All the way back in ‘03, in two college towns I’m aware of, it was significantly cheaper to get a 12-month lease on a 1-bedroom or studio apartment within a 5-m

All the way back in ‘03, in two college towns I’m aware of, it was significantly cheaper to get a 12-month lease on a 1-bedroom or studio apartment within a 5-minute walk from campus than to live in the dorms, even without a roomate (which you’d have in the dorm). And you’d have your own bathroom and kitchen, and more total space. Both universities required freshmen to live in the dorms, unless they were living with family.