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A large roll plastic grid meant to be used with dry-erase makers that has squares on one side and hexes on the other, probably the best investment. Followed by dry-erase markers. Purchasing some of these to use as tokens to represent NPCs and enemies. Just a couple different colors should do. My group also uses beer botle caps to represent player characters, though since you're still in school you probably shouldn't do that. But you might try to think of a generic substitute.
Those are really the most basic of things that I feel you can't play without. Other things are optional, and usually pretty specific to a game system.
Edit: Here is the grid I am talking about, but Paizo doesn't have them any more. But something like that is what I'm referring to. Reversible with both hexes and grid are going to be best with having many different systems.
Many of those types of boards do poorly with some markers, and become permanent with the dry eraser. Get wet erase. Works a lot better, especially black, blue, purple colors.
Wooden pencils and a good electric sharpener
Lots of pens
Graph paper
Notebooks and index cards (I've made entire modular dungeons out of index cards)
A grid map as mentioned above or a roll of tear-off grid paper
A dry-erase white board
Foam board
Craft paint or cheap exterior paint
A craft knife
Lots of dry, wet, and coloring markers
These will all require you to be crafty and hands on, but after you've got these supplies get to work. Find some tutorials online to turn the foam into terrain by cutting it, painting/coloring it, and perhaps drawing on a grid as well. You can also use the grid maps and paper to help. As your skill increases you can make fake trees and bushes out of twigs and branches, embed these in the foam, and have indoor/outdoor terrain.
To represent your PCs or monsters on the cheap print/draw portraits of them on paper then glue these or tape them to soda bottle caps. You can also make paper stands of them out of index cards.
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Dice, oodles of pretty fresh dice, and an opulent dice rolling area/backstop done in subtle velvet.
Oil painting of dogs playing RPGs.
Second hand overstuffed armchairs.
Port and cigars.
Modern art sculptures and absenthe for coming up with ideas for dungeons/outer gods/exsurgent virus strains.
Use it to hire a burly fellow student to keep the riffraff out, also a velvet rope.
Battle-Map + Dry Erase Markers
BONES !!!
A salver (as we play at a couch area the table is realativly low so the DM use this for notes etc. on his lap)
Tablet with PFSRD, Summoner & Spellbook on it
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I would actually like to suggest wet erase over dry erase markers. for these basic reasons.
1. Dry erase markers tend to leave residue that builds up over time
2. Dry erase marker residue gets onto other things and stains them
3. If you get the dry erase marks wet it can cause major staining
4. Dry erase comes off a lot if you accidentally brush it with your hand/sleeve
Aside from that I think people are giving good advice, the only other thing I've really liked having is dungeon tiles from a maker like dwarven forge. these are basicly little 2x2 square panels and wall sections you can put together to make dungeon rooms and such, the 3d element brings a lot to the look of things.
Something to think about. . .
If you're spending organizational money on assets that the organization is going to keep, try to avoid things that art too portable. Things like dice, minis and pencils are a requirement for the game, but they are also the things people will walk off with, accidentally or otherwise. Plus, those items are cheap enough that even students should be able to have their own set.
On the other hand, things like wet-erase maps, terrain, measuring tools (if your group does any wargaming) are harder for people to stuff in their bags, or mistake for their own property.
Plus, if you make some awesomely useful/well crafted terrain, then other folks in the organization start saying things like, "who made that terrain?" "Oh, that's Banjax's terrain, pretty awesome, huh?!!"
Contributing to the dry/wet erase comments:
Dry erase:
comes off easily
doesn't stain the board easily
is usually rigid
Wet erase:
doesn't come up easily
also stains the board easily. some colors are worse than others
will definitely stain if you accidentally use a dry erase marker.
usually floppy, so more portable.
We use Tac-Tiles, (dry erase puzzle mats), but I think their out of business.
I recently purchased an extendable back scratcher from rite aid and it works great to move my figurine around the battle mat
I use a plastic robot gripper arm my daughter won at the State Fair.
Dry-erase mats always winds up staining for me, and wet erase is horribly messy. I prefer a map under glass, with dry-erase pens. Cleanup is easy and tidy, maps can be switched out under the glass as needed. The only disadvantage is lack of portability, but if you have a devoted gaming table, for me glasstop is the way to go!
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Just re-read the first post, you might want to ignore my post about the tiles, they're cool but they're way over your budget.
I definitely agree with the suggestion of bones though, little rubber minis work real good.
Alternatively somebody I know uses bottle caps for all their baddies, you know if the cheap beer comes out you'll have a lot of chumps to fight and when you see the obscure fancy soda cap you should be scared.
Just re-read the first post ...
Oh, me too. Glass table tops can also be pretty pricey, unfortunately.
You may be in luck as for the painting, while a print and not oil upon canvas as is proper such a thing is available possibly:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1388023634/dogs-playing-dandd-full-colo r-poster
Leads to his the artist in question.
A yellow legal pad.
I have a dry erase battlemat that I like, but it doesn't get used every session (or even every combat). My legal pads, though, get a lot of use. Initiative orders, on-the-spot NPC names, HP tallies... it may not be flashy, but a notebook is the GM's best friend hands down
I do everything on roll20.net and use several apps on my ipad. I'm practically pen and paper free.