Can a merit scholarship require you to live on campus?
Yes. A tuition scholarship can require campus housing even when the scholarship does not pay the housing bill. Before comparing award amounts, check whether the award lets you use your intended living arrangement.
The examples below were selected because their official rules make housing a condition of merit funding. They illustrate two different situations, not a ranking of colleges or a complete list of residential requirements.
Two rules that can change a college budget
On a smaller screen, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Award policy | Published housing condition | Practical consequence |
|---|---|---|
| NAU freshman tuition scholarships, 2027-28 | First year includes an NAU Campus Living experience: university-managed housing and a meal plan. | Include both costs before deciding the tuition scholarship makes NAU affordable. |
| Boston University Trustee and full-tuition merit awards | BU requires residence in university housing on its Charles River or Fenway campus. | Do not build a later-year budget around moving off campus without checking the award terms. |
NAU’s fall-2027 scholarship page distinguishes Arizona residents, WUE students and other nonresidents, but lists the first-year living condition across those groups. Its awards apply to tuition, so a housing requirement is not a promise of housing funding.
BU’s renewal page gives housing conditions for Trustee, Menino, Posse and full-tuition merit awards. It also directs students to their individual award terms. These are renewal rules, not evidence that every award is accepting new applications.
Compare the whole bill, including your real alternative
Use two complete budgets rather than subtracting the scholarship from tuition and stopping there. A student who could live with family may face a different decision from a student who would need housing at either college. Commuting is not cost-free: include transport, meals and any other actual expenses.
For a hypothetical comparison, suppose an award saves $9,000 in tuition but requires $14,000 of housing and meals. If your realistic commuting alternative costs $4,000, the additional living cost is $10,000. Under those assumptions, the award does not fully offset the difference. These figures are an illustration, not NAU or BU prices.
Now change the situation: if you already planned to live on campus, much of that housing cost was in your budget anyway. The same award can still reduce what you need to pay. The relevant question is what changes in your own plan, not whether housing is expensive in isolation.
Ask how long the condition lasts
Put separate rows in your budget for years one through four. A first-year requirement and a continuing residence condition can produce very different later-year costs. Do not assume that an exemption from a general freshman housing policy also exempts you from a scholarship condition.
If you need to commute, have a disability-related accommodation, plan to study away or are considering an RA role, ask the scholarship office how that specific arrangement affects your award. Keep its written answer with the offer. An exception to one university rule is not automatically an exception to another.
Before accepting the award
Record the covered tuition amount, required living arrangement, meal-plan rule, duration and renewal conditions in your offer comparison. Ask for the current housing and dining estimate and identify any deposit or cancellation deadline separately.
Official policy pages were checked October 29, 2026. NAU’s example applies to the published 2027-28 freshman policy; BU’s example is its current renewal guidance. Your written award agreement and entry-year terms should resolve any individual question.