Hi there, I went to UMN for my undergrad and while you definitely dont HAVE to have a car, it does make things a bit easier. Getting around within the city or down to the Airport/Mall is easy enough sans car, but you really cant get to the suburbs in anything resembling a quick fashion without one. There aren't really any satellite trains at the moment that go out east, north, or west. But, usually everyone knows SOMEONE with a car, and we tend to be pretty friendly about ride-sharing.