Impact of College Provided Transportation on the Absenteeism and Academic Performance of Engineering Students

Abstract

Students use different modes of transport to go to college. While many transportation programs exist at different universities and many experts find these programs to have a positive impact, no studies have investigated the impact of such programs on the absenteeism and academic performance of college students. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of a college provided transportation program on the absenteeism and performance of engineering students. Different types of data were collected from a sample of engineering students, including attendance records, grade point average (GPA), course grades, majors, and bus ridership information for two years. The findings suggest that there is a positive impact of providing a college transportation service to engineering students in the form of better attendance and higher GPA. The outcomes of this study can be used to evaluate similar programs in the future and can be used by public agencies and policymakers to make decisions on expanding investments in such programs.