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<p>it’s a no-win situation. if a school uses an avg amount in its COA, then it can be hard/impossible to get aid/loans up to the amount that covers a pricier selection. if a school uses the highest dorm/meal-plan cost in its COA, then someone on a tighter budget may think it’s unaffordable not knowing that cheaper dorms/meal-plans bring down the COA significantly.</p>
<p>At my kids undergrad, once S2 moved off campus, his R&B costs dropped a lot. He had been in the priciest dorms with the priciest meal plan. when he moved to a nearby student apartment, his “housing” dropped by $3k per year and his food costs cut in half.</p>