University of Alabama
Compare the actual responsibility your student would accept near the University of Alabama. UA's Off-Campus Resources describes a joint lease as one unit rented at a set amount with tenants equally responsible, so remaining roommates may need to cover a departing person's share or find a replacement. It describes an individual lease as each tenant responsible for their own portion, typically priced by bedroom. Read the proposed contract for rent liability, common-area damage, roommate assignment, replacement and guarantor obligations. Choose using those terms and the full cost rather than assuming one format is always cheaper or safer. This is the university resource's explanation, not a legal opinion about a particular lease.
Sources checked