This is the amount of money you pay to attend classes. If you commute from home, this would be the majority of your expense to attend a college. This is the dorm and the cafeteria food. Some colleges have one price for all dorm rooms, some vary. Most colleges have various meal plans that include 15 or 20 meals per week.
Some colleges offer unlimited amounts of food under one meal plan.
Some are on a point system which doesn't work out great for hungry athletes who run out of points by Thanksgiving. The room and board is usually a much smaller fee than the tuition. This may be a touchy area for students and parents. Usually, parents have no clue what budgets would be reasonable. Their biggest expenses will be the telephone bill, laundry and junk food.