Do Commuting Distance and Time Impact Retention at Community Colleges?

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Five
  In Roundtable Session: Moving on Out: The Experiences of Transfer Students in Higher Education (Table 4)

Abstract

Retention rates are a cause for concern at community colleges. While existing literature has studied institutional interventions to reduce achievement gaps, little research has engaged with how the geographic context of the institution and the characteristics of the local areas where students live shape student retention. This study engages with the geography of opportunity and how it relates to student retention at four large urban colleges in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We link administrative data with a novel dataset that captures estimated commuting distances and time via car and public transit. We find a significant, adverse effect of commuting time via car on student retention.

Authors

• Daniel Corral, University of Toronto
  Presenting Author

• Daniyal Rahim, University of Toronto
  Presenting Author