Some things to consider.
My son is at RIT, and we saved a lot in housing costs the 2nd/3rd years when he moved into on-campus apartment with friends. Colony Manor (one of several) are un-furnished, 2-4 person apts. They are sort of like ‘off-campus’, but since they are owned by RIT, you are only paying for the academic year, and everything is still handled through RIT housing/billing (VERY convenient). You do have to move-out for the summer, but he shared a storage place with a group so he paid maybe $50 for the summer. He has a simple mattress on a metal frame, and took a desk&dresser from home, and a chair and TV he picked up on the side of the road (!). (and actually, if you go to RIT during move-out, students leave a lot of fine furnishings for the dumpster…it’s sad actually, but I’m sure it happens in a lot of places…but I digress). His 2-bdr, 4-person apt is $4018 for the year (if you figure 9 months, thats ~$500/month). It’s one of the cheapest, and is at least $3000 less than the dorm options.
So while your D might want to be in the dorms freshman year, you might be able to arrange for housing-related savings in later years.
My son’s on co-op now, and another student, who was on co-op in the fall, has moved into his place in the apt. Again, because it’s all still under RIT housing, the transition paperwork was essentially non-existent. They handle it all seamlessly.
Also, if your D will be doing co-ops, she could be earning a tidy amount to contribute toward following semesters.
My son’s first co-op (right now) he is getting paid $18+/hr, plus $250/wk living stipend (and his housing is only costing him $400/month). He expects to save well over $15,000 by the summer, so will have plenty to contribute next year.
Since RIT’s highest merit is $16,000 (unless your D is NMSF?), I wouldn’t expect them to go any higher than that.
Good Luck!