Not sure if OP meant it seriously or sarcastically, but the pro-campus housing argument runs: * being collocated with other students provides an academic safet

Not sure if OP meant it seriously or sarcastically, but the pro-campus housing argument runs: * being collocated with other students provides an academic safety net for the underprepared (it's easier to get your neighbor to explain physics at 10p than a person on the internet who's in your online class/ at your training center) * it provides peer pressure for the undermotivated... its harder to say "this workload is unreasonable, I'm not going to do it" when you see your roommate and all your neighbors slogging through it * proximity forces social interaction, which builds social skills in those who wouldn't have sought them out * it's great fun. Easy to achieve critical mass for parties or other recreational activities. These events in turn build friendships an a valuable network after college.