Transportation as a Barrier to Higher Education - Evidence from the 2022 Student Financial Wellness Survey

Oct 15, 2026

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Transportation affordability and reliability affect whether students can consistently reach campus and remain enrolled. Using results from 36,332 students in the Fall 2022 Student Financial Wellness Survey, the report analyzes how commuting costs, parking availability, missed-class patterns, and transit options shape student outcomes. With 78% reporting car access yet only 8% using public transit often or always, it highlights infrastructure needs and cost-benefit tradeoffs for campus transportation policy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Transportation Barriers

Commuting Access and Cost

Parking Availability and Decision-Making

Reliability and Missed Classes

Mode Choice: Walking vs. Car vs. Transit

Policy Implications and Recommendations

About Trellis Company and Trellis Research Services

SPOTLIGHT REPORT BRIEF TRELLIS RESEARCH | JULY 2023 Transportation as a Barrier to Higher Education: Evidence from the 2022 Student Financial Wellness Survey Anthony Schuette July 2023 Schuette, A. (2023) . Transportation as a Barrier to Higher Education: Evidence from the 2022 Student Financial Wellness Survey. Trellis Company. Transportation Barriers Students who are unable to reliably commute to their college campus stand to fall behind in school or drop out altogether. For many students, the cost of transportation presents a barrier to higher education entry and completion. In 2020-2021, transportation costs accounted for nearly 20 percent of the cost of attending college for commuting students, according to the College Board (2020) . What’s more, for many students who seek cheaper forms of transportation, like bus or active transit, other issues persist. Among these issues are prohibitive cost and affordability, inconvenient routes, frequency and schedules, housing and work proximity, and poor reliability, and quality (Price and Curtis, 2018) . This brief examines results from 36,332 students who participated in the Fall 2022 Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS) and analyzes school policies that aim to reduce transportation barriers for students. Seventy-eight percent of undergraduate students who responded to the SFWS reported having a car, and just eight percent reported using public transportation to get to school often or always, highlighting the prevalence of private vehicles as a means for transportation in higher education. This finding demonstrates the need for colleges and universities to have the infrastructure in place to support student commuters. Further, just under half of students in the Fall 2022 SFWS said that parking is always available on campus when they need it. Parking is a critical component of the decision-making process when a student chooses to drive, or not to drive, to campus. When parking fees increase, it drives the number of students substituting away from driving in favor of other modes to increase Q108: Parking is available on campus when I need it. Not applicable Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Q110: Have you ever missed class due to lack of reliable transportation. Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always Not applicable 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% (Delmelle and Delmelle, 2012) . However increased parking fees have the potential to change behavior adversely. Increasing fees substantially may result in student transfers, as observed in (non-student) visitors to central business districts, who did their business elsewhere when faced with rising parking costs (Shiftan and Burd-Eden, 2001) . Inadequate parking may lead to students being late to classes or missing them altogether. TRELLIS RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT REPORT BRIEF The reliability of student transportation is also crucial to student success. Over one-quarter of students in the SFWS reported missing class rarely (16 percent) or sometimes (10 percent) due to a lack of reliable transportation to campus. Weighing the potential benefits and costs of school transportation policy is crucial to both helping keep higher education affordable and accessible, and making sustainable transportation decisions at a campus-wide level. Walking has been identified as the dominant mode of transportation for students living up to 1.5 miles from a small-town college campus, equivalent to roughly a 30-minute walk. Car usage was found to increase most substantially between walk times of 10 to 15 minutes (Delmelle and Delmelle, 2012), and continue to grow beyond 15 minutes. Factors like weather and perceived commute time, and even basic sidewalk availability, may impact student transportation decisions. A study from North Dakota found that students prefer to walk or bike when possible (Ripplinger et al., 2005) . These factors must be evaluated carefully for their costs and b

FAQs

What data source does the report use to study transportation barriers?

It uses results from 36,332 students who participated in the Fall 2022 Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS).

How common is public transportation use compared with private vehicle use?

Seventy-eight percent of responding undergraduate students reported having a car, while only eight percent reported using public transportation to get to school often or always.

How does transportation reliability relate to missing class?

Over one-quarter of students reported missing class rarely (16%) or sometimes (10%) due to a lack of reliable transportation to campus.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Melati