's Cost of Attendance calculation for institutional aid, but federal aid like Pell Grants is based solely on your SAI score regardless of housing. The biggest relief was discovering how flexible schools are about housing updates - my daughter changed her mind twice and each time the financial aid offices were super accommodating about adjusting her package. Don't let this question hold up your submission - it's much better to submit with your best guess and update later than to miss deadlines overthinking it!

As a newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I'm in the exact same situation as the original poster - helping my daughter with her first FAFSA and feeling completely overwhelmed by every single question. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a relief, especially learning that the housing question isn't as critical as I was making it out to be in my head. The clarification about federal aid (like Pell Grants) staying the same regardless of housing choice versus institutional aid that can vary based on Cost of Attendance really helped me understand what's at stake. I love how supportive this community is - it's clear that so many of us parents are just trying to do right by our kids and navigate this complex financial aid system together. Going to follow everyone's advice and submit our FAFSA this weekend with our best guess on housing rather than continuing to stress about it. Thank you all for sharing your wisdom and experiences!

As someone who's been through this process with two kids now, I can definitely confirm that yes, FAFSA asks about housing plans! It's in the college selection section where you pick each school - you'll see options for on-campus, off-campus, or living with parents. Don't stress too much about getting it exactly right though. My first kid changed his housing choice three times after we submitted, and every financial aid office we contacted was super helpful about updating his Cost of Attendance and adjusting his aid package accordingly. The housing choice affects institutional aid calculations but won't change federal aid like Pell Grants, which are based on your SAI. My advice? Submit with your best guess this weekend and know you can easily update it later once your daughter makes her final college decision. Better to get it in on time than delay over uncertainty!

As a newcomer to this community and someone currently going through the FAFSA process for the first time, I just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm in a very similar boat - helping my son with his FAFSA and feeling overwhelmed by every question. Reading through all these responses has really eased my anxiety about the housing question. It's so reassuring to learn that this choice primarily affects each school's Cost of Attendance calculation rather than federal aid eligibility, and that schools are genuinely flexible about updates when students change their minds. I was definitely overthinking it and letting the housing decision delay our submission, but everyone's advice about submitting with our best guess and adjusting later makes perfect sense. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space for parents navigating this complex process - it's clear we're all just trying to do right by our kids!