If you wanted groceries there was a 1/week bus that did it, and if you wanted to be exposed to anywhere off campus you'd have to drive. There were often arts, research, etc. events that would require driving.
"I really have to wonder why these poor students went there"
Because they could afford it(the tuition was low comparatively) and it's relatively well known with a good reputation.
"That one thing alone probably would have made all the difference for your friends who dropped out due to finances."
It wouldn't have, sorry, we were a super afforable school at around ~15k/semester. At that point owning a car is chump change.
What state has universities charging that much for residents?
This is normally what I consider the cost of a university.
> mandatory dorms/meal plans, and if not dorms/meal plans then rent/food/car/etc
That's not fair to lump in, because all of that needs to be paid for just to exist. While I don't like the trend towards mandatory on-campus housing and meals, you still have to live somewhere and eat something, so I don't really think tacking the entire cost of those into the cost of a university is fair.
On top of that, if living in a dorm and eating crappy cafeteria food is much more expensive than living off-campus in an apartment and getting your own food from a grocery store, I think it's fair to include those mandatory costs into the "cost of a university".
Tons of them. Cars are not that expensive to own either. You keep bringing up dorms, yet they were an absolutely terrible value at my school. The car is way more necessary when you have to live off campus.
Cars certainly can be expensive to own. If they're newer, there's a significant car payment associated. College students are young, so insurance costs are very high (esp. if they're male). And if the car is older, it may be cheap, but it's a big gamble: what happens when it suddenly needs expensive repairs? Even a relatively crappy car is a major expense (as a portion of their entire cost-of-living) for a college student, at least it was when I was a student.
As for your public university, I really have to wonder why these poor students went there, as it sounds like a pretty terrible school. What kind of public university is only manageable via driving? I went to 2 different, very large, state universities, and both were quite manageable with walking or biking. I biked at both so I could get around faster. Even in America's car culture, both these schools were definitely not set up for driving to class; they had parking lots at the edges of campus, which were frequently overcrowded, and you still had to walk a long way to class, so it made more sense to avoid this unless you were a non-traditional student. Dorms were most certainly within walking distance of everything (though again, biking was faster, though not for everyone). The meal plans however were expensive and a rip-off, though at my freshman/sophomore school it was optional so I didn't bother, and got food from other places for less money. Anyway, maybe these kids should have chosen a better university, namely one that doesn't require a car. Cars are very expensive to own and maintain when you're poor, and college students don't usually have the tools or knowledge (or time!) to save money by doing their own work. That one thing alone probably would have made all the difference for your friends who dropped out due to finances.