Many higher education institutions have a goal to enroll students from a variety of backgrounds, ages, economic classes, and lived experiences, but a majority of these colleges or universities have outdated policies or structures that make it difficult for all students to thrive on campus.
A minority of college students today are “traditional,” meaning they are first-time students taking classes full-time. And among federal Pell Grant recipients with greater financial need, this is even more true, with only 43 percent of four-year students receiving Pell Grants falling into the “traditional” category.
How Basic Needs Challenges Impact Student Success
For lower income students, being able to access campus resources for basic needs can be significant factors in their enrollment and completion. However, basic needs challenges such as food insecurity or transportation are often addressed in higher education policy as isolated or separate obstacles, each uniquely impacting individual students.
For the Modern Learner—a student who often comes to campus with primary personas other than “student”—these are interconnected barriers that can stack up and impede progress toward a degree.
When institutions treat these as peripheral or secondary issues, the result is predictable: disrupted enrollment, stop-outs, and uneven outcomes for learners. Instead, colleges and universities should take an integrated approach that recognizes the ways a student’s life off campus can also impact their work and success on campus.
Transportation Barriers Can Disrupt Degree Completion
A lack of reliable transportation can be a barrier to students’ ability to attend courses, and in turn, complete a degree.
Trellis Strategies’ 2024 Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS) found 15 percent of students reported missing class at least sometimes due to a lack of transportation. Even among students who had a car (three in four respondents), nearly one in five indicated that their car was only “somewhat reliable” or “not at all reliable.”
“I’ve found myself broken down on the side of the road … kind of stranded depending on the severity of it,” one student at a Midwestern institution shared.
Students indicated using a variety of creative solutions to make it to campus, including carpooling to the bus stop, accounting for numerous delays in public transport or biking.
Why Higher Education Institutions Should Take an Integrated Approach
Supporting student success requires institutions to look beyond academics alone and recognize the interconnected barriers modern learners face.
Addressing transportation, food insecurity, housing, and other basic needs through coordinated support systems can help colleges improve degree completion outcomes for today’s students.
Ashley Mowreader is a freelance data journalist. Previously, Ashley worked for Inside Higher Ed, covering national barriers to student success, with a focus on evidence-based solutions. She holds a bachelor’s in journalism from Pepperdine University and is currently pursuing her master’s in journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
Student Transportation Needs FAQs
What are basic needs challenges in higher education?
Basic needs challenges include food insecurity, housing instability, transportation barriers, child care access, and financial hardship, which can affect a student’s ability to enroll, persist, and complete a degree.
Who are modern learners in higher education?
Modern learners are students who often balance college with work, caregiving, parenting, or other life responsibilities. Many follow nontraditional or nonlinear educational pathways while pursuing credentials or degrees.
How do transportation barriers affect college students?
Transportation challenges can cause students to miss class, arrive late, or struggle to attend campus consistently. Unreliable transportation can negatively impact academic performance and degree completion.
Why should colleges address transportation insecurity?
Reliable transportation is essential for student access and success. Supporting transportation needs can improve attendance, reduce stop-outs, and help students remain engaged in their educational pathways.
What did the Student Financial Wellness Survey reveal about transportation?
Trellis Strategies’ 2024 Student Financial Wellness Survey found that 15 percent of students reported missing class at least sometimes due to transportation challenges, highlighting transportation as a significant student success issue.
Why is a holistic approach important in higher education?
A holistic approach recognizes that students’ academic success is deeply connected to their wellbeing and life circumstances outside the classroom. Addressing interconnected barriers can improve persistence, equity, and completion outcomes.