Why is credit so important to college students?

the vast majority of landlords will not rent to someone who does not have good credit along with good rental history unless they have a cosigner

just because you did not have a problem does not make this the norm

It's not uncommon to be able to afford a car sans credit (though not a lot of college kids can afford to buy new without taking out a loan)... but not many people can pay cash for, say, a house.

If you attempt to get a home loan, after the collapse of the housing bubble, they won't even look at you if your credit score is under 650. The same is often true of business loans.

And since, unless you've been actively building your credit, you essentially HAVE no credit score, college kids want to get started as early as they can so they can buy a house or start a business farther down the road.

At least that's why I started building credit in college. By the time I bought my home, I had a score in the 700s (and still do) and had no issues at all getting a mortgage loan.

After you get out of college, you will not be able to get a mortgage, a car loan, much of anything else without a credit record. People are sometimes willing -- especially in college towns or areas near campuses -- to rent apartments to students who don't have credit records yet -- but I have to wonder whether someone acted as guarantor for you when you bought that car. Possibly you made a very large down payment?

Most people do need to establish a credit record so they can eventually buy a home. That's the big-ticket item for which you really need good credit.

No wonder you are so rude, you're not in a great financial place