But on the other hand a homeless person who stumbled off the bus 30 days before the election and will be gone within a week has the right to vote and the DOJ will help him enforce it.
As your post admits, the college students are going to be there four years--this is longer than many renters.
You can always move...
Still, it is not a permanent address. I was not a resident of Ft. Campbell, Ft Leonard Wood, Ft. Belvoir or West germany for that matter.
A permanent address is a place where you have a home or pay taxes. Students who live off campus and pay property taxes in a district are not prohibited. Their legal right comes from the taxes paid through their rents and utilities.