The comments came as the university's economic impact report for last year, released yesterday, showed university students boosted the city's economy by $261.5 million out of a total overall impact of $780.8 million.
Based on the report, the average full-time student boosted Dunedin's economy by about $15,000, through both direct spending and the flow-on effects of that spending.
The Otago Daily Times visited a flat of young women and a flat of young men and found spending habits were similar, except that the young women spent significantly more on clothes.
Jesse Charteris said he believed students were ''essential'' to Dunedin, something some in the city overlooked.
''I think a lot of people just think we are bad for the city, that we do stupid stuff.''
Dunedin should be willing to put up with some of the student ''shenanigans'' given how important the students were, he said.
Asked what he believed Dunedin would be like without the students, he said: ''It would be like Hamilton, basically ... it would be pretty boring.''
Briar Reidy reckoned the city would be ''pretty dead'' without the students and that their spending gave local retailers and landlords a big boost.
Taylor McCormack said people got a good idea over summer of what the students brought to Dunedin. Most left the city at that time.
''It's pretty dead over summer. I know most of North Dunedin just closes down.''
Liam Jenkinson said, as was normal with students, most of the money his flat spent on alcohol was at supermarkets and liquor stores, not bars.
