The growing cost of room and board at Covenant is causing more underclassmen to wonder why they can’t move off campus and save thousands of dollars.
The price of living on campus rose by nearly $1,000 over the summer to $13,250 for the current school year.
But even with the largest freshman class in history taking every available bed on campus, the college continues to require freshmen, sophomores and juniors to live in a dorm.
“Money was a huge thing because on-campus living is really expensive, and the meal plan is incredibly expensive,” said Isabella Horne ’26 about her reasons for living off-campus this year. “I’m paying a lot less now.”
Even with the overflowing campus, Covenant leadership is hesitant to allow more students to live off-campus because they don’t want to “lose what is good and beautiful about Covenant,” said Dave Gambrell, dean of enrollment management.
The college has no plan, as of now, to allow more upperclassmen to move off campus.
“There is an educational component that we believe is part of the residential experience that is hard to put a number on,” said Si Mitchell, newly appointed associate dean of students and resident life. He stated that Student Development strives “to create space for holistic growth in and through relationships.”
The Covenant College website describes living in residence halls as “more than a place to sleep and store your things—they are a huge part of the Covenant culture and where you’ll more than likely make some of your best college friendships and memories.”
“We in student development want to encourage students [to stay on campus] because seniors have so much to offer; the more we can have them around, it will be hugely beneficial to the school,” said Mitchell.
Yet, for some seniors, these benefits are not enough to trump the cost.
Sarah Wynn Caston, class of ’26, pays around $500 dollars a month for rent and groceries, about $4,000 for the entire school year. This is fairly typical for off-campus living. She notes that there is often a different kind of education that comes from living independently.
“I really appreciated learning how to run a house. Learning how to handle all the bills, handle all the due dates for that, as well as run a household and manage to keep it nice,” Caston stated, “it has been a joy.”
Learning to run a household, buy groceries, and manage bills are valuable skills that are learned when living off-campus. Even though at times off-campus students may miss out on the spontaneity of a late-night hall Blink run, in some ways, there are more opportunities for community off-campus.
“I am very thankful for the community I have both on-campus and off-campus,” Caston stated. “I know that I can be here and have a community I can surround myself with.”