As a St. Louis native, I always envisioned myself venturing further than 25 minutes away from home for school. But, as you already know, that’s not how it worked out. Despite my initial reservations about WashU’s location, there were many other things that I loved about it. I loved the Collegiate Gothic architecture on campus. I loved the amount of food options, especially as a vegetarian. Of course, I also loved WashU’s commitment to a well-rounded education with world-class faculty

But what I loved most about WashU was that I had the option of commuting from home starting my sophomore year. The commute would save me almost $20,000 of WashU housing and meal fees, which, coming from a single-parent household, held a lot of appeal.

After deciding to attend WashU, however, the University changed its housing policy — over the summer. From fall 2025 onwards, first-years and sophomores must live on campus, meaning I can’t commute until I am a junior. While I won’t speculate on why WashU changed the policy, I can say that this hasn’t been a welcome change for me or many other students.

The policy’s most obvious detriment is that it adds significant cost for students. For St. Louis natives, food and housing cost an additional $20k on top of an already hefty tuition.

Even people who aren’t from St. Louis or do not plan to live at home can save a lot of money by living off campus. Renting an apartment is often cheaper than getting a dorm. Students living on campus must also purchase at least a Bronze meal plan ($5,800 per year), as opposed to the Off-Campus meal plan ($1,622 per year). Students living off campus can customize their budget. There’s a lot more freedom for what you eat, where you buy from, and how much you want to spend.

​In addition to the financial problems with this policy, it could also impact students’ personal growth. For many people, college is a time to have more freedom, leave home, and explore the world without parental supervision. It’s also most students’ first time having their own apartments and “adulting” (i.e., cooking, cleaning, and managing their own time). College offers an invaluable time for students to develop into adults, but WashU takes from this process, delaying it by a year.

​While people on the South 40 and the Village live away from their parents, it doesn’t count as “adulting.” Housekeepers come to clean once a week in the South 40. I can count on two fingers the number of people I know who cook anything other than frozen Trader Joe’s meals. While living on campus is beneficial to first-years because they are still adapting to college life, sophomores should not have to extend this experience if they don’t need to.

​I understand why WashU wants students to live on campus. The most cited reason, especially for first-years, is that being surrounded by fellow students creates a strong sense of community. Living on campus also means that it’s easier to travel to club meetings and go to social functions, but that doesn’t mean that people who commute can’t also have that. It’s completely possible to be dedicated to social activities and be a part of the WashU culture without living on campus.

Being able to choose where you live, especially for people who cannot afford another year of living on campus, can be the difference between attending WashU and not. My mom specifically budgeted for me to live from home my remaining three years of undergrad, and this new policy change has added financial stress. The University should revert their policy back to the requirement that students live on campus for one year instead of two in order to make WashU a more affordable and inclusive place.