[brucepick]

OK, this might be doable within one semester. You'll need an MPGuino so you can report results of individual trips, not only whole tanks worth of data rolled up.

And if doing it in the Corolla (or nearly any car aside from a Prius or a 1st generation Insight), you'll need some serious aero mods plus low rolling resistance tires, run at high pressure. Think of the sidewall max pressure imprint as a starting point.

Read up on these topics in the Aerodynamics subforum. And pay attention to "aerohead" when you read his posts. He's the aero guru.

Grill block. Basic. You need a digital temp gauge to make sure you don't choke off too much radiator air flow.

Air dam and side skirts. OR: Belly pan from front bumper to firewall, further back if you can. But that front segment gives you the most gain. I prefer the pan to the air dam + side skirts.

Flat wheel covers. Attaching them is the toughest trick but solutions have been found.

Kamm back extension for the roofline if its a coupe or sedan. If its a wagon you may need another car. The aero losses at the rear are very huge and a good Kamm helps a lot. Just think of the car as a piston rushing through the air, sucking a big vacuum behind itself. Consider how much HP and fuel are being used to create that vacuum.

Rear wheel skirts. Usually the tires bulge out beyond the fenders. So avoid bulging the skirts outward too aggressively. You don't want the air flow to break away from your new smooth skin, you want it to follow the skin back to rejoin the fender.