When choosing a college or university to attend, location can be just as important as academics for some students. The communities immediately surrounding college campuses can define what a student's college experience looks like, from having access to restaurants and bars to meeting students from nearby institutions. In a study released in October, WalletHub analyzed over 400 college towns and cities across the US and ranked them based on affordability, social scene, and academic prospects in 2025. To analyze the cost of living (or "wallet friendliness"), WalletHub researchers examined data such as average housing costs, the cost of higher education, the share of rental units, and the average cost of pizza and burgers in each city. Its social rank was determined by factors including the share of the population aged 18-35, the share of single people, the gender balance among students, and cafés, breweries, food trucks, and nightlife per capita, among others.…