COVID-19 and Living Situation: Effects on University of Michigan Students During the 2020-2021 Academic Year

College students worldwide were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as classes switched from in-person to remote. The switch to remote classes contributed to increased off-campus living. Many college students believed that they were missing out on new experiences and opportunities by living off-campus. The purpose of this study was to understand how living on-campus differed from living off-campus during the 2020-2021 academic year. A Qualtrics survey consisting of a variety of quality of life (QOL) questions was sent out to students attending the University of Michigan (U-M); participants (N = 66) were asked to assess the effect of COVID-19 on their diet, education, exercise, sleep, and social activity. This study also briefly examined the mental and physical health of participants. Independent t-tests were performed to determine if there were any significant differences between on-campus and off-campus participants in relation to the five aforementioned factors. It was found that whether participants lived on-campus or off-campus, their education, exercise, sleep, and social activity were similarly affected by COVID-19. The diet of participants, however, was affected less for on-campus students than off-campus. It is hopeful that the findings presented here will help identify problem areas associated with COVID-19 to improve the QOL of college students.