At this point in time our student's plans for housing are tentative. Hope to live live off campus but did pay the housing deposit as a back up. I filled out the FAFSA with on campus status, if you will. Does it make that much difference? When the decision is final do I need to go back and edit the FAFSA?
It depends on how your school calculates their COA. At my daughters school the COA is the same whether they live on or off campus so it makes no difference. Except at her school a student living with parents has a lower COA and would then have to tell the school and it would reduce the financial aid. At my son's school the COA was actually higher for students living off campus. At some it may be lower. So you need to check with your school.
Why would you want your student to live off-campus in their first year? As a college Dean of Students, I can tell you that it's probably the biggest predictor of a negative college experience.
