Best to get exact information on what is required from the facilities (or whatever department) folks at the university. My guess is If they don’t provide him a box, I suspect they are providing basic (analog/Clear QAM) cable and he will need a tuner that can decode basic cable.
Like you said, you need a tuner. If you have a cable TV provider, the cable box they supply would be your tuner. Coax to cable box, HDMI from cable box to your display.
In a related question... I bought my son the same vizio. He has cable in his college dorm, but doesn't have access to a cable box. How do you get the cable to work then?
Best to get exact information on what is required from the facilities (or whatever department) folks at the university. My guess is If they don’t provide him a box, I suspect they are providing basic (analog/Clear QAM) cable and he will need a tuner that can decode basic cable.