College is meant to be a pivotal time in the lives of many young adults, a time when they develop essential life skills. A key part of this transition into adulthood is learning how to live independently. This includes learning to cook for themselves, manage housing-related finances and navigate the challenges of commuting — skills that are crucial for life after graduation.
Living off-campus provides students with real-world experience. It teaches them how to budget, manage leases, prepare meals and commute, things they simply don’t learn in dormitories with dining plans.
Tulane comes with a hefty price tag, a significant portion of which pays for room and board. As of 2025, the cost of housing alone for a standard two-room dormitory is $10,758. Add on the mandatory meal plans — required for all students residing on campus — and that price climbs up to $18,868 per year. This price can be much higher than the cost of living off-campus and splitting rent with several roommates. Further, the egregious $8,110 from the most minimal meal plan alone can be reduced by access to a kitchen and cooking meals at home. Off-campus living not only encourages healthier eating but gives students the opportunity to save thousands. This is money that matters, especially for upperclassmen who are managing loans or saving for graduate school.
Beyond the financial burden of living on campus, there are impacts of requiring young adults to continue living in an environment that is highly regulated by an institution. It robs them of their developmental independence. Requiring a dining plan eliminates the need to cook for oneself, undermining the necessity of learning skills such as budgeting, grocery shopping and cleaning up. In fact, the concept of on-campus living eliminates the need to leave campus at all, encouraging students to either eat readily made meals in the dining hall or shop at overpriced and limited on-campus grocery stores. Additionally, if students want to explore the city, work off-campus jobs or simply buy cheaper groceries, reliable transportation is essential — but parking starts at $575 for on-campus students, another hidden cost of enforced on-campus living.
Tulane simply doesn’t have enough on-campus capacity to house all juniors and seniors. Further, the pushback against students living near Audubon Place is less about student behavior; rather, it’s a zoning and planning issue that the university should address, without over-policing where students live. Students have made an impactful economic impact on the community, a trend that is only sustainable by allowing students to leave campus and interact with the local businesses around them.
Students aren’t invading the New Orleans community. They’re contributing to the local economy. Instead of forcing on-campus living on upperclassman, the university should focus on creating partnerships with the community. Partnerships should be forged with local property owners, off-campus apartment buildings should be subsidized and better zoning policies should be implemented. This offers support to students who wish to stay on campus and provides solutions to those who don’t. The solution isn’t control; it’s providing a choice.