Living Off-Campus

Many University of Maine Students choose to live off-campus.  You may be able to use your financial aid to assist you in covering costs that are associated with living off campus (i.e. monthly rent, utilities, groceries, travel expenses). The availability of financial aid for off-campus expenses will depend upon the charges on your student account and the total amount of your financial aid available per semester.

If you live off campus, your financial need is calculated exactly the same way as if you lived on campus. The major difference is that the bursar will not charge you for your housing expenses. You will need to pay your housing expenses directly to your landlord, as outlined in your lease.

Living On-Campus vs. Living Off-Campus:

 On-Campus:   Off-Campus:
1. Tuition and fees are applied directly to your student bill 1. Tuition and Fees are applied directly to your student bill
2. Room and board charges for on-campus housing and meal plans are applied directly to your student bill 2. When your financial aid is applied to your student bill, only tuition and fees will be automatically covered
3. All financial aid is applied to your bill, If you have more financial aid than what the charges on your student bill are, you will receive a refund 3. If you have more financial aid than what the charges on your student bill are, you will receive a refund
4. This refund is what many students use for their off-campus living expenses (monthly rent, utilities, groceries, travel expenses, etc)

Here are some things to keep in mind regarding your financial aid and living off-campus:

  1. The amount of financial aid you are eligible for does not change regardless of if you are living on-campus or off-campus.
  2. Each semester, your financial aid will disburse to your student account.  Financial aid will first be applied to any charges on your account. If there is remaining aid, you will be issued a refund.
  3. For any student living off campus, financial aid is available for housing and meal expenses only if the student accepts enough aid for these expenses.
  4. A student needing funds for housing and meals should accept enough aid to cover the tuition and fees, and any other expenses on the student account, plus the amount that is needed for housing and meals

We encourage students who are living off campus to create and stick to a budget for financial aid and expenses during the year. For additional resources on budgeting visit the UMaine Financial Literacy website at umaine.edu.