International students forced to find cheaper housing off-campus

When it comes to finding a place to live year-round, it is more affordable to live off campus. Although the option is not yet available and there are no such plans in the works, international students are better off looking for options off-campus.

   For most students, going home for the holidays is a relatively inexpensive trip. But for many international students, this is not the case. Whether it is for financial, academic, or work-related reasons, there are a good number of international students who need 12-month housing. But, there is not an on-campus option available for them.

In fact, it may be for the best that UMBC does not offer such an option. It is common knowledge among UMBC students that living in the dorms, let alone the apartments, can be quite costly. Especially since it is also mandatory to have a meal plan if one is living on campus.

Fortunately, this meal plan requirement is not pinned onto on-campus apartment residents. But, living in the apartments can be prohibitively expensive.

On average, the cost of living in a dorm with continuous occupancy (9-month housing) and the minimum meal plan is approximately $1170 per month. The cost of living in the apartments, which all offer 9-month housing, but do not require a meal plan averages at about $775 per month.

Going off campus, the prices get much more reasonable. Off-campus housing near UMBC can vary from about $250 to $600 per month. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, the average monthly cost of food per person is $302.

Not only is off-campus housing much cheaper, it gives international students more choices. Furthermore, a large amount of off-campus housing can be found near or on the UMBC shuttle bus route, which is free for students.

There are also many grocery stores and shopping centers located on the UMBC bus routes. From Giant on Wilkens Avenue to the Walmart in Arbutus to the Dollar Tree less than two miles from campus, there are affordable grocery options within close proximity.

Some students wish that there were on-campus options that lasted for 12 months, but the reality is this isn’t viable nor cost efficient. If someone wants a place to live near campus for a full year, they should look into off campus options instead of expecting UMBC to provide those options.

Even if on-campus 12 month housing is an unreasonable and unaffordable idea, UMBC should make sure that international students have options that fall within their means. UMBC already offers this resource through off-campus housing websites.

International students do need the option of 12-month housing, but that option is not viable on campus. With the current costs for on-campus housing, a year round plan would be overly expensive compared to sharing an apartment with other UMBC students that also falls on the UMBC bus route.